Saturday June 16th, 2012
And with that I'm off again.....but only for 16 days. My destination this time is the Balkans.....Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have to say that I do not know a lot about the area but anyone who has been there never has a negative thing to say about it so I figured I would check it out for myself.
My trip started at the horrible hour of 0200....yes a 2 am flight out of Riyadh. Very normal here by the way. I'll have you know they also get in at these terrible hours as well. I was a little surprised when I got on my 2am Turkish airline flight that they didn't just dim the lights and let us sleep. No, instead they fed us breakfast. I was mostly irritated by this due to the fact that I had worked that day, got home, showered, ate and finished packing before heading to the airport. I short, I hadn't slept very much and was looking forward to some quiet time on the plane. That didn't happen at all. My first flight took me to Istanbul where I had a short 3 hour layover before finally catching a flight to my first Croatian destination...the Capital Zagreb.
My first view of the city. The apartment buildings had that Eastern European, old Soviet style look to them that I was expecting. That was mixed in with a whole lot of other architecture as well. A very diverse looking city.
It was a quick cab ride from the airport to my hotel which is right in the middle of downtown and off one of the main squares. As I arrived I was very surprised to see how many people were out and about and how much was going on. It occurred to me a few moments later that it was in fact Saturday, which meant it was the weekend. It's amazing how quickly you can adapt to a Thursday/Friday weekend and forget that it is not the case in every country in the world. It was a very nice surprise I must say.
Typical at stop lights here......trams and scooters.....and of course little cars. People here obey traffic laws and even yield to pedestrians. That's always nice.
I arrived quite early (just after 1030) so it was far too early to check into my hotel, so I quickly dropped my bags off, got a map and started to explore. I chose my hotel partially based on location but even the map didn't give a clear indication of how close it is to pretty much everything I was hoping to see.
My first stop was at Ban Jelacic Square where there was a lot of music and people and even a 3-on-3 basketball tournament going on.
Ban Jelacic Square. The Square is named for Ban (Governor) Josip Jelacic. The Square has been around since the 17th century but has changed names over the years as the political situation in the country changed. That's the 3-on-3 b-ball court. The basketball wasn't that bad.
Just up the stairs from the Square you'll find Dolac Market. It's an outdoor market that sells everything from flowers to toys. I quickly bypassed the fruit and vegetables and headed to the clothes and bags and little hand made toys.
The fresh flower market. It was the most amazing smell as you walked by. If I had a place to put them I would have bought some.
Some of the traditional Croatian music and costumes that were on display all over the city on this day.
The view of the steeples of the Zagreb Cathedral from the market. I quickly made my way over for a closer look.
Zagreb Cathedral. On this day I wasn't able to take a tour inside as there was a mass going on when I arrived but as I was here for a few more days I knew there would be other opportunities.
I didn't want to wander too far from my hotel, as I was tired and didn't really have a plan so I headed back to the main road and did a little shopping.
This is Llica Street, Zagreb's main shopping strip. There is only a small amount of traffic, mostly trams and scooters, but tons of people walking. You will also find small stores selling all kinds of things from electronics to clothing and shoes to ice cream.
One of the buildings you will find along Llica Street.
Eventually 1400 (2pm) rolled around and I was able to check into my hotel. Just in time too because I was very tired. I decided to unpack a little and then took a short and much needed nap.
The view of Zagreb Cathedral from my hotel.
Also as seen from my hotel room.
After my short nap I headed back out to see what I could discover. There was museum on my list that I knew was open late so I thought I would try to check that out. Of course there were more than a few things to see along the way.
They all come out at night. A few of the street artists that I found outside my hotel.
The statue of Ban Josip Jelacic. Croatia has a very interesting but I found very often confusing history (the changes between Kingdoms and countries and who ruled what and when was often difficult to follow) but Josip was Governor from March 1848 to May 1859. He supported independence for Croatia from the Austrian Throne but even that is a very simple way of commenting on his role in Croatian history. This statue was actually removed in 1947 by the new Communist Yugoslavian government and the square was re-named Republic Square. During the Croatian elections in 1990 his contribution was seen as positive and the statue was returned.
This is a statue of St. George and the Dragon. You will find it as you make your way to the Stone Gate, which was the old entrance to Gradec (an old fortified town from the middle ages). There are many versions of the story of St. George and the Dragon but to summarize the story, a town was being terrorised by a dragon, and a princess was offered to the dragon as a sacrifice. St. George heard and rode to the town to slay the dragon and save the princess.
The Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata). Doesn't look like much but just inside you will find a small chapel. Every time I walked through here there was one or two people lighting candles or just sitting. They say time kind of stands still inside this chapel.
St. Mark's Church that sits on St. Mark's Square. It was probably built in the 13th century but appears to have been re-built in the 14th century. I wasn't able to visit on this night but checked it out on another day. It is on St. Mark's Square that you will also find the Banski Dvori (the seat of the Croatian Government), the Croatian Parliament and The Constitutional Court of Croatia. The Old City Hall is also located just off the Square.
