We started early with a walking tour to get oriented.
Our first stop was what some think the most beautiful cemetery in Eastern Europe – the Grobije Mirogoj. The landscaping and architecture is spectacular. It is the most expensive cemetery in Zagreb.
Catholics, orthodox and Jews all share the burial place in their own sections.
Zagreb was once the capital of Yugoslavia. Tito was the only leader strong enough to hold the place together with all religions and languages.
Now the country is 90% catholic. There is only one mosque and no synagogues. Priests and nuns are everywhere as even the young still tend to be attracted to participate..
From the cemetery at the top we started to walk downhill to the oldest parts of the city with it’s beautifully mixed architecture.
We walked into the museum section that has something like 30 places of preservation, including the museum of Broken Relationships (above) that really is about what you think. If you have any Dear John/Jane letters they would welcome your sending them for display.
…. And the Museum of Cute Cats
Not really….
Down to the Stone Gate. Just an archway over the road in which people have set up a makeshift shrine. There are always worshippers there praying for healing of themselves, relatives and friends.
Around the corner to the City farmer’s market open until 2pm everyday. Beautiful local produce and an entire underground level with more perishables like enormous varieties of meats and cheeses.
After a little break in the room, while a spring rain was pouring down, we decided to put up the umbrellas and head off for a long walk a bit into the botanical garden (too many puddles) and to the surprising Mimara Museum. The building is actually a 19th century High School complex in the guise of a new-renaissance architecture. It houses a formerly privat art collection 3,700 various works.
An entire large floor houses beautiful examples of painting from Dutch, French, Italian and many more masters. Other floors have exquisite examples of glass, ceramics, and sculpture from antiquities to the 18th century and beyond.
Chess board of ivory and wood and chess pieces from Venice.
This is for our chess champ grandson Abyl…how’d you like to play with this one?
The rain let up so we went across the block to the Croatian National Theater and the famous sculpture, The Well of Life in front. The flowers were blooming beautifully all the way around.
As the weather cleared, we wandered to a nearby square and a beautiful dinner in a Rick Steves recommended restaurant, Vinodol, for a New York (prejudiced) type meal (two delicious appetizers, two main courses and wine for the equivalent $58 in Kunas).
Tomorrow we’re off to Ljubljana, across the border into Slovenia and Bled. Good night.
