Zig-Zagreb

This week's episode sees our heroes, Josh and Yaz, zigzag their way through Serbia and Hungary, before reaching Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

We begin on the Danube in the Serbian city of Novi Sad. Much like the river itself, the story of Novi Sad is long and has seen many cultures come and go.

It was raining during our visit but the buildings of Liberty Square take it all in their stride.

Protecting the city from up high is the Petrovaradin Fortress. Due to its significant location between the Austrian and Ottoman Empires, it has heard the madness of many massive attacks. These days it hosts the famous EXIT festival and has heard among others, Madness and Massive Attack.

In the nearby town of Sremski Karlovci we tasted two honeys and six wines for 2€.

The next night we stayed near the tranquil Palić Lake.

The multiethnic city of Subotica is famous for its Art Nouveau buildings. Like the town hall (on the left)...

...and the Neolog Synagogue.

Pécs (pronounced Paich) is a beautiful city in the southern plains of Hungary.

Also perched on the crossroads of history, the city has been influenced by the major religions of Europe.

The Mosque of Pasha Qasim was built in the 16th century by the conquering Turks.

After the Turks were ousted, the pious but thrifty Jesuits converted the building into a church.

The Cathedral of Pécs

Under the city are an exquisitely preserved scattering of early christian tombs.

On one of the main squares is yet another grand synagogue.

But today, the main religion in Pécs is love. As you can imagine, we've seen these locks almost everywhere this year, but not since Cologne have we been so impressed by a town's commitment to commitment.

The famous Zsolnay ceramics museum.

Croatia is a major tourist destination, but many people overlook its capital. We went to see what it had to offer. We began at the Dolac farmer's market, which is one of the busiest and most interesting we've seen.

The history of this region is deep and complex. But it is also very recent, which means that we have already learned far more from conversation and observation than from museums. For example, these candles were placed at the base of Zagreb's cathedral in support of two generals that were acquitted for war crimes by the war crimes court in the Hague on November 16th.

St. Mark's Church

The award winning Museum of Broken Relationships is one of the most unique we've seen. The exhibition displays touching stories of heartbreak, loss and new beginnings and the objects that represent them.

We completed our visit to Zagreb meandering around the lower town's elegant buildings and spacious parks.