With the Julian Alps in the distance and our rented e-Bikes cranked up to full power we headed off to Vintgar Gorge. The air was crisp and the leaves on trees are just starting to turn. It was certainly a blessed way to spend a Sunday morning. Exploring the many little villages was almost as much fun—and explore we did as we got totally lost many, many times. Hallelujah for e-Bikes.
This evening we said goodbye to Lake Bled with a traditional Plenta boat ride out to the island. Our oarsman has been guiding for 22 years. His boat’s name is Barbara. We asked him if he named the boat after his wife. He laughed...no, you name your boat after your mother....your mother’s name never changes but your wife’s might. He was quite a character. Do you like mysteries? Have you heard of the Enigma coding machine that German Intelligence used in WWII? Well, Legend has it that it was disposed of and is somewhere at the bottom of Lake Bled. So goodbye to e-Bikes, mountains, mysteries, and fresh apples outside our door every morning. Tomorrow we head to Venice. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom.
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Today we headed off with a map to try to hunt down some pieces from Zagreb’s Street Art Scene. It was really quite an adventure because Street Art in Zagreb is tucked away in the most unusual places—small alleys, side walls, and even on or tucked under stairs. Also, the Street Art we saw today is definitely less political than we saw in, let’s say, Columbia or Greece. I wonder whether the political pieces get more quickly painted over or perhaps the Street Artist are not yet comfortable enough to paint political messages. I’m sharing three with you and then I want to hear from you😄 First tell me which of the three is you favourite. Then I would like you to tell me something about your favourite that you think makes it feel Croatian. This is our last day in Croatia so you probably have a lot of great ideas. Your choices are: the inventor, the rooster heads, or the lady on the stairs. I look forward to your opinions and ideas. You Are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom We took an early morning bus out of Plitvice and arrived at the populated city of Zagreb this afternoon. Zagreb is the capitol of Croatia. It is very modern with a lot of shopping, malls, and high- tech transportation that includes electric trams.
Our studio apartment is perfect and a nice treat after a few days of hostels. The door to our stairway leads right out onto the outdoor Dolac market. That means we can get fruits, vegetables, and cheeses by just stepping out our door. A delicious bakery is right around the corner. This afternoon we did a bit of a walk around and ended up at the Museum of Naive Art. It is a little hard to explain Naive Art, but I’ll give it a try: themes often come from rural roots, the artists are talented but usually not formally trained, and it is often painted with oil on glass rather than canvas. It became very popular in Croatia in the 1930’s. I liked mostly all of it. Cows Hauling Wood by Ivan Vecenaj was one of my favourites. What do you think of this style? Looking forward to more of Zagreb tomorrow. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
A short walk from our hostel and we were at the Mestrovic Gallery in the sculptor’s former mansion. Ivan Mestrovic sketched the original inspiration for his work titled Job while he was imprisoned by the Ustase in 1941 and the sculpture itself was carved by the artist in exile during World War II. Although the powerful piece technically dramatizes the religious theme Job, commentators say that Mestrovic drew on his experiences to characterize “a silent scream against the insanity of war”. It is very moving regardless which context you view it in.
After a long and complicated bus ride we are near the Plitvice Falls. It is a lot cooler here with kind of an Austrian feel. Quite a contrast from Split. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. We left the Port of Dubrovnik very early this morning by catamaran ferry. For seven hours our boat deked around islands to finally arrive at Split. We knew we had hit a bit of a rough patch about an hour off our destination when they started handing out motion sickness bags. Proud to report we didn’t need them.
Split’s old town is built on bits and chunks of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace—actually his retirement home. Modern mixes with ancient. You can peek in bank windows and see computer terminals set up beside ancient pillars. You can even say hello to an ancient Sphinx Diocletian brought from Egypt on your way for pizza. Dad and I spent hours rooting around the ancient ruins. The tiny but elaborate cathedral used to be Diocletian’s mausoleum before Rome fell. Definitely karma as he did some really cruel things to believers in the Early Christian church ( 300-ish AD). Thinking of you all back home. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. When the weekend arrives in Dubrovnik both savvy tourists and locals head out to Lokrum Island. Only 600 m from the old town by boat the island is surprisingly free from crowds. Lokrum is complete with the ruins of an old Royal Fort and an abandoned Benedictine Monastery. The Monastery houses a replica of “The” Game of Thrones Iron Throne—which Dad had to try out.
There are olive groves, orange trees, and flowering cacti. Metal ladders hang off the rocks so you can lower yourself into the salty Adriatic for a swim. Peacocks and really big fat rabbits wander among the sunbathers looking for snacks. And of course there was a Gelato stand! It was an absolutely perfect spot to spend the day. When we landed back in Dubrovnik we were excited to enjoy another local tradition. Saturday must be a popular day for weddings. The bride and groom and all their friends parade through the old town behind a flag bearer. There are guitarist and accordions and singing. So much fun! Tomorrow morning we leave Dubrovnik early (7 a.m.) on what Dad calls the poor man’s cruise ship—the ferry. So, the next time we post we will be in Split, Croatia. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Bosnia Herzegovina is a country of threes: three official languages, three religions, three flags, three presidents, three peoples. Our guide considers the 1992 fighting in Mostar a civil war—neighbours against neighbours. Everyone lost someone. A stencil on the wall near our restaurant reads, “All Gave Some, Some Gave All”
The bombing took down their bridge—their symbol of peace between peoples. (You can actually see this War Footage on YouTube https://youtu.be/_5tTbXAQ4uA ) In 2004 the bridge was reopened using as much of the original material as possible. The bridge is mended. Mending Trust and building on forgiveness among the Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs may take longer. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. |
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Ray & Diane
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