Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia. Fun Fact: If you were to list all the capital cities of the world in alphabetical order, Zagreb would be the last one.

During my trip in Croatia, I stayed with relatively distant family (that’s a little play on words, there). Vlatka and her son Lovro welcomed me into their home and planned a three-day weekend to discover Northern Croatia. Here is the thing, Vlatka is my grandma’s mom’s sister’s daughter’s granddaughter. According to the Wikipedia page for "Cousins," that puts Vlatka and me at a third cousin status and Lovro and me at third cousin once removed status. And through the course of the trip, I met even more distant relatives, but everyone welcomed and fed me like I was a prodigal, American first cousin.

I spent my first couple of days in Zagreb, home of my two hosts. At around a million residents, it houses about a quarter of the nations population. There are a lot of old buildings and stuff.

First, a couple of sculptures in front of buildings.

In the background of the first is the Opera house. It was finished in the mid-19th century and has been the place see and be seen ever since (especially for Croatian celebrities). In front is the Source of Life. I forget the name of the second sculpture. Something like the Woman of Education or Knowledge. Both are by Ivan Mestrovic. Mestrovic is a famous Croatian artist-sculptor and is considered one of the best sculptors since the Renaissance. He is important to you because he was a professor at The University of Notre Dame, and his sculptures are all over the campus. Also, there is a nice one at Saint Lucy’s Croation Catholic Church in Troy, Michigan (the city of tomorrow, today).

But Zagreb isn’t just a bunch of ancient buildings and sculptures (there are just old buildings too). It is also a bustling downtown.

The roads are lined with tramways and there are people everywhere. Croatia, and Zagreb especially, has a café oriented culture, maybe more so than France. Cafés litter the storefronts, and tiny tables, chairs, and umbrellas crowd the pedestrian streets.

We stopped more than a few times for a coffee (that is espresso for you) throughout my trip.

The funicular.

Zagreb sits on two hills. Traditionally, one is the hill of the state government and the other of the Roman Catholic Church. You’ll notice the skinny, white building in the top-right of the picture. Besides giving some stunning views of the city…

… this building is something of a landmark. It was built a long, long time ago and rebuilt a few times over the years. It played a major role during the wars (i.e. Ottoman Wars, World War One, World War Two, Croatian War of Independence). Nowadays, it just houses this.

A cannon. Every day at noon, the Croatians fire this cannon. Me? I prefer bells. But cannons get the job done.

We passed a few traditional, Croatian stores selling souvenirs and whatnot. This one was pretty neat.

This woman was handcrafting a lace doily on a pillow. She had about fifteen of those wooden pegs going, twisting, turning, etc. Apparently, it takes something like 90 hours for each doily. You can do a lot in 90 hours. Or you can make a doily.

At the pinnacle of the state hill sits this church.

Wait a minute… that doesn’t make much sense. Alas, the church has the seal/emblem of Croatia on it, so everything is okay. Needless to say, the Catholic Church is pretty important here.

To the left and right of the Church, respectively.

The former is the President of Croatia’s office (note the journalist and camera man reporting the evening news). The latter is the parliament building.

Less than a five minute walk from here sits Our Lady of the Stone Bridge.

This unassuming archway/passageway used to be part of the city gates (the city has expanded and most of the gates have been dismantled). In this archway hangs this painting.

The story goes that the entire city burned down in 1731, and this painting was the only thing to survive the devastation. Now, that is a really nice story and I don’t mean to be a downer, but if anything is going to survive a city fire, it is going to be something stored in a stone building. Miracle or not, people come to the painting, light candles, and pray. The Mother of God of the Stong Gate is the patron saint of Zagreb.

Speaking of praying, let’s go to the other hill and see the Zagreb Cathedral (where do they get these names?).

At night.

And during the day.

Fun fact: the towers of this cathedral are not the same height. One is a full meter taller than the other.

The inside is pretty ornate, complete with chandeliers, and the altar is nicely decorated.

There is also a dead bishop in the back!

That’s enough for monument seeing. I want to see a little into the Croatian culture. What better way than the daily market?

Every day, except Sunday, a main square in the town fills with local vendors selling the usual fruits and vegetables and local goodies. I really liked their balance/scale systems.

Put the desired weight on one side and the lettuce on the other. Bam! One kilogram (that’s 2.2 pounds, I’ll have you know, but 1 kilometer is NOT 2.2 miles… figure that one out).

