THE STYLISH CROATIAN CAPITAL

FINALLY, A CAPITAL CITY: As you stroll the streets in the center of Zagreb, Croatia, it's hard to believe the city has served as a seat of national government for less than 20 years. Prior to the establishment of an independent Croatian republic in 1991, Zagreb had never held the title of capital. The city has been an important center of commerce, trade, education, art and ecclesiastical power for centuries. In the short time since Croatian independence, it also has quickly and easily acquired all of the other features of a major European capital, except for hordes of tourists. That is changing and it should.

Visitors to Zagreb will find a stylish and fun destination full of well-dressed residents hanging out - all day, it seems - in outdoor cafes. There are good museums and restaurants, some great shopping, even better people-watching, and an expanding range of hotel options. Zagreb also has several elegant green spaces in the center of town and, just to the north of the city, which sits astride the Sava River, lies Medvednica Mountain with its winter skiing and warm-weather hiking. As in much of Croatia, English is widely spoken in Zagreb, but a few words of the local language will always win you praise.

We traveled to Zagreb via train from the Dalmatian coast at Split, a beautiful 5-hour journey high through the Dinaric Mountains along the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Most visitors to Croatia spend their time along the sun-drenched Adriatic coast and on neighboring islands. By contrast, Zagreb looks and feels more like Prague or Budapest; this is the other side of Croatia, a country of less than 5 million people with an incredible geographic diversity. Nearly one million of Croatia's residents live in the capital, so you can't get a full picture of the country without visiting Zagreb.

Our train arrived at Zagreb's mail railway station, Glavni Kolodvor, and we hopped on one of the city's sleek blue trams, which took us to British Square (Britanski Trg), from where we made the short but steep hike to the Hotel President. Perched on a hilly residential street, the President is a sleek, modern boutique property designed by the owner-architect. All hardwood and glass, our well-appointed room had its own private terrace and a view of the wooded neighborhood near the Presidential Palace. It felt a lot like staying in a tree-house. The staff was gracious and helpful.

After a breakfast of Dalmatian coast ham, eggs and fruit, we start our one full day of exploration in Zagreb. The central city is divided essentially between the medieval Upper Town (Gornji Grad) and the Hapsburg-era Lower Town (Donji Grad). A handy funicular connects the two, located just off the main shopping street, Ilica. As you exit the funicular at the top end, you are rewarded with a great panorama of the city. Turning north, we enter the square centered on St Mark's Church. Dating from the 13th Century, the church's signature feature is its colorfully tiled roof that includes two key Croatian coats of arms. This also is the official seat of government of modern Croatia. Parliament is located on one side of the square and the prime minister's offices on the other. Just to the north is a museum that turns out to be well worth the diversion. I was not predisposed to spend any time at the Zagreb City Museum, but it proved to be an informative and interesting stop that tells the story of the history of the city. As I learned, a key event in Zagreb's development was its designation as a Roman Catholic bishopric in the 11th Century, owing to the city's strategic location between Rome and the eastern Orthodox centers.

Exiting the museum, we make our way towards the Zagreb Cathedral, the center of religious life in overwhelmingly Catholic Croatia. On our way, we stop to have a coffee on Tkalciceva Street, a Disney-set-like street of cafes and beautiful medieval buildings. Sitting in the warm sun, I confess to wishing that I had been born in a place where there's always time for a leisurely visit with a friend in the middle the day (I'd lose the omnipresent cigarette smoke in the case of Croatia).

Rain clouds are moving in as we make our way past the Dolac, Zagreb's vibrant daily city market, the red umbrellas of which provide cover for all kinds of food and flowers and products for sale. It's a key ingredient of Zagreb's DNA and well worth a browse. We grab lunch at a cafe on adjacent Jelacic Square (Trg bana Jelacica), the central heart of Zagreb. This is where the pulse of life in the city can best be felt. It's remarkably free - for now - of tourists and that makes it a real travel experience. It's not like anywhere else because, well, it's not.

Next, we head south to Glavni Kolodvor to buy tomorrow's train tickets to Slovenia and, along the way, pass through the eastern part of Lower Town's green horseshoe of parks and squares. Here, the buildings are impressive and grand Hapsburg-era structures housing hotels and museums. We stop to walk through the lobby of the Regent Esplanade, Zagreb's most famous hotel, which was built to accommodate passengers of the Orient Express. It's busy on the day we visit with a conference of European bankers.

Zagreb has several worthwhile museums, many focused on Croatian artists. We visit the Modern Art Gallery, housed in one of Donji Grad's grand buildings. The collection is interesting and, as with much of our travels in Croatia, it's cool to be viewing art that can't be seen just anywhere. Our time in town ran out, but I'd like to check out on a next visit the newest arrival on Zagreb's museum scene, the recently opened Museum of Contemporary Art, located just across the Sava in Novi (new) Zagreb.

Next up is shopping. Zagreb has branches of international chains, of course, but the real fun is finding a "you can't buy this anywhere" item. We do and, several hundred euros later, we make our way by tram back to the hotel.

After a glass of wine and a nice chat with our lovely hotel reception manager, Iva, we head out for dinner. I generally choose not to write bad reviews on my blog. I am making an exception in this case. Iva suggested having dinner at the restaurant Korcula, known for seafood from the waters off its namesake island. We made our way there on our first night in town and were told the restaurant was closed, this despite being packed with dinner patrons obviously not on their way out the door. So, we went back the next night, much earlier and on a Friday no less. Marking us, I suspect, for stupid tourists, we were sent to a stinky, musty basement dining room. I don't think so. As we learned, the conference in town had sent several restaurants into a tizzy, but this place was a notable exception to what was an overwhelmingly true rule of incredible Croatian hospitality. Avoid the restaurant - not the island - Korcula.

Saturday morning dawns rainy and gloomy as we make our way to the train station and on to Slovenia, but I am happy because I know we have made a very worthwhile travel stop in a lovely and gracious and stylish capital city. Hvala, Zagreb.