December 12, 2017:  Lancaster to Philadelphia and on the plane to Frankfurt, Germany. 

In the morning by 7:30, 12 of my first cousins and a few spouses met for breakfast at the Lititz Family Restaurant.  It is always great to reconnect with them – you can imagine the noise level! 

By 11:30 we were in the Philadelphia area meeting our son.  After transferring vehicles and having lunch, we were on our way in a taxi to the Philadelphia airport.  It was great to see him for a few minutes, as he is preparing to leave on a business trip to Asia.   We will spend more time with him on our return trip. 

So up, up and away we go!! An overnight flight to Frankfurt Germany followed by a transfer flight to Zagreb, Croatia.

December 13, 2017: Zagreb, Croatia

It was 10:55 when the plane touched down. We claimed luggage, picked-up the rental car and drove to the nearby Royal Airport Hotel we had reserved.  We are dead tired, with nothing planned for the day.  After a bowl of soup, and shower, we were in bed!

However, by late afternoon we were refreshed enough to want to begin a little exploring. It is dusk by 4:00 and dark by 5:00, so instead of driving into downtown Zegreb in the dark, we used a taxi service tonight.  He dropped us at a great spot - near all the Advent celebrations.  It was a cool night, 34–35 degrees, but if we kept walking, we were comfortable.  In true form, there was food, entertainment and lots of traditional little shops.  We saw a good overview of certain areas, and are eager to explore more when we return to Zagreb later in our vacation.  After a couple of hours, our weariness caught up, and we decided the beds sounded like the best place.  We used the same taxi for the return trip.

Entrance to one of the Parks

Marzipan Winter Ball - Wonderful

Santa on the Tram

Delicious Brat

Folk Singing and Dancing

Dough-nut Balls with Nutella

A Final Look Back