to zagreb 08 - Zagreb tourist info

Any old iron?The Dolac is not Zagreb’s onlymarket. A short walk from themain square along Ilica youwill find Britanski trg, wherediplomats’ wives buy their fruitand veg. On Sundays, though,the stalls are cleared and anattractive bric-a-brac and antiquemarket is laid out, with some100 stallholders trading goodsfrom first thing in the morning.Paintings, jewellery, oldcurrency, badges, glass bottles,posters, crockery, silver, oldfarming tools, religious icons,all on display on wooden trestletables – but few bargains.Gone are the days when youcould find a gem going for asong. Still, some beautifulunique pieces will be on offerat prices far less than you wouldpay at an Islington design shop.Even if you don’t find anythingyou want it’s a convivial placefor a potter around and a coffee.The further from Ilica you look,the more likely your chance offinding a spare table at a cafénear the busy browsing.For a less gentrified butperhaps more interestingexperience, jump in a cab ortram Nos.6, 7 or 8 over the Savariver to Novi Zagreb and theSunday morning flea market atHreli©. Many of the goods hereare cheap – clothes, CDs,sports shoes – but you’ll alsofind piles of oddities and raritiesfrom all over the Balkans.Entering from the street, youwalk through the main hall of mainlybakers and butchers. Certain onesstand out. Pekara Dinara fromSesvete is so renowned there arequeues outside their two downtownoutlets; Dubravice is also reputable.There is even Kruh na∫ svagdanji,‘Give us this day’. Of the butchers,Pe∫un-Pe∫un is a quality purveyorof sausages from Dugo Selo. LekaCrijeva i Za©inj allows you tomake your own from the pig’sintestines they provide. To theright is a separate area for ‘Mlije±niProizvodi’, the dairy producers, formany locals reason alone to visit.Sir i vrhnje, cream cheese, sold bythe plastic cup (bring your own bowlor bag), with a sprinkle of salt andpaprika, perhaps a few diced onions,some kruznjak cornbread and, at astretch, spots of spek ham or slicesof dried sausage, comprise thedefinitive Zagreb staple. Producers,their names and addresses placedon each stall, are generally friendlywomen of a certain age: the kumica.A cross between ‘trader’ and‘godmother’, the kumica is a muchlovedfigure of legend. Shoppershave their own favourite; a statuestands to one at the market entrance.At the back of the main hall arered plastic buckets heaped withsauerkraut. Up the stairs is whereyou’ll find poultry and game, withfrozen goods (octopus, cod) between,and two bars – the Zagorka and theZalogajnica Tomislav – at eachend, the latter where local traderslay into four-euro ±obanac goulashafter a hard morning’s work.A few drinks to the good, othersmay congregate in the Buffet Jelsa,a stand-alone cevapi bar for rowdypost-work sing-songs at the back ofthe open square. Around it, stallsproffer souvenirs, Tito-era ladies’hats and lace. Wooden cabins sellolive oil, best put to use on the fishon offer in the Ribarnica, prettymosaics depicting seafood on thewalls. You won’t find fresh fish onMondays or when the Jugo or Borawinds blow, and out of season muchof what is on offer has been farmed.Much of what’s on offer hereis also available, fried or grilledto perfection, next door at thewonderful Amfora café-restaurant.Sit on the terrace with a plate ofgrilled sardines and a glass of wine –there’s a 30kn daily menu – and youcan observe the open-air market inaction. Traders from Zagorje andDalmatia offer cabbages, blitva andother local vegetables, little bundlesof mixed veg (grinzaig) ideal forsoups. Deeper into the market, beans,pumpkins, honey, vinegar and nutsare traded, with dried figs, sun-driedtomatoes and olives near the back,mushrooms towards the front.There you will find the Rubeljgrill and pizzeria, with a summerterrace. At the back, overlooking itall, stands the renowned Kerempuhrestaurant (see p19), its ingredientssupplied by the traders below.TIME OUT Zagreb 11