JULY 18 - Once across the border, we all are obliged to get out of the bus again. This time, a physical stamp is finally placed in the passports. I am relieved, as this documents, on paper, that we did not overstay our Schengen visas. Questions about whether we stayed within our visas would invariably cause trouble in future trips to the EU. From now on, trudging to immigration windows for stamps or scans will become a frequent occurrence for us.
There is a nearby currency exchange stall, so I slap down a US$50 bill for Croatian kuna. The bill is thrown back at me, because there is a very small tear in one corner (amounting to about 1% of the bill). Fortunately I have another one on hand that is deemed acceptable. The rate I get is just over 7 kuna to the US$. Croatia is scheduled to start using the Euro as an official currency in January 2023.
Gasoline (unleaded 95) looks to be about US $7.40/gallon.
Into Zagreb about 14:00. It is predictably hot, carrying around the gear, but we get a tram north and find the apartment fairly easily. It is a bit more run down than what we’ve seen lately, but is in a back building off the street so no traffic noise whatsoever.
We eat an early dinner, which is our only sit-down meal today. No one wants to look around this late in the day, so I take off for a few hours to get a feel for this city.
