Hotel Dubrovnik
Sunny and hot
After three weeks island hopping the Greek islands including a week’s hiking in Crete we have joined a small group tour (Bunnik) for the remainder of our holidays.
True to form, we appreciate the knowledge of the local guides provided by the tour group as we know so very little about this country.
The hour walking tour of Zagreb was fascinating and we were given many tips to follow up on for our afternoon of leisure.
Our first morning...starting to know names!
Ivana, our guide took us through the history of the main square, the coat of arms, flag and national colours. We negotiated the tram lines to follow the cobbled road up to the Old Town through the famous Stone Gate.
The Stone Gate,13th century entrance to the Old Town, originally had five entrances.
The much revered Our Lady of the Stone Gate sits just inside and is removed once a year to be paraded to the cathedral on May 31. A major fire in 1731 destroyed much of the town however miraculously this icon was spared and now sits behind iron gates which luckily were open as we went passed.
Saint Mark’s square included the Church of St Mark’s, the Houses of Government, and the Houses of Parliament. The striking nineteenth century tiled roof of St Mark’s displays the coat of arms of Croatia on the left and the Emblem of Zagreb on the right. The church dates back to the thirteenth century however it has had several rebirths including the 19th century tiled roof.
A lovely sunny day shows off the magnificent roof.
The Lotrscak Tower in the Old Town fires a canon at midday every day. Views over the city can be seen from this area. Originally built in the 13th century to guard the southern gate it now is famed for assisting the Zagreb citizens to adjust their watches to the correct time.
The Zagreb Cathedral (Assumption of the Virgin Mary) on Kaptol has a long history however it has been rebuilt since a major earthquake in the 19th century. Much has been preserved within a Neo-Gothic style with ongoing restoration. The interior is dark and contains the remains of Cardinal Stepinac whose sarcophagus is constructed of glass for perpetual viewing of his remains.
Cardinal Stepinac was declared a martyr by and beatified in 1998 by Pope John Paul II.
Two magnificent chandeliers hang high above however their history is quite amusing. They once hung in a casino in Las Vegas and when they were no longer needed they were gifted to the cathedral.
After being left to our own devices we wandered to the recommended patisserie to try the local delicacies and retrace some of our steps to explore the Naive Museum.
Well....a lot more walking is in order!
The Naive Museum contains many splendid works of the reverse glass technique used by peasant artists from the 1930’s.. The work is detailed and colourful and depicts everyday life not unlike the works of Pieter Brueghel.
Cows Hauling Wood by Ivan VEecenaj
This one amused me...titled: My Neighbour, Cross-Eyed Steve.
A group meal and welcome dinner of local cuisine was held at a local restaurant and we are all gradually learning each other’s names. A great start to the tour.
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