A Day in the Life - Outing into the "Centar"

The other day I had 2 tasks to complete in the "centar" of Zagreb, to meet the girls (two members of our team) for lunch and go to my Dr's appt. 

I took the tram into the center of town, and while the girls were running late from the Police Station (don't worry - they weren't arrested - just had to "undeclare" themselves as they left yesterday), I decided to head to Dolac.  Dolac is the largest and cheapest outdoor farmer's market in Zagreb.

Aerial view

The markets in and around Zagreb are great to shop at because the produce is considerably cheaper than the big grocery stores' produce and all are accessible by public transportation, which is great for those who don't have cars.  We have a car, and so sometimes I buy the bad fruit at the grocery store because I'm there and then kick myself afterward, because I've just spent more money on rotten fruit.  Thus, I was excited to shop at the historic Dolac market while I had the extra time.  As you can see, Dolac is quite huge.  There is sooo much stuff being sold there, and honestly still a bit overwhelming for me b/c I do not visit it enough to know my favorite vendors or where the best deals are. 

However, quickly upon arrival, I realized I was going to have to overcome my fear of bees if I was going to buy anything there.  The bees were swarming the fruit and were everywhere!  Inside the market are small maze-like pathways.  So, once you enter the small pathways, I knew it would be virtually impossible to escape the bees.  I decided to practice my own version of behavior modification therapy, while I walked along the exterior of the market taking in the scene.  Preparing myself to enter the interior of the market, I took in the smell and allowed myself to almost taste the yummy fresh fruit, as my positive reinforcement.  While I kept breathing, I took a step into the market through the bees who were encircling me, and kept my focus on the fresh fruit as my reward.    

In the end I was victorious!  I had several bags of fruits and vegetables (6 to be exact) and made it through the market without a freak-out scream that was very indicative of my childhood behavior.  True story - frequently my brother used to come up behind me and either make a buzzing noise or tell me to stand still because there was a bee on me, just so he could see me scream and run away like a crazy person.  Ah...brothers.

Anyway, carrying all of my bags, I met up with one of the girls for lunch (while the other was stuck at the police station), and then made it to my Dr's appt by tram again. 

As I waited for the tram, I looked around me and felt very Croatian.  Many women were also boarding the tram with bags and bags of fresh produce from Dolac.  I thought about how it might appear odd that I would be bringing all my bags of food into the Dr's office, but no one batted an eye.  

After my appt was done, I figured out (with my trusty tram map) how to take 2 trams back home, all the while with my bags of fruit and veggies, who accompanied me on the hot trams and even braved the brief moments of hot cement, as I had to lay them down on the summer streets to take a drink of water. 

As I finish this blog, I'm also finishing a yummy fresh peach from Dolac and can't wait to do it all over again.