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Published: April 5th 2006
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The Main Square
In Melbourne you meet friends under the clocks at Flinders St. Station...in Zagreb you meet at the horse. I have arrived safely in Croatia (about a month ago now…I have been quite lazy updating) …though getting here was a bit tougher than I had imagined. First of all getting out of India was a NIGHTMARE! My flight was scheduled to leave at like 2:30 in the morning, and I had been told to allow plenty of time to get through security, so I figure 2 1/2 to 3 hours would be plenty. Anyway I left about 3 1/2 hours before my flight was scheduled to depart, and of course the hotel car breaks down not even a quarter of the way to the airport. So after they send a new car to come and get me, I arrive at the airport and notice there is a big crowd in front of the terminal. I thought at first maybe there had been a security scare or something but turns out that was procedure. They actually screen your baggage before you check in instead of after so everybody boarding an international flight that night was waiting in line to be screened. Because of the number of people they only allowed a set amount of people in the terminal at a time…so
British Square
The view from my window, Mount Medvednica is in the background. The square is filled with vegetable/fruit sellers during the week and an antique fair on the weekend. basically you had to wait in a “line” outside to wait in line inside to be screened. I waited outside for at least 45 minutes…attaching myself to a British couple so we could push through the “line” together. Once inside I waited another 30 to 45 minutes to have all my baggage screened…after that you had to pick up your luggage and then check in. After waiting another 15 minutes…I was finally checked in…but still had to go through immigration and customs. By the time I got through immigration and then went through another round of security for my carry-on and myself, I had to run to make my plane…boarding with about 10 minutes to spare. Needless to say I was relieved, as the thought of spending the night in an airport was not very appealing.
After leaving Delhi, I flew to Vienna where I changed planes for Zagreb. When I left Delhi it was in the 30s (in the 90s F) when I got to Vienna there a light blanket of snow on the ground…when we reached Zagreb it was a heavy blanket of snow and it was still coming down! The first week in Zagreb, it snowed
Cityscape
A look at the Zagreb skyline both old and new from the upper city. half the time…thankfully now it is warming up into a beautiful spring.
Other than the weather, Zagreb is a beautiful city. Very old (certain parts of the city are about 1,000 years old, the newer parts are from the 18th-19th century) and also very charming. It definitely has the European look, with the small narrow cobblestone streets, beautiful old buildings and squares hidden all over the place. I am living in a great location…about a 5-minute walk from the main city square. Zagreb is a very compact city, that is pretty easy to navigate, and has a very good tram system as well.
Not to generalize but I find the people to be quite friendly, fashionable, fun and curious.
Like I said both the men and the women are very fashionable, they always dress up. I think there are more shoe stores here per capita than anywhere else, and window-shopping is a sport. Saturday morning everybody goes to the main square to have coffee, show off their new boots and “be seen”. Croatia also has a big “coffee culture”, the cafes are a central meeting place, and they are busy all day with people drinking coffee, chatting, and
King Tomislav
A monument for the first Croatian King, located infront of the train station. smoking. (Croatia is the tobacco lobby’s dream. I have only met 2 people here who don’t smoke) There is only one café where you can get take-away coffee in a to- go cup. I like it though…people here really enjoy life.
The language barrier is a bit weird, some things are easier than I thought they would be and some things are harder. I am picking up words though, and watching television is definitely helping. I watch The Simpsons, and Oprah in English but try to read the Croatian Subtitles, and I have also started watching this Croatian Soap, because I figure all Soaps have the same plotline anyway. Most people here, especially the younger crowd speaks some English, and a lot of them speak excellent English. It is funny, because often times I go into a store and say something in Croatian and they will automatically respond in English. Guess that doesn’t say much about my Croatian.
My internship is quite interesting, it is mainly concerning human trafficking. I went down to Knin a couple of weeks ago. We went down there to meet with an organization about starting a trafficking prevention program. Knin is not that
Anothe pic of the king
Tomislav is a very popular name...everything from people to squares to beer is named after him. far from the Bosnian border, about 3 hours south of Zagreb and was one of the focal points for the Serbian rebellion during the war in Croatia. The area around the town is absolutely beautiful, it’s in the mountains and when we went of course it was snowing. My internship supervisor’s husband went with us and as he is a historian, he showed me around and answered all my questions. Before the war, Knin was populated mainly by Serbians, afterwards many of the original population fled, so Croats are now the ethnic majority, though some Serbs are starting to move back. I noticed many abandoned houses in the area, a remaining sign of the war. Fortunately Knin didn’t suffer that much damage during the war as it fell very quickly at the end of the fighting, and the damage that did take place was rebuilt rather soon after.
I am looking forward to Easter, my friend Kennedy is flying in from the States and we will be heading to Venice. I can’t wait to experience Italy. I am also going to try to travel to Sarajevo before to long. I have been told it is a beautiful city, though
St. Mark's Church
Orginally built in the 13th century, the church is famous because of its roof. The coat of arms featured are Croatia's on the left and the city of Zagreb's on the right. still recovering. Okay this is a bit long now...until next time. Do videnja (Goodbye)
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JOHN HENRY
non-member comment
WHERE ARE YOU
girl dont you ever stay in one place,looks like you are haveing a great time,,better enjoy it while you can ,,we all miss you a bunch