2017 Europe: Flying From Singapore to Zagreb via London

6 Sep 2017 - 7 Sep 2017

I chose to fly to Zagreb via British Airways from Singapore as it was the cheapest option I could find. Landing in Zagreb was also cheaper in relative to landing in other cities like Dubrovnik. Another reason of choosing British Airways was also because of the transit in London. At the very beginning, I intended to make a stopover to re-visit London at the end of the trip. However I dropped the idea after taking into consideration the extra cost to make the stopover and also limited time I could spend in London.

Now it is time to reveal the price for the air ticket. It was around SGD1,100. The price was reasonable actually as it was a long haul flight but it was my moxt expensive air tickets so far. With this money, I could have made a one-week trip in China. 

Before the trip, I found some negative review online for their poor service. However I was actually quite satisfied with their service. The flight attendants knelt down when they took order from the passengers during meal serving. They also made sure the windows shades were closed during midnight to keep light (including direct sunlight) low for passengers wanting to sleep.

Finally I landed in London in early morning. I saw these gantries where I had to scan the boarding pass of my connecting flight in order to enter into transit hall. It was only a short transit of less than four hours. I was looking for fish and chips but many of the shops were closed. I roamed around Harrods shop and I was amazed by their delicate packaging. 

After few hours of waiting, I boarded the connecting flight. It was a small aircraft with six seats in a row, but the legs room was more spacious than the big Boeing aircraft I took in the previous flight. To my surprise, there was no meal served in this flight. Since I did not buy any food during the transit I was actually starving now. I bought a salad in flight.

After a total of thirteen hours, I landed in Zagreb and I was welcomed with a cold and rainy weather. The cold was not expected and all I had with me on hand was a denim jacket. What I did not expect also was the scale of the airport which was rather small. The custom clearing was fast and there were no shops except for two grocery shops and two cafes. I was early to collect my rented car and hence I went for breakfast, or actually lunch based on my home time. As all the tables at indoor dining area were occupied, I had my breakfast outside to "enjoy" the cold. 

The car collection was pretty smooth. I chose Nova Rent A Car as it has good review and the price is acceptable. I took a long time to decide to rent a car when I planned my itinerary as the driving is opposite in Europe. The driving experience turned out to be awesome. The collection procedure here was more precise compared to Australia and New Zealand. The staff brought us the car and they noted down the position of each scratch in the booking certificate. When all was done, it was time to drive and leave the airport. With only ten minutes to leave the car park, I had to be confidence in driving the car as I could not have time to test drive around the area. 

When I reached the apartment named Apartment Dal, I could not reach the host despite many rounds of bell. I tried to call the host but I failed to make call from the new phone card which I have just purchased. It was raining and cold and I became nervous. I stayed in the car for the next hour. Every after fifteen minutes I went to ring the door bell again. The main problem with booking an apartment is that there is no 24-hour reception and the hosts may not be at the apartment unless you schedule the time with them. What is worse, the host do not provide personal email in Booking.com. When I was desparate in the car, I browsed my mailbox on my phone. Despite I could not make call, the data plan worked perfectly fine. I received a mail from the host and I replied by telling him that I was at door step. He later came out and instructed me to drive to the next street to enter into the back yard so I could park my car there.

Now, next problem came. I could not start my car. I tried stepping on the brake pedal, neautralising the gear and even pulling the hand break. The host had locked the front door and waited me at the back yard. I could not reach him again for help. When I was trying to send him another mail, I seeked help from a passenger. He started my car without any difficulty. With a feeling of shame, I asked him for the trick. Guess what, all I had to do was to step on the clutch pedal.

I checked into Apartment Dal. It was a vintage and cozy apartment with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and one kitchen without livng room. The host was nice as he gave me city map and showed me places to visit in the city. He did not mind to come back early next morning for the check out. He even showed me the driving route to my next destination.

I did not plan much time in the city of Zagreb as I preferred spending time in outskirts. I walked around the town after check in till night. One of the missions was to buy a wind breaker as the weather was unexpectedly cold. I bought one in Nama shopping center at about SGD 100++.

The Cathedral in Zagreb is the tallest building in Croatia, also the most monumental sacral building in Gothic style southeast of the Alps. This cathedral is magnificent. One of the two spires under construction and has been for the past twenty years.  The interior is striking.  A ceiling of yellow stars on dark blue compliments the dark wooden pews and intricate artwork decorating its walls. 

Mary column is in front of the Cathedral

Around the Croation Museum of Naive Art are cafes, restaurants and some wall painting. The town was illuminated by the buildings lighting up at night. Being a city center, the dining here was incredibly affordable. It costed only 197 kuna for a sumptous dinner with one grilled chicken fillet, Istria truffle Ravioli and a glass of fresh lemonade.