Croatia – Page 2 – Walking without a donkey

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 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.