Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Kuća Stara



(old house)  Marina took me for a walk in her neighborhood today and showed me a kindergarten that she attended in playgroups when she was little.  It was fun to see the little kids paying games and running around.



Then she showed me and amazing piece of property where the owner has chosen to leave the original farm buildings on it.



There was a main house and a well, a chicken coop, a barn, and a small house that might have been to store and prepare food, since it had an old brick oven outside it.



Wow, talk about history.  I was so shocked and in awe that it hadn't been ripped down and developed.  It even still had he curtains left at the windows, inside.  The whole thing was made of wood, with a stone foundation.  I only wish that we could have gone onto the property and looked around the outside of the buildings and I could have gotten more pictures.




Later on when we were downtown running errands Marina ran into her best friend from when she was younger.  Tomaslav (Tom) and his wife, Martina, and their little girl Carla were so awesome.  He said he felt honored that I told him that Croatia reminded me of France.  They were so gracious and generous.  Tom asked me where I had been so far, and  they decided to take me to the old part of the city, uptown.  It was wonderful.  Unfortunately because it was at night I was unable to really take pictures.  It was so cool.  Marina told me that they don't really allow many cars up there just mostly for those hat live there and maybe the press.  They showed me the parliament building, St. Mark's Church (where Marina's parents were married),


St. Catherine's church, and the oldest apothecary/pharmacy in Zagreb (founded in 1355AD per the guide book).  There were gas lamps every where and they told me how it had been the job of one man to light all of the lamps.  One of the most special places they showed me was the Stone Gate, one of the last remaining gates of the city and the gateway one uses to enter the upper town.


Inside is located a small chapel with pews on one side of the "street" and on the other a shrine to the Virgin Mary.  Inside it has a painting of Mary and the baby Christ (in the more iconic eastern orthodox style) that was miraculously saved from a terrible fire. There were bricks all around with inscriptions of thanks, for protection and help.  I am not catholic and therefore personally don't believe in the Virgin Mary as a deity, but  I do hold a special place in my heart for her as a pure and righteous woman, one to whom I can look up to as an example of endurance and strength.

Marina's friends then took us for a dessert at Vincek.  I somehow ended up with two slices of different kinds of fruit cake (I think Marina bought one to try too).  I hope that I can go back to see those things during the day time and take some photos.   Keep your fingers crossed.

~ Fraise

PS:  Check out the latest piece I posted on my art blog entitled "jaboka" and tell me what you think!


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