Prague (Not Pictured)

Okay, so obviously I do have some pictures of Prague.  Lots of pictures of Prague.  I took them on my first layover on my way to Zagreb.  But, thanks to my picture-snapping frenzy in Plitvice Park, my camera died before I left Croatia.  And, since it was a Sunday when I arrived back in the Czech Republic, like most cities in Europe, Prague was mostly dead, and even finding an instant camera proved less than simple.  (So, keep in mind as you look at the following pictures that they have absolutely nothing to do with what I'm writing about.  But they're pretty.)

Having seen the Old Town Square and its much-famed clock on my first layover, I headed for Prague Castle for my second excursion into the city.  The Castle, I hate to say, looked nothing like a castle to me, and I was likely not appropriately impressed.  The church encircled by the castle, however, is breathtaking, and I was sorry that it wasn't open so that I could look inside.  Not having a camera (crime though it was) gave me a chance to look at my surrounding with a different intent than that of getting the perfect picture.  I walked around the whole church, taking special note of the gargoyles.  If you've never had a chance to see them, let me tell you that each of them is unique, detailed, and also truly disturbing.  I know that gargoyles were originally designed not only as water-spouts, but also to keep evil spirits away - I wondered as I looked at them if they ever kept church-goers away, as well! (Below - not the church I'm talking about - actually, two separate churches in the Old Town Square.  The interior in the first picture below matches the exterior of the church at the beginning of the post.)

I sighed as I took in "the best view in Prague" when my camera battery refused to revive for even one more picture, and then I headed to the Charles Bridge.

I bought an overpriced instant camera and started a mad snapping of pictures in the deepening twilight.  I hardly had time to look at any of the elaborate statues on the bridge, but I did have time to pick up two pairs of gorgeous hand-made earrings as I made my way across.  After a desperate and hurried search for the metro, I made it back to the airport in time to indulge in the requisite Prague beer, a Pilsner, and a bowl of goulash in a smoky bar filled with Greeks waiting for the same flight.  So concludes one of the shortest ever trips to Prague.  I have to go back, of course - a layover doesn't count.

P.S.  Prague is the most organized city ever.  They literally will not let you get lost - there are signs everywhere in the tourist district.  Which is great, because otherwise I probably would have missed my flight!

Plitvice National Lakes Park

I managed to rouse myself from bed early enough on Saturday morning to elicit a grumpy response from my roommate at the hostel, but not quite early enough to catch the 7:30 am bus from Zagreb to Plitvice National Lakes Park.  So, bus ticket in hand for the 10:30, I took the morning to visit Dolac Fruit & Vegetable Market and to sit and have a cappuccino.  (I am so thankful that, as an Italian word, "cappuccino" is understood in cafes everywhere.)  There are some fun market pictures, but I will restrain myself - there are too many here already!

Back at the bus station, I boarded the bus at the platform indicated on my ticket.  Just to make sure, I stood at the front of the bus and asked in a loud voice (addressed to no one in particular) "Is this the bus to Plitvice Lakes?"  When this elicited nothing but blank stares, I tried "Does anyone speak English?"  This resulted in a slow nod from one of the guys seated in front.  Satisfied, I took a seat.  Apparently, traveling to foreign countries inspires moments of complete shamelessness impossible to duplicate elsewhere.

The bus ride took two and a half hours, during which I mostly slept, but I opened my eyes as we neared to watch the countryside pass by.  And I hate to admit it, but it really wasn't pretty.  After the hills of Prague and Greece, Croatia was very flat.  But the park made up for any disappointment in the scenery from the bus window.

There was no stopping my camera once we entered the park, as I embraced the philosophy that if you keep taking pictures, you'll eventually get a good one.  And it worked, too.  For a while I walked along with a guy visiting from Lebanon.  He was in Zagreb on business for several weeks, and he made it clear that he was glad to have someone to talk to in a city of which he had become bored. We did the favor of snapping a few pictures of each other, but I had enjoyed the feeling of being alone in the beautiful scenery and eventually let him go on ahead.

Later, faced with the need to ask directions, I met a group of people my age from London and Croatia.  Then I struck up a conversation with a group of American students who were studying abroad in the coastal city of Dubrovnik.  (My reaction when I heard this was the same as the other fellows when I told them: "You can do that?"  If you didn't already know, Dubrovnik is well-known for its beauty as a vacation spot.)  Note on the first picture below: you can't really tell from my expression in this picture, but in another I look decidedly nervous because I just kicked a rock - and I'm waiting to hear it hit waaaay down below.  I may have almost fallen off of a cliff... 

So admire the view! Admire it!

Aside from being afraid I would miss the return bus - it was late - and having to ask the bus driver is we could make a pit stop (at which point I was fully prepared to use interpretive dance if English didn't work) - it was a marvelous day.  And as an added bonus, I now have enough pictures to wallpaper my apartment next year.

Croatian Vacation

So by now everyone's probably wondering if I dropped my camera with its pictures of my trip to Croatia into a ditch, or something.  No, rest assured that nothing has happened to my camera - or to my computer - or to me, as a matter of fact.  I've been feeling really uninspired lately, and as I hate to post pictures without a good story to go with them, there have been no posts about my Croatian vacation.  But here is the story of my trip to Croatia, at long last.

