Historic Zagreb...

It was a lot of fun just wandering around.

This building housed a museum, but there was a sign on the door that it was closed due to damage from the 5.3 earthquake on March 22, 2020—the strongest earthquake since the 6.3 earthquake in 1880. 

We were too cheap to pay to visit the cathedral, which was severely damaged in the 1880 earthquake and again when one spire was damaged in the 2020 earthquake.

Tasty chose the square in front of the cathedral as a spot to paint her nails for the party on the following night.

We all had a laugh at the building behind us when we spotted what looked like the Mario Bros. tiling the roof.

I had learned about the Gric Tunnel on Atlas Obscura. This 1,150-foot (350-meter) long tunnel was built during World War II as a bomb shelter. 

It was definitely a dramatic way to walk through instead of up and over the hill.

The tunnel exited on this street with lots of charming cafes.

We then passed through this colorful but not especially artsy alley heading further up the hill. 

Later we saw another entrance to Gric Tunnel...

…featuring some elaborate paintings of skeletons.

 

Urban Art in the Park...

Luckily I wasn’t the only one in favor of seeing some art as Oily led us to this park with a few shy statues...

…and lots of urban art along the back wall.

In other areas we spotted some political art against Putin...

…Mars and Mickey Mouse.

We also saw a wall devoted to Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor who was born in what is now Croatia...

…some birds...

…and some fiendish ghosts preparing to beat up Pac-Man.

 

Hashers Exploring Zagreb...

Despite working together for six years as FILTH H3 mismanagement and having attended many hash weekends together, this was the first time that we spent a day sightseeing with Boar Whore and Tasty. Since they preferred to not visit museums, I stepped back from my usual role of tour guide and just enjoyed following along. 

We walked through the large market...

…and past several churches...

…while heading to the restaurant area in the historic city center in search of breakfast. Little did we know when we passed this alley full of cafés, that we’d back that evening for dinner.

We ended up at Otto&Frank for brunch. Just after grabbing a table, The Mexicans (Oily and Hemorrhoid, who are both from Mexico City but live in Colorado) spotted Boar Whore and Tasty and joined us. It was great to finally get to hang out with them after hearing a lot about them over the years. 

While I hesitated to order the Zagreb Breakfast, consisting of two Croatian-style Scotch eggs (a crispy poached egg) with cottage cheese, sour cream, green onions and lettuce on toast, I loved it so much that I couldn’t resist having it again the following day when we went to the same restaurant before catching the train to Slovenia. 

 

Off to Zagreb...

On May 25, Jimmy and I went to Schiphol to catch a flight to Zagreb. This photo summed up the insanity of the long lines at the airport: a sign to encourage folks to fill up their refillable bottles above a removed water fountain. Thus good intentions, but lousy execution.

Loved the big fluffy clouds during our flight. While our eventual destination was southern Slovenia for a hash weekend, it was easiest for us to fly into Zagreb and catch a train to Dobova. And we flew in early so we’d have two nights and one full day to explore Zagreb. 

Only catch was that the apartment that I booked to share with Reinhardt and Inga, who would arrive later that night, had failed to communicate the instructions on opening the lockbox and wasn’t answering the phone. 

I hung out in front of the flat while Jimmy set off to find the nearest bar and then came back to get me and our bags. From there I finally contacted Booking.com, who had much better luck reaching the owner.

So after we finished our beers, we went back to let ourselves into the building. The window on the right was in the dining room of our two-bedroom apartment. 

After seeing the outside and courtyard...

…I was nervous that I had made a mistake with this booking.

However, the apartment itself was lovely and we were all pleased with the choice and convenience of the location. Jimmy and I found a great vegan restaurant nearby for a tasty dinner. 
 

Beer Marathon...

That weekend, Opee headed to Liege, Belgium, with Slippery Edge to run his first Beer Marathon. Costumes were mandatory with a theme of the 90s, and he put together this Prince costume.

While he was pleased with how it turned out, it paled in comparison with Cockatool’s Spicebus, which somehow he managed to bring on a flight from the UK. 

While historically a favorite event among Brussels hashers, there were only a few in 2022 including Nut Bitch...

…Sandy Syphilis and Old Squirty Bastard.

Much like a hash, Opee said it was an amazing run through woods, small alleys in the city and a killer set of stairs.

This small marathon featured 14 beer stops sponsored by breweries. 

His favorite beer stop was inside an unpaved highway underpass complete with a DJ and light show.

Still looking fresh, this photo of Opee and Slippery must have been taken early in the race.

He also enjoyed running with Cockatool who was eventually weighed down by his bulky costume but still managed to finish.

Opee did an extra loop to participate in the optional laser tag in the woods. At the end of the run, he felt like he’d only run 20K because it was so much fun and there were so many people to talk to along the route. He said he’d never do a “normal” marathon again. However, while his brain felt fine, his legs weren’t as happy and he came home injured. 

 

An Afternoon in The Hague...

Veronica and I enjoyed a yummy creamed tea lunch on May 21 at Scallywags while Jimmy was away in Belgium for a marathon. 

As always, we walked around and found some spots to photograph, including a mirror for a selfie... 

…some storks...

…other birds...

…and red shutters.

That evening we headed to Amsterdam to see Trevor Noah. I had originally bought the tickets for me and Jimmy for May 2020, but two pandemic postponements later, Jimmy wasn’t in town so Veronica took his place. Our seats weren’t close to the stage, but we had an excellent view and a shortcut to the loo. We both loved seeing one of our favorite comedians live!