First stop on my Eastern European adventure in 2004 was Zagreb. It came as an immediate surprise as it is very European. They seemed to be extremely well prepared for their entry to the EU, and I even sat next to an Irish chap on the plane who was moving his business to Zagreb from Galway. They have a high level of English-speaking ability which has come as a large surprise as I had an impression that Croats would be very similar to Hungarians - all about appearance with little regard for foreigners, but instead they by and large communicate well in English and are a very nice people.

The city of Zagreb is beautiful, partly run-down and partly done up, and things are set at very European prices. I had to pay 30€ for the taxi from the airport.. I have yet to find anything here that would be more expensive back in New Zealand - makes me wonder why Kiwis do all this travelling and the Croats stay at home!

Coffee culture is spawning a nice feel in cities like Zagreb, where it seems like half the population get out on to the streets in fine weather (although they appear to wear three layers of clothing to my one). Like Slovenia, Croatia in general is really western, with an Italian approach to appearance and an Austrian approach to orderliness. Their business acumen should ensure a boom time is imminent and that they will in time be able to afford their haute couture.

It was nice weather during my first few days in Zagreb, and throughout my Slovenia detour, but that was not to last as I re-entered Croatia and came down the Dalmatian coastline.

Plitvice Lakes made for a great detour on the way from Rijeka to Split, where dozens of lakes tumble down into each other of many miles. I was a bit worried when all signs indicated the lakes were closed when the bus dropped me off, but I was at the wrong entrance. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I walked through the vacated parts of the lakes down to the more heavily touristed end and was able to save the best falls for last.

Despite the inclement weather I can still give thumbs up to Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik. Plus I heard the Kiwi music classic 'How Bizzare' by the Otara Millionaires Club twice on buses on the way down - how bizzare is that?