Advertisement
Published: August 18th 2009
U2 spectacle
The night was magical as Croatia celebrated their freedom with Bono and mates.Our spontaneous decision to head into Zagreb was fueled by the chance to experience U2 in this unique setting as well as an interest of seeing more of this incredible country that really is catching us a bit by surprise. We had thought most of our enjoyment would be along the coast but this venture inland has been wonderful. The country (or at least the city of Zagreb) has truly been captured by the U2 visit. The whole city is buzzing and accommodation is non-existent. The two concerts back to back meant that on the 9th and 10th there was not a room to be had. People were coming from all over Europe for this spectacle. A flurried set of emails sent out (http://www.travel-library.com/ ) (good site) and we ended up securing 2 nights in a lovely apartment in an old building 4 blocks from everything we wanted to see in the old town of Zagreb (what an answer to prayer). The retired pilot who rented to us was just as excited as we were about our visit (google Horvat apartment Zagreb). Svronka showed us how to make our way on the trams to the concert and gave us the names
Sobering lesson
We survey the group of artifacts from the war and are reminded of how fortunate we are to live where we do. of great restaurants in the area. This turned out to make our stay in Zagreb truly special.
Leaving Plitvice, we encountered small town after small town as we navigated the back roads through the Croatian hillsides. Plitvice was actually where the Patriotic War (also called Homeland War) started, March 31st, 1991 when rebel Serbs from the Krajina region took over the park headquarters. A murdered police officer, Josip Jovic became the first casualty of the ruthless war on that Easter Sunday. In April, a nearby Croat village was "ethnically cleansed", that is the Croat population was evicted or killed. Rebel Serbs held this position until the Croatian Army retook the park in August 1995. Castles from Medieval times also dot the landscape giving a vivid reminder of the age old struggle that these people have had for their own independence (ie. Romans, Venetians, Austro-Hungarian, Napoleon, Serbian, etc.). Our travel guide noted that the most recent conflict is not something that one should actively pursue in conversation. Sagely advice was given that you should not use this as a way to bring history to life for your traveling teenagers (that had been on our mind). Unless it is brought up
Evening in Zagreb
The main square, Trg bana Jelacica, comes alive at night. by a local, it is best left unspoken. Evidence however was being collected by a group not wanting to forget the past and displayed on a corner in Karlovac as we neared Zagreb. It was a vivid reminder of the reality that was lived here only 17 years ago.
Upon arriving in Zagreb, we were immediately absorbed by the European magic that is Zagreb (at least the part where we spent our time). Three pm on a Monday afternoon saw a plethora of cafes completely filled with Zagrebians doing what it looks like they do very well; sitting and having coffee. We stumbled upon a large Plaka with endless sun umbrellas enveloping the patrons extending as far as the eye could see. Two blocks in either direction, coffee, cappuccinos and other beverages were being sipped between cigarettes. The hum of constant conversation is almost hypnotic. We were not sure if this was a pre-concert phenomenon but soon made the conclusion that this was a norm as it was repeated over the course of our stay.
Walking along the streets, one is also taken by the way Croatians (and probably most of Europe) use their building space to maximum
Scenes from the cross
As seen inside the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. efficiency. What looks like barely a door (with relatively little advertising) on the outside opens up into a large store with modern merchandise within. Small openings able to fit a car with inches to spare on either side and open up into a courtyard where 8 or 10 cars are parked with residents’ vehicles. Do you know how you can watch water flow in a river or waves break on the ocean? Well, we could sit and watch the trams, vehicles, bikes and pedestrians weave their magic on the streets of Zagreb all afternoon (while sipping coffee of course). It was truly captivating.
We enjoyed the usual sites of the area including the Stone Gate, the Funicular, the markets and the impressive Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (long letterhead for that name!!). The highlight of our stay in Zagreb however, was not the historical sites, but the experience of joining 80,000 of our closest friends for the U2 extravaganza at the open air Maksimir stadium.
