Zagreb is very different from Rijeka. Among other things, it's much larger, it's flat, and it's not on the Adriatic. As I've mentioned before, Rijeka is a lot like San Francisco in its hilliness, and walking around the city usually is a workout! Everything in Zagreb is on a larger scale; the streets are wider, there's more of that grand Austro-Hungarian architecture, there's a lot more shopping, restaurants, and cafés (I didn't think it was possible to have more cafés--there are probably five within a block or so of our apartment in Rijeka!), and there are many tourists. After being in Zagreb, I have realized that in Rijeka, I haven't really seen many tourists (or at least I don't think I have). For example, when we're out and about, we don't hear English at all--unless we're speaking it. Once summer comes though, I suspect we'll see a lot of British, German, Austrian, and Italian tourists in Rijeka.
I hung out at the Cathedral of Zagreb for quite awhile. It was originally built in the 1200s, but much of it was restored in the late nineteenth century following an earthquake which seriously damaged it.
Just a few hours after I arrived in Zagreb, I got a call from Ivan, the brother of my good friend and (back in NY state) neighbor Boris. Ivan met up with me and took me on a fantastic guided walking tour of his hometown, complete with great conversation about both Croatia and the U.S., interesting history, and special doughnuts for Mardi Gras (we were wandering around on Ash Wednesday). Here are a few places we visited:
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| Swiss Embassy |
I especially liked this building, pictured in the photo to the left and the two below. Ivan explained that the Croatian proverb shown here means: "Grain by grain, bread. Stone by stone, palace." As my dear friends Lexi, Michelle, and I discuss on a regular basis, that sentiment applies to most everything in life. I'm happy to know the Croatian version of this!
After our walking tour, Ivan and I did the Croatian thing and went for coffee where Ivan and Boris's father, Drago, joined us. That was lovely! Drago then took me on a driving tour of Zagreb. I cannot thank Ivan and Drago enough for their hospitality and for introducing me to their beautiful city.
At my Fulbright orientation on Thursday morning, I got a lot of useful information and met a variety of Americans and Croatians who work for the U.S. Embassy. I enjoyed learning about the lives and many international moves of the people working for the foreign service. I also liked connecting again with the two Fulbrighters who were at the orientation with me; one is a sociology professor at Brown Univ., and the other (a Fulbright "veteran" there to share her experiences) is a doctoral student in political geography at the Univ. of Illinois. (We all met for the first time over the summer in Washington, DC at the stateside Fulbright orientation.) I learned from them as well.
While I was in Zagreb, I found out that my Mom had gone into the ER following complications from a routine medical procedure she had had several days beforehand. She's still recovering but back at home and getting much better. My sister kept me updated by e-mail (thank you, Kathryn!), but I felt so far away and helpless. (I can only imagine how helpless my Dad must have felt. He had flown to Los Angeles to give a lecture, landed at the airport, received a call about what had happened to my Mom, and turned right around and flew back to the east coast to be with her.) I realize that had I been in Rijeka--or even in my hometown in the States (which is 7 1/2 hours by car from my parents' house)--there is nothing I could have done. But somehow being in Zagreb, removed from any of my homes, made me feel even further away. Ja volim te, Mom.
Laura
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