Zagreb, Croatia
Day 1
07.03.11
Getting on the bus at 9:30 in Lugano, I notice one thing that suggests our final destination: Croat-Serb signs. “Izlaz za slucaj opasnosti.” Something to the effect of, “Open window in case of emergency.” The other thing I notice is the intense amount of orange decor of this Croatian bus: orange seats, orange curtains, orange ceilings. So, settling into our orange seats, we set out on a nine-hour bus ride.
A great deal of the ride was spent in Italy, until to my surprise, we suddenly crossed the Slovenian border. Despite my excitement of unexpectedly entering a new country that I could put on my list, I didn’t notice anything particularly different about the country. The climate changed from arid looking to mountainous to snowy all within the span of three hours, and the only signs of life were the small clusters of villages situated near the highway.
Only after it grew dark did we finally enter Croatia, and soon after, the city of Zagreb. The city itself looked like any thriving European city; there were people dressed nicely walking around everywhere, enjoying the nightlife, laughing and talking. The architecture reminded me greatly of other European cities I had visited before, except the fact that some of the buildings had facades that were a bit damaged, inevitably leftover from the turmoil of the Yugoslavian war.
After checking into our luxurious four-star hotel, we set out as a group to go to dinner. The restaurant was styled traditionally and the food was exceptional. We were given an allowance of 200 kunas, or the equivalent of 40 USD. With that, I was able to get red wine, a delicious pumpkin soup, and a beef-steak in an Istrian sauce (which basically turned out to be a kind of meaty tomato stew). I only ended up using 160 kunas. It became apparent that the US Dollar has quite a bit of value in Eastern Europe. In fact, I later learned that the money my professor spent on dinner for us that night was the equivalent to a month’s salary for a typical Croatian family.
Although dinner filled me up and I was getting sleepy from a long day of travel, I wanted to go out and experience the nightlife. Luckily for us, we had a native Croatian traveling with us who lives in Zagreb. She took us to meet up with her friends at a small hole-in-the-wall bar tended by two matronly women who seemed unfazed the the rambunctious nature of the people there. When we arrived, six Croatian guys, including Katarina’s boyfriend were already seated and drinking when we joined. Soon after we sat down, they stood up on the chairs and started singing at the top of their lungs to the juke-box songs that were playing. It was a wonderful night, and her friends were incredibly kind and entertaining.
Slovenia
View from the outside of the hotel in Zagreb, Croatia.
Day 2
08.03.11
Our second day began with a bubbly Croatian tourguide who was eager to show us the sights of the city. We began with the museum of Modern Art, a few steps from our hotel. The art inside was beautiful, and was arranged chronologically so that people could see how the country’s history was reflected in the style, type, and subject matter of the artwork. The oppression of the Croatian people under Socialism was evident, especially within the paintings of Nikola Brevic?, who depicted the rise and fall through his use of night city-landscapes and flags which represented the government rule. We next got on the bus with our guide, who gave commentary as we toured the city’s major points of interest.
Modern Art Museum of Zagreb.
My friend Andrey hiding behind a statue.
Modern Art Museum of Zagreb.
A beautiful yellow building we saw on our bus tour, not sure of the name.
Supposedly the most popular cafe in Zagreb
What would seem to be a typical day in the life of a tourist was interrupted when we arrived at our next destination: the Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art. I am usually not a fan of art museums; I am often uninterested as I find the paintings to all achieve the same effect after several rounds of walking around a room. But this museum showcased art from every kind of creative and imaginative discipline, rooted in the history of Eastern Europe. For example, one Bosnian artist who was angry with the fact that the Dutch military had failed to protect them when they needed it most, created a satiric piece. The Dutch looked down on the Bosnians, and viewed the women with certain stereotypes. These were written on a blown up photo of the artist: “No teeth? A mustache? Smel like shit? Bosnian Girl!!!” The word smell was purposely misspelled to emphasize the fact that although the Dutch saw the Bosnians as uneducated and worthless, many of the soldiers were just as ignorant. This example was just one of many amazing talents throughout the museum, which ranged from art using shadow and light to art using fire and resin. The best part of the museum, hands down, was the slides. There were these amazing, modern looking tunnel slides that went from the top of the building, curving and winding around each other, down to the terrace outside. So naturally, we exited through the slides, sixteen university students screaming in delight as they swooshed down to the ground.
Dinner was a simple affair, although getting there was not so simple, as large groups of people trying to find a destination they have no idea how to get to can be difficult. But once we reached the large brasserie style restaurant, we ordered a round of beers and tried to decipher the distinctly Croatian-style menu. Opting for the safe choice, I ordered chicken medallions in a champignon sauce with potatoes. Losing weight is really not an option during Academic travel. I spent probably about twelve USD including my beer. Not too bad.
Afterwards, we went out to the same bar and met up with the same people. I can honestly say I enjoyed their company greatly, and I was quite lucky to get to know locals. Meeting locals is the best way to find out more about any culture; what I did find out, was that the Croatian people are easygoing, quite often rowdy, but unfailingly loyal and respectful, especially towards women. Of course, this was only representative of Zagreb, whereas the majority of Croatians do not receive secondary education and live in the countryside in poverty. The repercussions of a formerly Socialist state trying their best for democracy, I suppose. Even in Zagreb, thirteen people lose their jobs a day, and the protests, although legal, have no effect whatsoever and create no change. I can honestly say, I would never have been able to learn all of the things I discovered in Zagreb in a classroom lecture. Once again, I have Franklin to thank for that.
Belgrade, Serbia
Day Three
09.03.11
Today we are back on the orange bus, driving through the Croatian countryside to reach Serbia. After leaving Zagreb, there are drastic changes in scenery. Firstly, all along the highway, there are farming fields. Beyond those fields, are rows of houses, pressed up against hills to make the most room for agriculture. The fields are the leftovers of Socialist farming, in which the crops were distributed for everyone in the country. The remnants of this remain, including dilapidated farm houses which attain to the economic conditions of the “regular people” of the country. Also I notice that there are almost no rest stops. Professor Duduovic says this is because during the war, nobody went between Croatia and Serbia - there were absolutely no relations.
When we arrived in Belgrade, I realized it was going to be nothing like Zagreb. Croatia was noticeably more Westernized and developed, whereas many aspects of Belgrade were dilapidated and obsolete. The main tourist streets of course had modern shops and nice restaurants, however the other parts of the city were older and dirtier. There were many buildings that had suffered destruction from the NATO bombings of 1999, and had never been rebuilt or torn down. Public spaces such as parks had debris and torn up earth throughout, and when we entered the University of Belgrade - we noticed that many of the light fixtures were broken and according to our professor, could not be replaced for lack of funds.
View from the hotel window (Hotel Moskva - an old Gestapo headquarters?!!? and supposedly haunted.)
Victim of the NATO bombings.
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