Adventure to the Balkans Travelogue Pt. 1: Zagreb, Croatia
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Hola at you readers! It's me, Sasha Bear here - and today we're FINALLY going to post about my trip to the Balkans circa October 2019. I hope this post cheers you up in these trying times due to the coronavirus, as I bring you on a tour around Europe in the dulcet tones of autumn. Come on in to read more!
I've caught the Europe travel bug in the past few years as I first started with Spain in 2015, then travelled to East Europe in 2016 and now finally to the Balkans. The magnificent medieval architecture, cold weather and flavourful meals are just some of the factors that draw me to Europe again and again. In this series of Balkan travelogues, we traverse through Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Slovenia on an epic road trip spanning a few thousand kilometres. Take my hand and travel to the Balkans with me! Let's go!
Day 1: Zagreb, Croatia
We checked into the hotel after stopping in Dubai for a layover from Singapore. The hotel we arrived at was Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb.
Had some time so had some cake and coffee in the lobby.
Me in my new favourite hat - unfortunately I lost my beanie in Austria and had to replace it with another one!
After setting down our luggage, we gathered in the lobby for a walking tour of Upper and Lower Town. The above shows individual buildings that are painted a pretty golden-yellow - in the Austro-Hungarian rulership of Croatia, the government and certain administrative buildings were painted yellow to denote that they're under the stewardship of the Austrian monarchy, such as schools, hospitals and such.
Walking through Park Zrinjevac in Zagreb, which was filled with golden autumn trees gently shedding their leaves in the wind.
Near the park, is a statue of Bishop J.J. Strossmayer outside of the University of the city of Osijek. Josip Juraj Strossmayer was a Croatian politician, Roman Catholic Bishop and a philanthropist in the 19th Century. He often used money from his diocese to fund the building of public buildings in Croatia, including schools, gymnasiums, public libraries. He also dedicated his life to his religion and good causes such as working with the poor and building roads to remote areas.
There are bust statues of many famous Croatian figures in the park. Pictured here is a bust of Ivan Mažuranić, a Croatian poet, linguist, lawyer and politician. He is one of the seminal figures of 19th century Croatia and is credited to have reformed the areas of law, economics, linguistics and poetry in his lifetime.
Next, we have a bust of Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski. He was a Croatian historian, writer and politician most known for delivering the first speech in Croatian before the parliament. He is an avid collector of historical documents and famous for his work in Croatian bibliography and histography.
Lastly, we have the statue of the Croatian Rennaissance painter Andrea Meldolla, an artist mainly based in Venice in the 16th Century. He also was an etcher (woodcut print) lauded for his use of light and perspective in his art. Here is an example of his work, The Crowning with Thorns.
Woodcut by Andrea Meldolla.
What do you guys think? Should Singapore also have a park with famous figures from our history? The closest that we have to something similar is probably the bronze busts of prominent world figures scattered around Boat Quay and Fullerton Hotel in Raffles City.
If you come by this park - you definitely have to take a photo with this unusual hollow tree!
Finally, we come to the end of the park, where a quaint music pavilion sits. It was a gift by Eduard Prister to Zagreb in 1891.
Next, we visit the St. Mary painting. This painting is significant as a miracle - the city burned down in the past, but yet this artwork of Mary holding Jesus remained untouched.
Entering the churches and cathedrals of Zagreb was a genuinely religious experience. Through them, we really got to experience the widespread influence of Christianity and Catholicism on the people of Europe.
Beautiful mosaiced floors.
Zagreb Cathedral is a Roman Catholic building which is the tallest in the city of Zagreb and is the most prolific Gothic-style sacral monument in the area. Which means Croatia probably does not have tall, high-rise buildings like we do in Singaland - which makes sense as they are not as land-scarce as we are!
Another angle of the beautiful Cathedral.
We stopped for a snack of roast chestnuts before entering the monument.
This is the Glagolitic script inscribed on a wall in the Catherdral adorned with crucifixes of Jesus. This script is very significant to the Croatian people as it is the first language that they obtained based on the Greek alphabet. Saint Cyril and Methodius were credited with dissemination the 41 alphabets. They were initially used to spread the gospel of Christianity in the past.
The Sarcophagus of Alojzije Stepinac, a cardinal of the church in the past.
Beautiful stained windows and high ceilings of the Cathedral.
A commissioned statue of Alojzije Stepinac in the corner of the church.
Apparently touching the foot of this statue will bring you luck in your endeavours!
A parting shot of the Cathedral.
Walking to our next destination with the wind in our hair - bliss!
We arrive at St. Mark's Church, where the coat of arms of Zagreb, the white castle with the red background, and the Triune of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia, the colourful crest, is seen on the roof tiles of the monument.
Hurrying along the walking tour, we come across this shop with a large tie. Did you know? The dress tie was said to have been invented in Zagreb, Croatia - thus you will see many shops with giant ties selling merchandise along the streets!
Many parts of the Balkans feature these beautiful rustic stone walls.
Souvenir shopping in Dolac Market. These are traditional Croatian heart-shaped cookies. It also has a little mirror stuck to the middle of it so that your beloved sees himself or herself when you gift them with a cookie and ask "Who is the one who has my heart?"
We pass by a bronze relief of Nikola Tesla, a Croatian-born scientist and visionary, in Zagreb Old Town. Nikola Tesla was the inventor of many of the technologies we take for granted in modern life, like the AC/DC electrical current. He was also trying to build wireless energy towers nearing the time of his death in 1943.
We next pass by this quirky "Breakup Museum". You can choose to donate an item of your ex-significant other, and the museum will help you to soothe your broken heart with items like the "Bad Memory Eraser". You can also enter the museum to look at the various items they other broken-up couples donated and read their stories.
The last stop on the walking tour was Strossmayer Promenade. There is a love bridge here where lovebirds would write their names on a lock and secure them around the railings. Here we also see a panoramic view of the city from the vantage point.
In the town square.
Another view of the Zagreb Cathedral. It can be seen from most parts of the city due to its monumental stature.
Last stop before dinner was a shopping trip to one of their departmental stores. This was like their version of a pharmacy, and we saw many Taiwanese tourists buying up all the eye creams in the store. So what do you know? Us "kiasu" Singaporeans also rushed to buy our own stockpile of eye creams!
Dinner was a lovely roast duck leg at Katedrais. It must be because of something in the Croatian air because the food (especially the meat) tastes so much more flavourful than what we have back home!
Retiring to local 4-star Sheraton Hotel after a long tiring day of moseying all over Zagreb. Yawn... Bedtime!
Join us next time for the next part in our journey through the Balkans!
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2 commentors
Thank you for the wonderful sharing 🙏
ReplyDeleteNo worries Anon! Hope you liked my post detailing my trip - where in the world should I go next? Hehe x
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