Zagreb – Page 2 – Walking without a donkey

Walking without a donkey - travels in Croatia

Zagreb 4 – Museum of Broken Relationships and Croatian practicalities

November 2018

Zagreb, photo in Museum of Arts and Crafts. Croatia.

Zagreb, view over the rooftops. Croatia.

Booksa is a book club. Warm and friendly, you must pay an annual fee of 10 kun (£1.20, 1. 35 euros) to join. There is a small library including books in English, newspapers, comfy chairs, wifi and a cafe.

A book is to a man what a binocular is to an astronomer or a microscope to a medical student – an instrument improving observation ability. Matko Peić

wp-1541252634646..jpg — Booksa, Marticeva Street, Zagreb, Croatia.

They also have book readings etc, mostly in Croatian. The staff speak great English. Like all cafés in Zagreb, there is no food on sale, nor alcohol, but the jasmine tea (proper tea leaves) and hot chocolate are fab.

I spent many hours at Booksa – a convivial atmosphere.

Friday

Without realising quite how wet it was, I set off to walk into the city centre as usual (approx 1 hour from Sopot where I am staying), but the rain was torrential. The bus was quick and straightforward although I still had to walk for 20 minutes or so and therefore arrived at the Museum of Broken Relationships in a completely soaked state. The money in my purse in my bum bag was wet and the stamps stuck together!

On the way up the many steps to the Museum of Broken Relationships.

The cafe at the Museum of Broken Relationships.

The caterpillar you can see in the picture is a story where the couple broke off one of its legs each time they met. They agreed that when all were off they would marry (at least I think that was it). Only 5 or so were gone by the time they broke up 😦

It is a most unusual and very popular place, particularly frequented by young people. The exhibits have all been donated by the public, made up from a collection of sad stories with connected items and memorabilia. Well curated, there is perhaps unsurprisingly a sombre atmosphere. The cafe is smart with WiFi and expensive. 40 kun to enter (cheaper for students or older folk).

One of the shortest funiculars in the world (according to Wikipedia). Croatia.

I found this in the city centre, leaning against a wall. A witch must have left her broomstick behind on Halloween!

Sunday

I took a river walk – after 2 days of torrential rain, I was happy that it was fine again, though cool and misty. The mountains in the distance had however disappeared.

There were three women walking solo – 2 of us were taking photos!

There are white paths stretching in both directions beside the Sava River. Between them and the banks there are expanses of grass which I guess are often deluged because there are mud covered plants there.

Monday

I walked to the Botanics and they are gloriously free to enter, bijou and bonny.

The first sight of the Botanic Gardens from the underpass – a red pagoda similar to the one in Edinburgh.

Botanic Gardens, Zagreb – palm and fountains.

Here are some slideshows of plants, fungi, flowers, vegetables and the dome with the giant (up to 2 metres wide) water lilies from Souzth America inside it. Despite winter being right around the corner, there was plenty to see.

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I have added more Botanic Garden photos here so that this blog doesn´t take too long to load and look at.

wp-1541419840266..jpg — Cottage in the grounds of the Botanic Gardens, Zagreb. Rambling roses and everything.

Botanic Gardens The Zagreb Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in downtown Zagreb, Croatia. Founded in 1889 by Antun Heinz, Professor of the University of Zagreb, and opened to public in 1891, it is part of the Faculty of Science.

wp-1541419205208..jpg — I was pleased with the colour scheme – the lady´s coat, the houses between the trees, the foliage of the Cyprus.

Zagreb Practicalities

The Privredna Bank: It was dry and warm, and when I got to the counter the currency exchange was smooth and straightforward. I got a much, much better rate of kun to euros than I did in Italy. But. I have almost never had to wait so long for anything. Ever.

wp-1541419078693..jpg — National Theatre, Zagreb. They like yellow buildings here. Croatia.

The Post Office: In contrast there was no queue at the post office and although the willing woman had almost no English I managed to make myself understood. Stamps to the UK cost 5.80 kun for a postcard.

wp-1541419129681..jpg — Evangelical Church, Zagreb, Croatia.

Bars and cafes do not serve food. Many allow smokers inside rather than making them go out, even though most have nice awnings with cosy blankets now in November.

Getting around: buses and trams both seem to be very efficient. Buy tickets from tabac kiosks, 4 kun each, in advance and when you get on (you can use any door), go right to the front to find the little yellow box attached to one of the chrome uprights. Insert your ticket with the silver part towards you and wait for it to make a noise. Beware! most tabac kiosks are shut on Sundays so you might get stranded without a bus ticket. I asked and was directed by friendly waiters outside the theatre.

Like lots of cities, Mondays are quiet with many buildings being closed eg Booksa and the Museum of Contemporary Art. However, the Museum of Broken Relationships is open, as are the Botanic Gardens, Maksimir and Gradski Parks.

The Tourist Information office is in **Ban Jelačić Square**, not far from the man on horseback (below).

Josip Jelačić von Buzim, ban of Croatia (1948 – 49). He was a military man and responsible for abolishing serfs in Croatia so we like him for that.

The Tourist Information women had no information about walks (it was the same in Vienna) but were very kind and did tell me about Maksimir Park, for which I am very grateful.

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 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.