St. Burek

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Geo: 44.7804, 15.6349

Ode to the Burek

Burek, Burek, Burek,
You are such a yummy little treat,

Wrapped in crispy phyllo,
And stuffed with cheese, spinach, or meat,

So cheap and so filling,
You're the pinnacle of culinary perfection,

Satiating my hunger,
While offering a quiet moment of reflection,

I could stop at the store,
To buy some candy or some crackers,

But that would be wrong,
You're the ideal food for backpackers,

Even in a hurry,
When there isn't a second to talk,

Eaten with one hand,
I can devour you as I walk,

So tired from the pace,
Sometimes I feel so faint,

You always lift my spirits,
The Pope should make you a Saint!

I love sculpture - without a doubt, it's my favourite art form, because its message is generally tangible and accessible. Painting on a canvas ... sometimes its message is obvious to me, but many times I am oblivious to it. And modern art? Forget about it. I was really looking forward to going to the Ivan Mestrovic Sculpture gallery today, since he is known as one of Croatia's great artists. Plus, four years ago I never had the money nor the opportunity to tour the gallery, so all the more reason to go this time.

But ... there was a problem today. Was it closed? Did I get lost on my way there? The answer is no, on both counts - it's that damn beautiful Adriatic Sea that did me, yet again. I didn't go for a swim, but realizing that it was my final day on the Adriatic, I decided just to chill on the seaside promenade for the morning with a cappuccino, until it was time for my bus to Plitvice National Park.

The bus ride to Plitvice National Parks was gorgeous, with much of the first couple of hours spent driving up the Adriatic coast. With Croatia, bus rides always make you want to return, because there is always a new, beautiful town that catches your eye. There seemed to be a number of great places in and around Sibenik - I'm already planning my next trip here!

Plitvice Lakes National Park - the air is so cool and fresh, it was a nice break from the scorching heat so far in the Balkans. Arriving at 19:00, there wasn't time to see the park - it closes at 20:00, but technically it's only the ticket offices that close and the trams/boats within the park that stop running, so one could tour the park without paying, if they didn't mind hiking for hours and hours, and didn't mind doing so in the dark.

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Photos

a
Pizza - wasn't planning on having a slice after a breakfast of bananas, juice, peaches, and yogurt, but it looked so tempting that I had to have a slice. Too bad - it looked much better than it was. The crust was nice and crisp, but the ham and mushroom topping didn't get the job done.

b
A burek shop named St. Burek - how fitting! It's such a divine food, it should receive Sainthood.

c
Split's theatre.

d
Very unique architecture for this church.

e
Kristy, what's Buddy doing in Croatia? Did he run away from Vancouver Island?

f
Chicken sandwich - after I bought it, they popped it into the microwave and then proceeded to stuff it with tomatoes, corn, and other veggies. I asked for just a little bit of mayo, but they still put a crapload in there. I'm not sure why it had lettuce in there to begin with, since it only got soggy when it was microwaved. Why not wait until the end when all the other veggies were stuffed inside? The bun was pretty dry and tough. I'd say it was typical bus station-quality fare, unlike the exception I found at the Sarajevo bus station the other day, with their killer cevapcici.

g
Weird little rest stop just outside of Plitvice National Parks - restaurant, cafe, shop, and ... zoo???!?!

h
Maybe the animals were being raised for use in the restaurant? Mmmm ... venison ...

i
Cramped little hotel room - the bed was wedge in between two walls. This would be problematic for any person over 6'2".

j
Running out of undies, I picked these up in Sarajevo. I love how Springfield labels them 3 Day, 5 Day, and 7 Day - this all depends on personal hygiene, doesn't it? For some, this 3 pack could last 5 days, 7 days, a week ... or for Tri, this would probably only last about 12 hours. Yech ...

l
Dinner was an easy choice tonight since every restaurant in Plitvice is run by the park, and the menus are all the same, and I assumed the quality, as well. Restaurant Poljana - not much atmosphere, but that's to be expected when they are all state-run.

k
Veal stuffed with ham and cheese, in a mushroom sauce - the veal was tough and a tad dry; by far the best part of the dish was the yummy mushroom sauce, which I had expected to be more of a cream sauce. The fried dumplings were quite tough and gooey inside. The salad of lettuce, tomato, and pickled cabbage was pretty plain, but typical of this part of the world. The Croatian wine was decent, but nothing special.

Comments

[Kristy]

There he is I have been looking for him everywhere!!! He is on the prowl for woman, look at him strutting his stuff!!

[pwong]

Buddy needs to find a hot Balkan pug for himself, because she'll probably have a hot Balkan owner for me!