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Walking without a donkey - travels in Croatia

Zagreb 7 – Maksimir Park

Maksimir Park is in the north east of the city, well served by trams 4, 7, 11 and 12 (same fare wherever you travel). The park was full of people. There are wilder parts and very well frequented paths with street lighting as in Norway. I saw two cafes but only the Gazebo one was open. The Swiss House must be a summer only venue.

wp-1541505525840..jpg — The first lake I came to in Maksimir Park – blue sky reflected with Autumn colours.

Basically I was in heaven!

wp-1541505402788..jpg — Dusk and the lights from the stadium over the road.

People ran and cycled and wandered.

wp-1541505402768..jpg — The Pavillion of Echoes – mother and daughter whispering.

They played and kissed.

wp-1541505364270..jpg — The Pavillion of Echoes – typical feature of the early romantic garden based on the English model.

wp-1541505325332..jpg — A saltire flag of pansies.

Some seemed to be preparing for the camino with 2 walking poles a-piece and going at a fair speed.

wp-1541505289719..jpg — Birch Cottage built between 1853 and 1862. An old man, the only person to speak to me except a boy who said *bok* (hi) stopped and told me all about the architecture (I think) in fluent Croatian.

There are several open air theatre type spaces.

wp-1541505289686..jpg — Path and stream on the Police Academy side of Maksimir park.

Alzthough I smiled, almost everyone looked straight through me without changing their expressions – bioth here and in the city, although in the shops and museums they are friendly when I make an effort to say my first word – hvala, thank you.

wp-1541505289709..jpg — I saw a man climb these what I thought were sculptures. Maybe they are part of a fitness regime?

Lots of ancient oak trees, with beechm birch, chestnut and many others. It is the trees which are the spectacle here. The trees and the lakes.

wp-1541505289701..jpg — St Jurajs Chapel, named after Archbishop Juraj Haulik who designed and created the park.

wp-1541505289654..jpg — Misty Autumn seedheads.

There are ducks on all the lakes, and birds singing in the trees.

wp-1541505289679..jpg — More reminders of my Scottish home, in sky and reflection.

wp-1541505199544..jpg — Tiny toasdstools I found inside a rotting hollow of a fallen tree.

wp-1541505199500..jpg — More felled trees – the park is beautifully managed.

wp-1541505199515..jpg — The education centre I think. Looked like Hansel and Gretels place to me.

wp-1541505199529..jpg — Red catkins and those ´sculptures´ opposite.

wp-1541505199486..jpg — There is a Dahlia Valley but I think the best must have been over as there were a desultory few in a couple of beds. Always remind me of my Poppa who gave me my first tubers when I was student in London.

wp-1541505141086..jpg — Lighting straight out of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. They looked magical when they were all lit as I was leaving (but didn´t make good photos).

wp-1541505141113..jpg — The Gazebo. ´Typically Palladium motifs varied by the Viennna architecture.´ There is a cafe here.

wp-1541505054642..jpg — St Jeronimas Church near the entrance to the zoo which is also part of the Maksimir Park.

wp-1541505054514..jpg — The first statue of a woman I have seen (excepting the Virgin Mary).

There is some more information and extra photos here on the Zagreb 4 blog.

Walking without a donkey - travels in Croatia

Zagreb 5 – the Botanic Gardens

For Nicky, my mum, from whom I learned to love plants and photography.

Location:

In the southern part of Zagreb´s lower town, it extends from the Miramarska road in the east to the Runjaninova street in the west, along the Mihanovićeva street and the Marulićev square in the west, with the rail embankment in the south.

Opening hours:

The Garden is principally open from 9 am till sunset, at the latest by 7 pm.
Monday & Tuesday: 9 am – 2.30 pm
Wednesday – Sunday: 9 am – 7 pm (5 pm*, 6 pm**, 4 pm***)

*Early spring visiting hours in March (till the first Wednesday after the summer time change)
** Early autumn visiting hours in October (till the first Wednesday after the winter time change)
*** Late autumn visiting hours in November (from the winter time change)

Giant waterlillies in the Victoria House.

The fragrance hit me as soon as I walked through the gates.

It was the contrast of the pink and black which attracted me.

Sunday afternoon couples strolled arm in arm.

Aagin, what co,our in these trailing beauties.

Mostly Croatians from what I could hear. No crowds or English.

From the yellow garden. Erysimum Golden Gem and Gazania rigens.

Peaceful.

Bird song all around me.

Textures of pink and bugundy. Amaranthus cruentus.

The end of the prickly pears on the cacti – I saw enormous ones near Valencia 2 years ago. Pountia vulgaris.

I was happy with this photo – Salviasclarea Turkestanica

Furry tendrils with the pagoda in the background.

