Last week, Zagreb hosted Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers.
Not being an avid football fan, my first indication that this important match was impending was when I collided with several men wearing tartans in Ban Jelačić Square. Not really what you’d call an everyday occurrence here in Zagreb.
An additional clue was this rather lovely sign.
Yep, the Tartan Army had invaded Zagreb. About 2000 Scottish fans visited Zagreb over the few days surrounding the game, most of them proudly wearing kilts and tartan dresses. They were definitely a big attraction in the city with people stopping to have their photo taken with them. It was quite a treat!
Of course, it was bad news for Croatia which suffered an unexpected defeat. So as well as enjoying cheap beer and abundant sunshine, the Scots also got that winning feeling. I hope they had a good time!
The day after the match we ran into a Scottish guy at Zagreb’s only Indian restaurant. He felt ashamed that he was in an Indian restaurant in Croatia, instead of eating something local. He shared his pakora with us. We assured him that it’s okay to want a taste of home when abroad.
