Croatia

Zagreb

July 2010 • After a full month of poking around the carcass of the Roman empire, I'd about had my fill of churches, mosaics, frescoes, broken statues, and solemn museums. Zagreb has all of those attractions (according to the tourist office), but I preferred to sit in the main square and stare at the parade of faces. The Croat countenance is short on glamour, chiseling, Botox, and other cosmetic interventions; the bodies more rounded than angular. It looks like a nation of character actors. Here's a survey of some of the hundreds who passed through the broad plaza of Ban Josip Jelacic in a single hour.