Zagreb

Sunday, June 1

The cathedral and Kaptol Square were much quieter this morning than they had been last night as the procession to return the Lady of the Stone Gate to her home.  We had a daylight peek into the church and a walk around the surrounding cathedral close before heading across the square and through a short passageway to the Dolac Market.  

Today, the market square was full of stalls overflowing with beautiful fruit and vegetables, all shaded by the traditional red umbrellas with striped trim that are one of the symbols of the city.  Also seen in abundance in the market and throughout Zagreb are the glossy red hearts (licitars) decorated with white writing and trim, also emblematic of the city. 

 Once edible gifts for special someones, now they're pretty much all plastic souvenirs.  We also visited the fish market, housed in its own hall, and the market's lower level, where the butchers, bakers, pasta makers, and dairymen offer their products.  It's probably hard to beat the burek, a meat-filled, phyllo-wrapped delight as a mid-morning snack, which we enjoyed as we wandered the outer reaches of the market, through bedding plants, leather goods, and clothing stalls.  

Passing through the Stone Gate, we verified that the painting had been safely returned to its place in the shrine, surrounded by the ex-voto plaques offering thanks for answered prayers, and candles whose wax is gathered and reused -- the local version of eternal flames, or religious recycling, I suppose!

In Gradec's Upper Town, we stopped in St. Mark's Church, with its coat-of-arms tiled roof, golden vaulted ceiling, and powerful organ playing in full force.  A couple of blocks away, we reached St. Catherine's Church in time for 11:00 Mass. 

 Originally a Jesuit church, it bears all the hallmarks of that lineage -- baroque decoration (pink and white!!), tromp l'oeil painting, etc.  There was one element we've never encountered elsewhere, though: under each pew was a radiator!   While the Mass is the same the world over, when it came to the homily, we have no idea whether it was a brilliant biblical exegesis, an appeal for financial support, or a World Cup update.  Relieved of any need (or ability) to pay attention, we spent that time praying for you, dear reader!

All morning long, bells rang out from the many churches throughout the city.  86% of Croatians are Catholic, and 90% of the population are Croatians, but now we're getting into the religious and ethnic divides which we've given up trying to grasp.

After a stop at the  terrace (and beer garden!) behind the church for a view across to the cathedral atop Kaptol, we returned to the market for more burek, which we had for lunch back in our apartment.  It's going to be hard to get back to lowfat yogurt and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

One of Zagreb's most popular attractions is a cemetery, and it was our first destination this afternoon.  Mirogoj is green, leafy, and touted as an open air art gallery.  Many of Croatia's greats -- statesmen, artists, scientists, composers, musicians, sports stars, actors, and heroes -- are buried there, and many of their monuments are the works of great sculptors.  The cemetery itself is encircled by beautiful domed arcades reminiscent of the porticoes of Bologna; they are truly lovely.  In this serene place, even the adjacent morgue looks like a summer palace!

This afternoon, we drove about an hour east of the city to Varazdin, a notable example of a Baroque city.  For a short time in the 18th century, it was Croatia's capital and many aristocratic families built beautiful homes there.  It was very quiet this Sunday afternoon, but we enjoyed walking through the cobblestoned pedestrianized center of the town, and then on the grassy ramparts surrounding the stoutly-built 12th century castle.

We've very much enjoyed our visit to Zagreb.  It's a beautiful city, small enough to feel familiar and manageable, blessed with a gracious old town, and dotted with many lush and lovely green spaces -- and LOTS of red hearts!