WHERE'S EVERYONE?

We flew from Paris to Zagreb, Croatia's capital, on a tiny Embraer with just one aisle and very little space in the overhead compartment. We could see snowy mountains below - Swiss or Austrian alps?

Zagreb's airport was a little one - few people about when we landed. There was a nice park just opposite the airport where you can sit and wait for your departing flight (see the reflection in the glass window in the photo above). We picked up our Seat Ibiza and drove straight out of town.

Our destination? Karlovac - less than an hour out of Zagreb. We had debated driving further, but the next best stop was about 4 hours away and we weren't sure if we would still be alert after our flights (13 + 2 hours).

It's a working town with a brewery that makes one of the best Croatian beers (but we didn't try it). It also brews for Heineken. Just before we left, I read a Reuters report about how the townspeople were up in arms over effluent gases and liquids spilling into the environs. They claimed they were toxic. What triggered them off was that a man died after walking his dog past the plant one evening! The brewery was shut down pending investigations. Dunno if it was up and running by the time we arrived. There was hardly anybody about! One lone man was behind the reception desk of the sole hotel in town. One or two chaps were smoking and drinking at the cafe bar next door.

It's not exactly a tiny town - high-rise apartment blocks, shops etc. But the tourist info office was closed. Yes, it was Saturday, but where were the people? We walked about the town centre, using our GPSr to navigate since we had no map in hand. Eventually we ended up at a little fortress whose tower affords a bird's eye view of the town and beyond.

A bunch of schoolkids with their minder - a religious brother in robes - spilled out. The young man selling entrance tickets offered to show us around because signs were not in English. He did say he wasn't well-versed in the history of the place, but when he pointed to some antique writing table and chair and said: "This is a table and chair for sitting," we were sniggering silently. We went to the tower top and he pointed out Zagreb to us but said he lived here in Karlovac and would be buried in the cemetery below.

We had problems finding some restaurant recommended by LP so HB asked him for a recommendation. he pointed down to a black building. It's a disco, he said, but it has a restaurant. HB asked him what it served. "Food," he said earnestly. When we left the place we were giggling at his remarks.

We only saw some signs of life as we approached the time for evening mass. Families were heading off to the church in the main square. But we were more concerned with a place for a meal. We hadn't had lunch and it was near dinner time. Eventually, we settled on a bistro (serving what looked like greasy food) run by our hotel. More about Croatian food later.