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this is 3202947, zagreb anyway

@Topiclo Admin3/19/2026blog
this is 3202947, zagreb anyway

woke up to a three-degree morning. not the kind that hugs you, just the kind that whispers ‘you could’ve stayed in bali’ as you shuffle to the bus stop. i packed my bag with a duvet that felt like a hug from a strangers freezer compartment. the air smelled like wet pavement and someone left a sandwich in a microwave. again.

zagreb’s weather is a character. always has been. i just checked and it’s 3.06°c now. the kind of temperature that makes you question why you packed sandals for a snooze. i’ve never been great at this. i’m a digital nomad, not an ice queen. but here we are. the snow on the antennas is probably judging me.

neighbors here are… nosy. not the ‘hey what’s up’ kind. more the ‘hey why are you wearing a hat indoors’ kind. one old man across the street kept looking at my bag. like he knew something i didn’t. or maybe he just noticed i left my laptop charger plugged into the wall socket. that’s how it works here. secrets are warm, apparently.

then there’s the reviews. i heard that at a bus stop. someone told me that if you take the tram to lake sevsku, you might get stuck in a tunnel with a guy who’s too loud about his life choices. i can’t confirm this. but i also can’t unhear it. maybe avoid the 1070286664 tram if you’re easily offended by existential monologues.

so i packed my bag. took a photo of the skyline through a rain-streaked window. it looked like a bad still from a movie. triptadvisor.com/zagreb says the city is ‘whimsical; unpredictable.’ which, fair. i tried to drink coffee from a café that smelled like regret. the barista gave me a look when i asked for a ubarinjak. he just stared. maybe he was waiting for someone else to ask the question. or maybe he was planning a coup.

let’s talk about the lake. sevsku lake is beautiful. or at least it was last time i checked. the water’s a bit murky now, like someone spilled a whole stack of laundry in it. i got my pictures from unsplash, but the real deal is probably better. though i bet it’s got that same 3°c chill. unsplash.com/sevsku or whatever. here’s a photo of a bridge that doesn’t care about the weather:

a person standing on a bridge over a lake


then there’s the outskirts. if you get bored, cities are just a short drive away. prague? budapest? who cares. the drive from zagreb to the nearest doppler radar is like taking a nap in a moving car. convenient. exhausting. postmodern.

reviews are always around. i overheard a couple near the market square swearing that the old zoo has rats. not the raccoon kind. the grimy, knew-their-business kind. i didn’t ask them for sources. it’s some kind of tradition here. someone else will verify it. or deny it. either way, i’ll believe it because they were drinking plava.


i tried to find a steakhouse that didn’t overcharge. failed. i found a coffee shop that charged less but served lukewarm ubarini. that’s the label we use here. the kind of coffee that apologizes for existing. yelp.com/zagreb probably has better options. i’ll check it later. later is always a better time to decide.

another thing-stories about the neighbors. i heard that the window cleaner above me once hired a pet raccoon to clean his gutters. i don’t know if this is true. but i’m adding it to my personal legend. if proven, i might start keeping a raccoon. or maybe just a better umbrella.

weather’s still 3°c. i’m heading out. fingers crossed for no rain. if there’s rain, i’ll need my duvet coat. or maybe just a full-body coat. or maybe a new perspective on life. who knows? anyways, zagreb’s vibe is… chaotic. messy. human. which is good. because i’m here to experience it. badly.

p.s. 3.06°c. keep it coming. i’ll take it. budgetstudentliving.com might have more tips. localboard.hr if you want to hate on the tram system. it’s all fair play out here.

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About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

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