Late afternoon – the sun setting by 5pm now.

The amazing organge Cyprus contrasting with the bridge.

I noticed a man with a shopping trolley. He settled himself and started to paint.

Meanwhile as I stand under the tree, individual leaves waft past my nose.

I like the dark bark covered in green moss.

The Botanicb Gardens, Zagreb – website.

There is some further information and extra photos here on Zagreb 4 blog.

Walking without a donkey - travels in Croatia

Zagreb 3 – city squares

All Saints Day, 1 November 2018 – a walk to the centre, including King Tomislav and Nikola Subic Zrinski Squares.

wp-1541152045307..jpg — King Tomislav himself.

wp-1541152154643..jpg — Nikola Subic Zrinski Square.

I walked from Sopot to the centre for the first time, taking the straightest route past the Gradski City Park (details on Zagreb 1), over the fast flowing River Sava, and past the National and University Library (which was closed due to the National Holiday, and is where they are holding The First International Conference on Green Libraries very soon).

wp-1541152507582..jpg — Gradski Park, Zagreb.

wp-1541152460720..jpg — River Sava, Zagreb.

wp-1541152460672..jpg — A vista of skyscrapers, Zagreb.

wp-1541152460704..jpg — What a contrast between the old style red rooves and the new turquoise vertical swimming pool type!

wp-1541152096860..jpg — National and University Library of Zagreb.

I discovered the bus routes end point and underground Garaza shopping centre (also mostly closed) out of which you emerge in the King Tomislav Square (trg kralja Tomislava) by the Glavini railway station (Kolodov). This brought me to a whole other side of Zagreb I had not yet seen – national monuments resembling Vienna but less overtly grand, more comfortable somehow.

wp-1541152045323..jpg — Glavini Railway Station, Zagreb.

wp-1541152414059..jpg — I cannot identify this building. It is located in a smaller, prettier square next to the King Tomislav Square and above the Garaza shopping Centre.

wp-1541152414137..jpg — Starcevicev Dom, Zagreb.

wp-1541152096824..jpg — All Saints Day flowers for the graves of the deceased.

wp-1541152249775..jpg — Boy playing in the fountains.

wp-1541152154583..jpg — The Art Pavillion, Zagreb (also the title picture of this blog).

wp-1541152200423..jpg — Apartments opposite the King Tomislav Square – reminisecent of Vienna.

wp-1541152572757..jpg — Child playing behind the plane tree which reminded me of the Dunkeld Oak in Scotland which you can also go inside.

wp-1541152096850..jpg — Hrvatska (Croatian) Narodna Banka – a very fine building, Zagreb.

wp-1541152154607..jpg — There is a lot to see here!

wp-1541152045268..jpg — This is the way to use a statue – play on it! (Outside Booksa of that more later!)

Zagreb Information

Walking without a donkey - travels in Croatia

Zagreb 2 – Museum of Contemporary Art

Halloween 31 October 2018: Museum of Contemporary Art, the permanent collection.

wp-1541154030703..jpg — Spirit, Body installation, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb.

Not to be confused with the Moderna Galerija which is a Baroque building, Vranyczany Palace housing art works from the 19th century and after, the Museum of Contemporary Art is (during the day time anyway) a modern block of uninspiring concrete in Novi Zagreb, at the crossroads of Većeslava Holjevca and Dubrovnik Avenues. Do not be put off! It has a modernist interior with sharp, clear lines and is beautifully designed to show off its collection of post 1950s performance and Retroavantgarde art.

wp-1541153636965..jpg — Reflection of the stairs in the perspex, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb.

wp-1541154072767..jpg — Somewhere to sit in the sun and contemplate, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb.

I got carried away by the red line theme.

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The red neon is in the foyer of the Museum; the red tube which starts on one floor and hooks over the edge of the next level up is Red Line by Ivan Kozaric, 2011; the block with a thin horizontal line (part of a bigger work) is Circles between Surfaces by Dalibor Martinis; and the drawing is part of the presentation for the 32nd Venice Biennale in 1964.

I am currently writing about death so was not surprised to find a number on that theme.

wp-1541154030732..jpg — Jan Fabre’s *I Spit on My Own Tomb* (though the spitting was not working).

There was an interesting ‘sculpture’ in the Gradski Park – photographer Romeo Ibrisivika has been ‘pulling the wrecks out of the environment’ (dragging rivers, that sort of thing), and then there was a sculpture in the Museum which reminded me of it.

There were two which took a Scottish theme: a video Midges by Dorothy Cross (2000) and these two photos (from a series of three).

wp-1541153916412..jpg — *Aran* Miljenko Horvat (1965).

I seemed to be picking up on a theme of doorways – what is behind? what will come through?

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.. the lip of light beneath a sill.