Bono and the band are known for their support of various causes through the years. On this tour, he is focusing his attention to the plight of Aung San
Connor's having fun
The Connor's and 80,000 of their closest friends waiting for U2. Suu Kyi, the Burmese leader who has been held in captivity for the last 20 years (read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi for her story, it is extremely courageous and moving). He also related to the Croatian crowd a number of times by reflecting on the price of freedom that has been paid in this corner of the earth. As the band sang "Sunday Bloody Sunday" followed by "Beautiful Day", the whole crowd was drawn into a patriotic frenzy and we were swept along in the emotion (it was one of those tingles down your arms moments). You had the sense that many of these people knew depth of the gift of freedom and its requirements from personal experience. U2 puts on a great show and they did not disappoint. Many in the crowd had individually brought green, white and orange balloons and these balloons spent much of the concert being bounced around. There was a very festive atmosphere throughout with U2 playing a full 2 hours (Snow Patrol, a band we had not heard of (due to our obvious age issue) was an excellent opening act).
As our time in Zagreb quickly wound up, we were brought face to face again with
Zagreb transit
The trams are living reptiles that snake their way throughout the city. the most difficult part of our trip (finding accommodation). We ventured into a travel agency with the sole purpose of tying to find a place anywhere on the coast within 2-4 hours of Pula (our point of departure from Croatia in 4 days). The agent was as helpful as she could be but all accommodation required a minimum of 5-7 days. She did tell us that the previous year, she had gone down to a small island off the coast called Losinj and although she couldn’t track down accommodation for us, she thought we might have a good chance just showing up. Upon her recommendation, we sent out another flurry of emails that night and we had one bite so off to Veli Losinj we would go.
In keeping with our wonderful fortune so far, we ended up spending 4 hours navigating our way by ferry and windy roads to this idyllic retreat off the Croatian Coast. In order to get there we had to cross a toll bridge onto Krk Island, drive the length of Krk and then take a ferry to Cres. Driving the full length of Cres (68km), you then had to cross another small bridge
Veli Losinj harbour
From every angle, it is just captivating. to Losinj(pronounced Losheen) and then make our way down the part of the 31 km long island. We met Sandro from Palm Travel agency (http://losinj.com/ ) who was our blessing in securing accommodation. As is the case in many places throughout Croatia, private accommodation abounds and it is just making the connection that can be difficult. We were immediately taken by the Rukonic’s home and their warm welcome. This turned out to be the perfect place to spend our last 3 nights on the coast. Verica Rukonic went out of her way to make us feel comfortable and even brought us the most delicious crepes and jam when she heard about our vehicle mishap (a large branch fell from tree one night in the out of town parking place smashing the passenger side mirror and denting the car in 3 places). This type of generosity is something that makes traveling very special. Despite the big language barriers, you feel like you are at home.
Our stay on Veli Losinj took on much the same flavour as Hvar with time spent in the harbour sipping coffee in the morning, playing in the water at one of the nearby beaches (including
Suncana Uvala
Beautiful beach for relaxing. our own private place we found off the side of the road) and walking and exploring the nearby town of Mali Losinj.
Note: Croatian language lesson: Mali = small, Veli = Big. Mali Losinj is nearly 4 times bigger than Veli Losinj. Just some local irony
The kids even went for a magic carpet ride one afternoon (being pulled behind a speed boat on a pancake like tube). We have thoroughly enjoyed Croatia but are now feeling ready to take on the last bit of adventure for this holiday as we do our whirlwind finish in Venice. So we are off to Pula tomorrow to turn in our car (trepidation to see how that works out), find accommodation (can’t get ANYTHING for one night and are a bit anxious), and then leave the next day for Venice. Ahhh, the troops are excited!!!!
Kids Corner:
Sydney referring to the local cuisine: Why do they roast pigs and lambs with their heads still on and their teeth in? Do we have to eat here? I can't look at him. I am considering becoming a vegetarian.
Matthew: The U2 concert was amazing but it is hard to rock
Veli Losinj
Quaint harbour of this beautiful town as the sun goes down. out with your parents next to you! Gimme a break. Hey, is there internet at the next hotel? By the way Sydney, I am thinking of becoming a lasanga-tarian.
Courtney about U2: They sure are old but they are rocking it out like they are still 20. WOW!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.054s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0292s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Donna
non-member comment
WOW!! U2in croatia
Thanks for sharing your holiday with me. IF I can't be there in person..then this is the next best thing. When I read your last blog I coulnd't believe that you were able to get tickets for U2 in Croatia. I'm going to U2 at GM place in October. Wow! what a thrill to be at that concert in Zagreb. Keep up the awesome blog. (no pressure). But I really do look forward to every adventure.