Zagreb

The train at Ljubljana station was about 45 minutes late – I at least could understand the basic message of PA announcements as I sat on the freezing platform, my breath creating metre-long steam trails as I exhaled.

And if that wasn’t annoying enough, there was a big commotion getting on because hardly any space remained in nearly all its six-seated compartments. I formed an alliance of desperation with the nearest person and we searched through the train to no avail. Luckily he was a talented negotiator and managed to persuade the ticket inspector to let us into his dark, empty compartment.

It turned out my companion was a disillusioned Croatian artist who spoke good English as well as several other languages. He was returning to Zagreb for a family Xmas from his home in Ljubljana and talked about the fascinating travel experiences of his life so far.

His father had been a diplomat (perhaps that’s where the negotiating skills came from) and as a result he’d lived in a few different countries during childhood. But apparently all this travelling had caused fractious relationships with the family – just imagine a complete change of setting when moving countries, then as soon as you’re nearly settled down there it’s time to leave again. Although I love travelling, I wouldn’t want it to happen like this.

It’s true that time can pass quickly when speaking to other people during journeys – before I knew it we had arrived. I had two new stamps in the passport, after the artist (whose name I never knew) kindly asked the inspectors to put them in. My friend from Zagreb, who I met at a German summer school in 2004, was there on the platform and first we went back to his place so I could leave my backpack there.

The 23rd had been his last day of school before the Christmas holidays and he planned to celebrate with a few people at a bar in the centre. It had pool tables and we played a few games, but apparently the main nightlife happens only on Saturdays. Unlike at home, Croatian culture is that Friday is usually a quiet one, even if it’s the end of term for so many people.

I wasn’t really sure what plans would be for the next day – originally I had intended to take a train to Belgrade at 11:10 and arrive around 17:00. But I wanted to see more of Zagreb and meet up with someone else from the even in Vilnius, so the second option was to leave at 16:45, arriving about 23:00.

In the end that was the choice I made; we were going to wake up early and see the city, but that didn’t really work so we needed more time. Also, I discovered the person I’d be visiting in Belgrade wasn’t actually the there, so alternative arrangements needed to be made. Spending most of Saturday evening – also Christmas eve – on a train wasn’t going to be exciting, but it was the best option available.

The weather in Zagreb was wonderful. I awoke and opened the blinds to be greeted by bright sunshine, which promised a great day. It’s so unusual for me to have such a luxury in December, I think this is another factor in my non-Christmassy frame of mind. Rome also had unseasonable sun and if at home I’m pretty sure it would be the usual grim, grey English scenario.

One thing I didn’t realise was that war in Croatia only ended in 1995. We don’t get taught much about the Balkan conflicts, perhaps because so many effects still remain and the events can’t yet be consigned to history.

But although these may remain in the hearts and minds of many alive during the time, Zagreb city centre doesn’t give any clues at all. The new Mayor has apparently been doing a good job since his recent election, but even without this I doubt I’d be able to tell Zagreb was part of a nation in conflict only ten years ago.

It’s a very modern place, with lots of shops and entertainment possibilities and a good transport system consisting of buses and trams. Many of the main streets were alive with last-minute Christmas shoppers, including my friend Filip who bought eight boxes of chocolates. Traditional music was playing in the city square and there was a really nice atmosphere.

We walked to the appropriately-named ‘upper town’ so I could see the historical side of Zagreb. One church with an amazing roof design instantly caught my eye, colourfully displaying national symbols. The whole compound had been a fortress in medieval times and they had done all the usual witch-burning antics common of the era.

After a visit to the city museum where, surprisingly, most of the information was only in Croatian, we walked around a bit more before meeting my other friend. He’s actually from another (unpronounceable) city quite nearby, but studies in Zagreb and goes there a lot on weekends.

Seeing him again so soon after we’d met in Vilnius was pretty crazy; it was strange to realise how quickly the time has gone since then. That was the week of November 28. Now it’s nearly a month later, I’ve been to a few more countries and conferences and time is running out on 2005.

The train, where I am right now, is incredibly cold. For some reason the heating system is failing us, maybe it froze. Passport inspectors have just come round, as we’re about to leave Croatia, and the vehicle is not moving. Two other people are sitting silently with me in the compartment and another man was here earlier; we have been communicating in German, they don’t speak any English. There’s longer than two hours before we reach Belgrade...