Zagreb Series - Perhaps One Last Look

This is perhaps my last blog on Zagreb - a beautiful city with delightful people whom I have come to regard as more than just colleagues.

Zagreb, May 2013

Every morning at 06:30 when I draw the curtains, I see this from the bedroom window. It's spring and the morning sun casts a warm glow to the skyline, telling me that another long day lies ahead. The Cibona Tower - the glittering cylindrical building that towers the city, is one of the tallest buildings in Zagreb, standing 92 m high. It has become a landmark that I come to recognise wherever I travel within Zagreb.

HOTO Tower (left) and Cibona Tower (right)

Another landmark that I used to visit once a week is the HOTO Tower, or the T-Com Tower. It stands 64.5 m tall. Someone once said to me, if we refuse to look at things which are less than light, bright and breezy, we never develop any depth of understanding. This is the place to hone that depth of understanding. This is the place of happening.

Makismir Park, Zagreb - Free food for 50,000

On May 1st, tens of thousands of people flocked to Maksimir Park to relax, listen to some music and share in some free food - the bean fest. The hotel receptionist said, there would be 50,000 portions of the beans, so hurry there! 

At the entrance, the equivalent of UKIP (UK Independence Party) had a stand and it was an interesting exchange with the three women manning the stand. Their candidate, Marko Francišković who is nominated for the Zagreb City Assembly and a mayor candidate, apparently fought against the Serbs during the Croatian War of Independence 1991 - 1995. And it was during this exchange that I learned of this war when Croatia aimed to leave Yugoslavia as a sovereign country, while the Serbs, supported by Serbia, opposed the secession and wanted Croatia to remain a part of Yugoslavia. The Serbs effectively sought a new Serb state with new boundaries in areas of Croatia with a Serb majority and attempted to conquer as much of Croatia as possible. It does not come as a surprise that the Croatian people spoke with much patriotism against their neighbours, the Serbs.

The Beans at Makismir Park, Zagreb

The beans, it turned out, were more than just beans. There were sausages as well and one portion was enough to feed a family (of Japanese). Bread was also handed out with the beans, and thousands of people enjoyed the free food at the temporary benches erected in the park. I was amazed at how well behaved the locals were - no pushing, no shoving, just waiting quietly in the queue for their turn to receive a tray of the beans. I felt bad not able to finish the food, but at least I could claim to have tried these "special" beans.

Fast Food, local style, Makismir Park, Zagreb

At the entrance to Makismir Park, a fast food stall was selling deep fried dough with deep fried sausages. They looked enticingly fattening. Just look at the women who was doing the frying! I looked at the cholesterol busting food and recalled a similar type of flat bread served at the Christmas market at Vienna. Maybe next time I should be brave enough to throw caution to the wind and sample such foods.

Croatian folk music, Maksimir Park, Zagreb

Entertainment on the day was provided by musicians and dancers. This 6-men band, adorn in white shirts, red cummerbund and black trousers, sang their heart out. When I was visiting Trogir in Dalmatia, I noticed that the singers also wore the same attire of white, red and black, a really handsome outfit.

Lake Jaru, Zagreb

We went to Lake Jaru obstensibly to listen to the concerts there. But the heat was fierce and a more civilised way of enjoying the lake was to sit under the shade and dispel the heat with some cool drinks. It was here that I observed the universal phenomenon that obsesses the young generation: their love affair with their smart phone. 

Samobor, Croatia

We came here, to King Tomislav Square, Samobor, to sample their famous vanilla slice, the Kremšnita. Basically it's fluffy custard cream between two slices of crispy puff pastry, sprinkled with caster sugar. The English version, the custard slice, is in comparison, too stodgy and heavy. This one is a dessert to die for.

The unforgettable Kremšnita at Samobor. Yum, yum.

Band playing Croatian music

On the rare occasion that I ventured out with my colleagues, I had the pleasure of listening to this band. I observed that women were talking with women, men with men, and a lot of them looked exceedingly bored. The dinner was Bosnian food - meat and more meat.