Thanks to everyone who has been concerned about our safety in the floods, the damage has been catastrophic but this part of Croatia has not been affected. The day before we arrived, Zagreb had experienced one of the worst storms on record with torrential rain, and gale force winds. There were trees down, branches strewn in the street and roads closed. We caught the tail end of it which made for a bumpy landing.

The weather has been balmy since Monday with temperatures ranging from 24 to 27 degrees. Our muscles have stopped protesting and I can climb "those stairs" with three rests instead of six! I feel like we living in a fairy tale, it is magic. We have visited galleries and museums but only a few, we couldn't absorb it all. It has literally been a journey of discovery, Zagreb has so much to offer. We have discovered the famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović, his works are dotted all over the city, visited the Museum of Broken Relationships which was really different, even the Mirogoj Cemetery is outstanding, designed by an Austrian architect in 1876.

Ante Topić Mimara donated his priceless art collection ( nearly 4000 pieces) to the city of Zagreb and they are housed in the Mimara Museum. What an amazingly diverse collection. While we were exploring the vast rooms of treasures, we stumbled across an impromptu performance of two young women playing Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" . One was playing the flute, the other the harp- it brought tears to my eyes.... We thought perhaps they were auditioning as they were playing to a very distinguished looking gentleman. What a gift. Geoff managed to record a little of their next piece which I have included.

Zagreb is very special, we are mesmerised. It is tempting to stay here longer and immerse ourselves in the energy. The outdoor cafés are crammed full of people drinking strong coffee before work, during work and after work.... We are becoming skilled at dodging trams and looking the right way, and of course we have embraced their love affair with food.

Medimurje County is our next adventure, in Northern Croatia , near the Hungarian border. We are collecting a hire car this morning but first, there is time for a coffee and a last run down those stairs.