Some of the local products:

Croatians must really like honey because it is everywhere. This vendor was selling honey, honeycombs, honey combs in honey, and pollen.

There was also olive oil. And it was really good olive oil, too. I may have taste tested.

And the cheese and cream.

Croatia has a tradition of cheese and cream. You buy them separately and then combine them to make a cottage cheese like concoction of dreams. It’s made from milk taken straight from the cow, no pasteurization or whatever. I ate it and was fine. Take that U.S.D.A.

But that is not all. Below the outside market sits an underground marketplace with even more vendors. Going down the stairs, the smell of vinegar was so pungent I sneezed. Why? It probably had something to do with the tubs and tubs of pickled cabbage. Sauerkraut.

I like this place. There were also meat vendors, cheese vendors, more fruits and vegetables, bakeries, and the like. Take a look at a meat station.

And seafood had its own room.

Not far from the market square, there was a smaller (but no less impressive) gathering of flower vendors.

After the market, I found myself in the main square of town, Trg bana Jelacic.

That giant sculpture (it is actually small in this picture) of the soldier on the horse (just to the left of center) is of Josip Jelacic and has an interesting story about how it was facing the other way toward Hungary to commemorate the battles against Hungary in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, but it was turned in the 1990's to face south, toward Bosnia and Herzegovina. Isn’t that nice? The square is pretty at night, too.

Outside of the downtown area but still in the city limits of Zagreb sits an old 13th century building called Medvedgrad.

As far as buildings go, it is as impressive as all the other middle-aged buildings lying around Europe. What is more notable is the view.

So there is Zagreb. I liked it. Its not too big, everyone is nice, most people speak English, there are cafés everywhere, and there is a market everyday. What’s not to like? But there is more to Croatia then Zagreb. So much more…

Week One: The Leftovers – Part 2

In the same spirit as my last post: the other things we did during week one of spring break.

Versailles is important to you, but you’re probably unaware of it. I’ll give you three reasons: 1) the Treaty of Paris (1783) was signed in Versailles ending the American Revolutionary War, 2) the Treaty of Versailles (1919) was signed (cleverly enough) in Versailles ending World War One, 3) there is a giant palace there. Giant.

Here are some statistics to give you an idea – Area: 550,000+ sq. ft.; Rooms: 700; Windows: 2,153

The palace of Versailles sits about 12 miles outside of Paris in what was, back in the 17th and 18th centuries, a small town removed from the political pressures of Paris. King Louis XIV (that is ‘the fourteenth’ for my roman numeral challenged brethren) moved his entire court to Versailles and forced them to live there so he could keep an eye on them. You know what they say, “Keep your dukes close, and your arch-dukes closer.” This strategy worked pretty well until Louis XVI (sixteen) was forced to move his family back to Paris (and then he and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were later killed).

And so we go in, like so many members of the French royalty before us. The first thing we see.

This here is a statue of Louis XIV. There are a lot of statues and busts and paintings of him hanging around. He was a bit of an egomaniac. The thing is, none of the artwork is accurate. In reality, he was really fat (like Biggest Loser fat). He was also bald.

The Chapel.

Golden plated doors, walls, and organ pipes; detailed paintings on the walls and ceilings; intricate carvings on the columns and beautiful sculptures. This is a chapel… that no on is allowed in.

Here is a room that a count or someone probably slept in.

The marble (or is it granite?) is from the Pyrenees Mountains in the south of France. Louis XIV had it shipped special for his palace. Also, note the amazingly inaccurate sculpture of Louis XIV (also known as the Sun King) and a bust of some Greek or Roman ruler (I’ve seen it in history books).

You should know that the interior of the palace was designed by Charles le Brun (English translation: Charlie Brown). You don’t actually have to know that. I just though it was funny.

There are a lot more rooms where this came from, but I like the paintings better. A few of the more famous ones (that I’ve seen in more French books than I can count):

Marie Antoinette with her children; two different kings both named Louis, both in tights.

The palace is about as symmetrical as they come. Sitting at the back and center is the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors).

It’s a huge hallway of extravagance and lavishness. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling (they were Baccarat at one point and may still be). There are mirrors everywhere. Windows let natural light in and look out into the gardens and grounds. I understand you can rent it out for parties. I understand that is expensive.