Friday, March 25th was Greek Independence Day, but since Greeks like to take holidays, of course we got both Thursday and Friday off of school.  I had felt a yen to vacation somewhere unusual - somewhere outside of the typical American destinations of France, Italy, etc. - and with a little bit of encouragement from online photos of Croatia's Plitvice Lakes, I booked a flight to the city of Zagreb.  It must have been a moment of insanity because I booked a flight leaving Athens at 4:25... AM.  Therefore, I was quite surprised when I entered the airport to see a bunch of Greeks, all awake and ready to check-in for our flight to Croatia.

After a six-hour layover in Prague (which I'll get to in a later post), I arrived in Zagreb in the afternoon.  Foolishly having forgotten to write down the address for my hostel, I went in search of the tourist center, toting my heavy hiking backpack.  By the time I arrived, I had already considered collapsing on the sidewalk several times.  (My tendency to get lost is even more of an inconvenience when carrying a weight roughly equivalent to an elementary school child on my back.)  The employees in the tourist center were unbelievably helpful - giving me directions, booking a tour guide, and even helping me find a place to buy an alarm clock!

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The architect who built the last incarnation of this
church chose to use sandstone, a terrible choice for
Zagreb's wet and cold winter weather.  My tour
guide told me that it has needed repair from the
moment of completion.

Despite a couple of days of sleeping in, I made excellent time in Zagreb.  I wandered the small city on foot, alone and also with a tour guide.  From my brief time in Prague, Zagreb seemed like a smaller version of the city, perhaps with a touch of Budapest, except that the people in Croatia are friendlier and more approachable.  They didn't seem to possess the typical eastern-European reserve, but it could also have been a result of the weather.  The weather was made-to-order: beautiful and mild, and the Croatians were out in full-force: playing guitar in the square, walking with their children, eating ice cream, and bicycling everywhere.  (I had a couple of narrow escapes with the city's enthusiastic cyclists.)  I even stumbled on a small concert in celebration of Earth Hour on my last night when the time changed for "spring forward."

The street musicians in Zagreb seem to be treated more as an acceptable form
of entertainment than as any sort of nuisance.  This saxophone player was a
great favorite when I was there. 

Me and my tour guide.  Smile!

Bicycle!

There is a famous story about how everything in a section of Zagreb burned
except for this picture of the Virgin Mary.  Now it's in a little chapel of
sorts at the Stone Gate (where people also leave their thanks for answered prayers.)

Of course, knowing me, you realize that I took advantage of a new city to eat... and eat... and eat.  The first night I was so tired that I settled for a piece of pizza from the Surf 'n Fry for dinner.  I don't know if it was simply because I was really hungry or because it was truly fabulous pizza, but that slice of cheese and mushroom was the best I have ever eaten.  The next few days I made up for my slow start with several pieces of strudel, a cream square, daily gelato, french fries, fish stew, sausage, and a bunch of things I'm probably forgetting.

The ice cream my Lonely Planet guidebook recommended at Vincek's.
With the intense flavor of gelato and a light, whipped texture, I loved every
flavor I tried - even if I didn't know what they were, since the flavors were all in Croatian!

From the Surf 'N' Fries - I had to get one of these cardboard cones
because I saw SO many kids walking around eating these!
You get the choice of two dips - mine are ketchup and garlic -
and a cone full of grooved fries with a little pitchfork to eat them with!

My fish stew came in a little kettle.  The only difficulty is that
the fish were not completely de-boned!  I'm so glad the waitress
told me this when I asked how to eat it.  Choking in the restaurant
could have been a rather traumatic experience.

Zagreb is a beautiful and very livable city - my favorite so far.  So enjoy the pictures.  And trust me, the pictures from my day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park are coming.  Since I took almost 200 of them, I felt that they deserved their own blog post.

Umbrellas are considered a symbol of Zagreb.

Not Mary Poppins... actually a famous Croatian authoress.

Spring Fever

A bad case of Spring Fever has taken hold of Athens College, both figuratively and literally.  The weather is beautiful, warm and sunny, and students are busily preparing for the Panigyri this Saturday (the school's version of Spring Fling.)  For weeks, I've seen groups of students practicing dance routines for the celebration, and this week they started selling t-shirts for the event in the Benakeio.  Classes are missed for swimming and debate competitions, rehearsals, and various other events.  Teachers desperately try to hold their students' attention as it is drawn towards the bright outdoors and thoughts of summer, and for the seniors, the ever-closer PanHellenic exams.  Today, school started late and the schedule skips several periods to allow for the Delteia (an athletic competition) to take place, and the weather is cooperating beautifully.  I can hardly blame the students' reaction to the weather, as it seems infinitely more suited to hammocks and day-dreaming than to academic thoughts of any kind.

To top it off, I have a head cold, or possibly an especially vehement protest by my allergies to the blooming trees and flowers.  I'm not the only one sniffling and sneezing, but it makes me want to hide in a hole until this drippy, congested, and rather disgusting version of myself is replaced with my usual persistent good health.  Until then, however, I'll make liberal use of my mom-supplied medicine cabinet.
To Spring, everybody!