The original Gothic sculptures that are found on the South side of the church.
It seems that one of the ways to make money in Zagreb is to wander around in costume and take pictures with tourists. It actually is a lot of fun. Some even sing or play music. Really just makes for a great and festive environment.
I eventually made it to my planned destination which was the Museum of Broken Relationships. I very happily came across a book in my hotel room that listed all the museums in the city and I very happily turned to the page that listed this museum. It was awarded the Kenneth Hudson Award in 2011 for being the most innovative museum in Europe. I must say it is the most interesting and one of the best museums I have been to. Not sure I've been to one quite like this before.
The museum started as a traveling exhibit revolving around the concept of failed relationships and their ruins. It is full of items that people have donated (for whatever personal reason they felt it needed to be donated and on display) and the story connected with it. There aren't a lot of names in any of the stories (although I did find a few) mostly just the location of where the relationship took place and the length of time the relationship lasted. Of course it wasn't just about "love affairs" and not all the stories were negative. All kinds of relationships are represented here. Here are a few pictures.
Label: Biker Boots, 1996-2003, Zagreb, Croatia. I bought this pair of boots for Ana before our trip to Paris. Later on, other girls wore them too, but they always remained Ana's Boots.
I really liked this one. Label: A wardrobe (small table top), 15 years, Kilkenny, Ireland. Shortly after birth, in a misguided if well-intentional way, I was baptised a Christian by my parents. It took me 15 years to be able to break that forced relationship.
I love this story. Label: A child's wartime love letter, 3 days in May 1992, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Escaping from Sarajevo under fire in a big convoy, we were held hostage for three days when leaving the city. A few days before I turned 13. In the car next to ours was Elma, with her Mother and some other people, I don't really remember whom. I only remember she was blond and incredibly cute. I fell in love with childlike honesty and confessed it to her with the same honestly in this letter. I had given her some tapes since she forgot to bring her own music along before leaving in a hurry. As I didn't get time to give her the letter, because after three days they suddenly freed us and we lost sight of Elma's car near Travnik, she never got to return my Azra,Bijelo Dugme, EKV, Nirvana and other tapes. Naturally I never saw her again although I just hope the music reminded her of something nice and cute in that whole terrible situation.
Label: A boyfriend hat, 2000, Cape Town, South Africa. She always called it that, said she liked it because it looked like a man's hat, but it really suited her. I only found out two weeks ago it was her boyfriend's hat and she was still sleeping with him.
I think that gives you a pretty good idea of the things you will find (that also included wedding dresses, wedding albums, stuff toys, sex toys, and even a picture of a former Croatian Prime Minister). I think it really just shows you that no matter how short or long or happy or painful a relationship is, it can be a huge influencing factor in our lives and help to shape who we are.
Eventually I made my way back out to the street where I found myself following noise. I wasn't sure what would be going on in Zagreb on a Saturday night but the streets were certainly full of people.
One of the park walkways. Turns out you can drink pretty much anywhere in Zagreb so there were a lot of people just sitting in the park enjoying some wine or beer while listening to music or painting or just enjoying the warm evening.
Eventually my following of noises lead me to this courtyard outside a church. I wasn't sure if I could enter as it appeared some organised event was going on but as I approached I was offered snacks. I was then told to go on it.....all the food and drinks are free. I was thinking juice and pop but it turned out it also included beer and wine and a few other alcoholic beverages. I had stumbled across an event called Girls Night Out, where they were showing a movie on an outdoor screen....with free refreshments. As watching movies on a big screen is no longer something I can do (no movie theatres in Riyadh) I jumped at the chance. Plus it was such a beautiful night so it seemed perfect. And the wine was pretty good too.
The set-up. The movie they played.....Letters to Julia or something like that. The movie wasn't important.
The view. It was a really nice spot.
While the movie was playing I got talking to the young girl (well not that young....she's 24 but at my age that's young) who was sitting next to me. Turns out she loves Canada and her dream is to move to Vancouver Island. It was a little ironic. Anyway, we got talking and sharing stories about each others country. Turns out a few of her friends were working the event and they were providing us with the free snacks.
Once the movie ended and everyone had finished work we made our way back into the centre of town and had a few more drinks all the while learning and sharing about each others countries and lives etc, etc.
This is Sonya. She saw this in the window and just had to have a picture with it.
Eventually we all went our separate ways to head to bed. For me this was a very long and busy day......but what a great first day in Croatia.
Easy to say I am excited to see what the rest of my trip has in store.
Julie
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/stgeorge2.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mark's_Church,_Zagreb http://brokenships.com/en Lonely Planet Guide - Croatia, City Walks - Zagreb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_Jela%C4%8Di%C4%87_Square
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