And the royal bedrooms.

His and Hers. Plus the study.

Some important documents were signed at that table. Also, the clock on the mantel is pretty boss… I mean it is embossed with gold.

The gardens from the castle.

The royalty loved their hedges. And there is something about nicely trimmed hedges, oriented in a symmetric pattern just so, that makes this math major appreciate a nice garden. Also, those trees are something.

A view of the grounds.

And looking back at the castle.

The second floor in the part that is jutting out is the Hall of Mirrors.

And there is a lot more to this palace of palaces than that. But that is a good general look.

To Strasbourg and that ugly Cathedral (everyone was thinking it, I just said it).

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg). How original? Romanesque/Gothic mixture, construction took about 400 years, there are flying buttresses involved.

First impressions: I’m not feeling the aged-terracotta red exterior. Also, it’s a little lopsided.

Indeed, the Cathedral is made from sandstone native to the surrounding area which gives it that reddish hue. It was the tallest building in the world for a few hundred years. I imagine that after completing the first tower, the builders just didn’t feel like doing it again. I can’t say that I blame them.

The intricate carvings on the exterior walls are as impressive as they are numerous. And they are numerous because the building is actually huge.

And the interior is as impressive.

That is the nave (with a hanging organ on the top left), the pulpit, and the altar.

And now the fun stuff.

In the foreground is the Pillar of Angels, an architectural interpretation of the Last Judgment. It is apparently an engineering marvel that this one column can hold up this portion of the church. In the background, the astronomical clock. This one is one of the largest in the world and was completed in the 1800’s (before electricity). A better picture.

It tells: the official time, solar time (whatever that is), day, month, year, zodiac sign, phase of the moon, position of several planets, leap years, equinoxes, date of Easter, and other fun things. Apparently the mechanism inside is quite impressive (and mysteriously accurate).

Here is one face.


And the thing in action. Every fifteen minutes, a bell rings and different stages of Man (i.e. infant, youth, adult, geriatric) parade in front of Death. At 12:30PM the 12 apostles parade in front of Jesus and he blesses them. I have videos on my facebook page.

Legend has it that the guy who made this clock had his eyes gouged out so he couldn’t make another one. I believe it.

After that spectacle of a show, a sister and I decided to climb what was the tallest building in the world back in the 1700’s. Getting up was a dizzying climb – something like 300 steps up a spiral staircase (and it was a tight spiral). Strasbourg is nice this time of year.

The people look like ants!
This one may or may not be looking into Germany.

And one final comment on the Strasbourg Cathedral: this is probably the creepiest Cathedral at night. Case and point.

It is called Gothic architecture for a reason. Zing!

Moving on to Cathedral two of two, the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Another original name. It is conveniently located right next door to the train station.

And the side entrance.


This Cathedral took over 600 years to build by the time it was finished in 1880. It was then the tallest building in the world for four years (take that Strasbourg!) and is one of the largest churches in Europe. Also, it suffered around 70 raids during WWII and sustained some damage, but it never toppled. There are flying buttresses.

The inside and altar.

There is also this.

The Shrine of the Three Kings: a giant, gilded, three-person coffin. That’s right friends, it is traditionally believed that the bodies of the Three Kings are in there.

Also of note, this window was installed only a few years ago, replacing one that was destroyed during the war.

The artist claims that that randomly placed “pixels” create a colorful “carpet.” I think it looks like a game of Tetris gone awry.

A short train ride away is Bonn, Germany: birthplace of Beethoven. There is a museum dedicated to the maestro himself at his childhood home. Here is the outside.

There were no pictures allowed, but I took one of his viola anyway.

You can call this picture... contraband. Perhaps more interesting to some, Bonn was also the birthplace of Natalie Horler. You may know her as Cascada (another win for pop culture).

And there is also a pretty basilica in Bonn. The Bonn Minster Basilica is one of the oldest churches in Germany. It was the seat of the archbishop of Cologne years ago, but is now just a papal basilica.


The crypt was right under the altar.

And there was a cloister. For those unsure, a cloister is an enclosed space and does not, as a general rule, necessarily imply mute religious people. This cloister happened to be a quadrangle enclosed between the church and other buildings.

My only question: how do they get the lawnmower in there?

That concludes Spring Break Week One. We’re only halfway done! Don't you love study abroad?