Women Who Run With The Wolves, Bluebeard commentary Claudia Pinkola

There was a twisted two-slide shute which must be really fun and doubles up as an art work (which was not working). Then everywhere I looked were coils of metal and chrome.

A poster I saw in Padua reminded me of Lea (before she changed her hair colour!) whose hospitality here in Croatia has been amazing, and the art work in the gallery – Untitled by Antun Motika (1943-44).

wp-1541152507558..jpg — A very moving series about women in a safe house, most of whom had been abused and fled the men who caused it. *Women’s House* Sanja Ivekovic (1998-2002).

wp-1541154072662..jpg — A hanging light installation. *Changes* by Mirjana Vodopija (1994)

wp-1541153994782..jpg — *New York, New York* by Dalibor Martinis (1984) shows two screens of waves, the wake behind a boat and reminded me of standing on the ferry from Ireland to Wales.

wp-1541153916422..jpg — Zlatko Kopljar’s Compassion (2005), from a series of him kneeling in front of national monuments.

wp-1541154030722..jpg — *Orange Extension* by Jesus Raphael Soto (1968-70).

wp-1541153916442..jpg — Annette Messager’s *Woman and Drawing* a series of three (1972).

Shots through windows.

Even the toilet door signs were related to an artwork!

Tiles like this one are in all the lavatories.

Back outside.

wp-1541154111665..jpg — The Wu Chi again – *the un-manifest aspect of* *the Tao*. See Picardy 4

Free admission for all visitors on the first Wednesnday of the month!

Walking without a donkey - travels in Croatia

Zagreb 1

Paris – Milan – Padua – Zagreb: October 2018

If I am making a long journey I spend quite a time looking for cheap ways to do it. This time I plotted Paris to Zagreb on Google maps, saw the stop-offs it suggested I made, and from there checked the airlines for who flew where. In the end I found a cheap flight to Milan from Paris which was straightforward, and then took Flix buses the rest of the way.

*This painting is by Croatian hyper realist painter,* *Jadranka Fatur* *whose work is on show in a temporary exhibition at the Modern Art Museum in Zagreb. Although painted in 1975,* *it is still exactly like this!*

That part was arduous with local transport from Milan Airport to Monza to get the bus, which was delayed so that was already 10.30pm, although the wait was made more enjoyable with a conversation with a masters student studying in Padua. She told me where to go when I made the change there. I think this was my first 11pm – 1am sightseeing trip!

Then the over night part in the hottest bus I have ever ridden was quite a challenge, plus we had to get off twice at the Slovenian – Croatian border for passport checks despite it being the 32nd country to enter the European Union. Is that what we have to look forward to now just enough British people have voted to leave? What a calamity.

*Passport check. I was shouted at for taking photos, just like when I visited Bulgaria with the school in 1984*

However, I did eventually get there and was met by the wonderful dancing Lea (who I met in a woman’s dormitory in Graz last year and kept up with on Facebook).

‘Croatia was, and still is, the hottest piece of geographic real estate in Europe. Croatia is the gateway between north, south, east and west in Europe.’ From inavukic.com (no longer available).

During my first day I stayed close to where the apartment is and look what I found: Bundek lake with woods in Gradski Park, and the Museum of Modern Art on Avenija Dubrovnik (all less than 15 minutes walk).

*As always I gravitate to nature. It grounds me after travelling and arriving in a new location*

The familiar smell of Autumn, insects and wildflowers I am used to, sunshine on my skin.

I sat back against the tree and relaxed my pelvis. Smelling the rotting earth at my feet, I reflected that it is hard to write when I am unsettled. I relax and exhale, feeling myself let go.

*Smooth round pebbles at and under the water’s edge*

*The roots emerging from the ground and the glorious yellow of the leaves*

wp-1540973720063..jpg — *Dandelions and spears of grass protrude between the dead leaves*

wp-1540974336264..jpg — The Weeping Willow droops her fronds almost to the earth

wp-1540974476704..jpg — The wilder side of Gradski Park, Zagreb, Croatia

wp-1540973720110..jpg — Ripples caused by unseen creatures which almost appeared from underneath the water and from the wind.

wp-1540973240098..jpg — Just like Paris! Someone camping or possibly living in this beautiful place

I walked around the lake shown above and there was the other side of it – all open and sculpted.

wp-1540973551423..jpg — Bumbina Lavada by Damir Matausic akad kipar with Ljevaonica Umjetnina

wp-1540973290579..jpg — I spent some time at a nice cafe in the sun. It had WiFi and green tea, charming staff but no food, so I had to move on

Like Norway, I am in a country where I speak none of the language and cannot make sense of the signs around me. I quickly learn please and thank you by asking shop owners to teach me. I smile a lot.