June 09, 2015

Zagreb, Croatia

Sculpture and street corner in Zagreb.
Sculpture and street corner in Zagreb.
Buildings along Ban Jelačić Square (the central square in Zagreb).
Buildings along Ban Jelačić Square (the central square in Zagreb).
The Croatian National Theater in Zagreb.
The Croatian National Theater in Zagreb.
'Singeing a Pig' by Mijo Kovačić (found in the Croatian Museum of Naive Art).
‘Singeing a Pig’ by Mijo Kovačić (found in the Croatian Museum of Naive Art).
'Milan Cathedral' by Emerik Feješ (found in the Croatian Museum of Naive Art).
‘Milan Cathedral’ by Emerik Feješ (found in the Croatian Museum of Naive Art).
Street south of St. Mark's Square.
Street south of St. Mark’s Square.
St. Mark's Church in the center of St. Mark's Square.
St. Mark’s Church in the center of St. Mark’s Square.
Buildings on the north side of St. Mark's Square.
Buildings on the north side of St. Mark’s Square.
Ivana Tkalčića Street in Zagreb.
Ivana Tkalčića Street in Zagreb.
Zagreb Cathedral (its present form dates from 1880 to 1906 AD).
Zagreb Cathedral (its present form dates from 1880 to 1906 AD).
Another view of Zagreb Cathedral.
Another view of Zagreb Cathedral.
Building next to the Zagreb Cathedral.
Building next to the Zagreb Cathedral.
Bottle of Croatian red wine made from Frankovka (also known as "Blaufränkisch") grapes.
Bottle of Croatian red wine made from Frankovka (also known as “Blaufränkisch”) grapes.

I slept in quite a bit today and did not get up from bed until after noon. I then showered, dressed, and drank a carton of juice I had bought the night before. Finally, after slowly getting ready, I left the hostel after 14:00 and sauntered down to the Mimara Museum (a large art museum), passing by the beautifully built Croatian National Theater in Zagreb on the way; however, by the time I reached it (after taking my time, as well as many photographs, throughout Zagreb), it was 15:00 and I feared that two hours would not be enough time to see the collection (the museum closed at 17:00); so, I walked north, past the short funicular, up the hill of Gornji Grad, and to the Upper Town of Zagreb. I then walked to the Museum of Broken Relationships, which is located in the baroque Kulmer Palace (dated 1776 AD), and entered inside; this museum contains artifacts from previous romances and relationships that didn’t last, as well as a description of the relationship and breakup to accompany each artifact; it is certainly a different museum and the insights I had in to these once private relationships that spanned the globe and the last century proved to be a bit fascinating; however, it appears that there are a lot of crazy people out there based on the evidence on display inside this museum. After visiting the Museum of Broken Relationships, I walked on to the Croatian Museum of Naive Art, which showcases a distinct segment of the art of Croatia from the twentieth-century AD by painters and sculptors with no formal art training. After viewing the different works on display (some were well done), I exited the museum and walked past the Old City Hall, on to St. Mark’s Square (the square located in the Upper Town); in the center of the square is St. Mark’s Church; the church was originally constructed in the thirteenth-century AD, but was radically reconstructed in the second-half of the fourteenth-century AD (when it was turned into a late Gothic church of the three-nave type). I walked around the Square (past the Croatian Parliament) and then entered inside the church. After viewing the inside of St. Mark’s, I walked east and entered inside Stone Gate (“Kamenita Vrata”), the only remaining gate out of four that once connected Lower Town to a part of Upper Town; today the Stone Gate serves as a chapel . . . with an actively used pathway that cuts right between the altar and the pews (it is strange to see people praying in the chapel as bicycles and pedestrians pass by). I then continued on to Ivana Tkalčića Street and to the empty Dolac Market. Next, I walked to Zagreb Cathedral (Roman Catholic), a building whose current form dates from 1880 to 1906 AD; however, it exists on the foundations of previous incarnations (the earliest dating back to 1217 AD – albeit, there was a church prior to even that). I entered photographed the exterior of the cathedral and entered inside, but there was a mass in progress, so I didn’t venture much further than the entrance (another time I’ll have to walk around the inside). I then exited the cathedral and walked back to the hostel, stopping at the supermarket along the way to buy wine, cheese, salami, and olives. I returned to the hostel and worked on the website some while listening to the new Muse album; I also chatted with two new dorm roommates (two gals from Florida) for a brief time. Later, after 20:00, I left the hostel to eat dinner; I ended up at a restaurant on Ivana Tkalčića Street and had a spiraled pub sausage with baked beans and a beer. After dinner, I returned to the hostel and typed away on my laptop. Later on, as I finished listening to Muse’s ‘Drones’ and while I updated myself with current news articles, I drank the bottle of Croatian red wine I had bought earlier; the wine was made of Frankovka grapes and tasted of spices and red berries, but most of all reminded me of a flat, past-its-sell-by-date, cherry coke – most likely my taste buds are not properly tuned . . . Anyway, after 02:00, I finally fell to bed and went asleep.

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An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.