Gossamer trails: Zagreb

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious
as autumn sunshine by staying in the house.
So I spend almost all the daylight hours
in the open air.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

(photo by Barbara Bertovic)

The long, hot summer is now long gone, and the autumn, 'the artist's muse', has entered the city through the main gate. I figured it would be about time to share with you a walk through my beloved home town, Zagreb. The laziness that has once again overpowered many of us could be associated with the wonderful gossamer days that serve as a one-way ticket to delightful afternoon strolls through the medieval streets and parks that have enriched both my childhood memories and my present life. You will not encounter photos of the small threads spun by baby spiders, that carry them through the air to their new lives... but perhaps you will breathe in that famous autumn spirit that Zagreb is well known for, both to its citizens and long-time visitors... a flimsiness barely visible... just like gossamer.

one of many medieval stairs and
secret pathways of the Old town
(Kapucinske stube)

(an old photo by a famous photographer
Marija Braut, ''Kapucinske stube'')

Zagreb Upper town still has gas lamps
which have to be lit before the dark

(Berlin is the European city with the most gas lamps — cca 40,000.
London, Dublin, Kraków, Warszaw, Zagreb and a handful of other
cities have retained them or retrofitted their streets as well)

"On such a day each road is planned
To lead to some enchanted land;
Each turning meets expectancy.
The signs I read on every hand.
I know by autumn's wizardry
On such a day the world can be
Only a great glad dream for me--
Only a great glad dream for me!"
- Eleanor Myers Jewett, An Autumn Day

the famous Lotrscak Tower


Zagreb has an interesting way in which it marks the noon hour. Other cities may mark the hours including noon with chimes, tolling bells or melodies, but Zagreb is rather unique in announcing the noon hour with an ear-shattering burst from an artillery cannon placed on top of the very Lotrscak Tower. ( Noonday 'Chime' Video)






the most prominent feature of the
Old town: Cathedral's twin neo-gothic
spires built in 1899

another medieval path

Town's legend: this guy has been doing his
gymnastics all over the Upper town for decades

The town center is surrounded by a"green horseshoe"
of wonderful parks, creating an "intriguing blend"
of busy squares and leafier areas.


from the tourist's point of view

a story of Zagreb

You'll never blog alone !

Apart from being an eternal garden captive, I also, strangely enough, have many more human flaws; one of them is football being the second most important thing in the world, after gardening of course. And the national team is the holy of the holies. Some folks regard it as 'back to wilderness', as football is a primitive game and its supporters primeval. All fine, I'm still proud to be primitive. I managed not to interfere my footie ecstasy with my gardening diary so far, but after being literally heart broken the other night, I can't really share more than tons of despair. Sometimes the better team doesn't win but that's football. And the word 'better' is also often a matter of misinterpretation. Although we have proven to be 'something to talk about' years in the past, our team has always been regarded as a sort of a 'black horse' of any tournament ( lets just say 'underrated' is our middle name) even though we managed to prove everyone wrong (hello Steve McClaren!) Only now after an amazing sequence of wins at Euro 2008, we have once again reestablished our underestimated name. I can't remember the last time the boys looked so harmonious, happy, proud and confident, a team that left Engerlund at home after that memorable match at Wembley. After beating Austria, Germany and Poland, our hopes were rising. And then there was Turkey, the team also underestimated too many times, and once again they've managed to turn it all upside down in the last minutes (seconds) of the game. A coincidence, you'd think. Maybe, maybe not. After goalless 90 minutes, Miss Fortune was obviously looking the wrong way. It wasn't a pretty game to watch either, it went from boring and maddening to shocking and crazy, and after 2 extra times, 1 minute before the end, all of our hard work seemed to be paying off when we finally put the ball in Turkey's net. And then, only 74 seconds later, already in referee's very own 'extra time', when 99 per cent of Croats were still in a winning delirium, Turkey got lucky one more time and the extra time finished a tie and doomed us to an early exit. What a shock that was for everyone. My happiest dreams for years ended with the Turkish goal in the last second. I couldn't imagine any player, never mind the experience and quality, keeping a cool head and still foot after such a shocker. They've signed the 'capitulate' note even before the penalties. After a total mental blackout, our players succumbed to Turkey in the penalties shoot-out which was, to mildly put it, atrocious. What a pity for such a dynamic and talented squad to go out on.

Might have been funny,
but all that's left now is that bitter taste...

Turkey went through to the semis and you know they say 'fortune favors the brave', well they have certainly been brave. And I wish them as much luck in the semi-finals. I don't feel sad for Turkey going through, I'm actually and surprisingly quite glad and can't say the did not deserve it. I feel bad for our 'Bilic boys', and dreams of one golden generation being shattered in such a quick, and brutal way. Sudden death of dreams never to come true. And for the whole nation that will mourn for weeks and years. We are just that sort of loony people. Some like it, some not. After crying the whole evening like a nutjob, I will surely lament for days to come. I'm sure the German manager is grinning, for they couldn't find an antidote for the crazy Croats and they were to face us a gain in the semis had we not lost. They were the favorites going into competition, but their loss to Croatia relegated them in many eyes. They went on to prove that they were actually a contender by dispatching the talented Portuguese side. I'm afraid they're about to experience that the Turks are just as crazy and fanatic, and as funny as it may seem, every now and then, a Cinderella story does come true.

It's silly, almost childish, to think that every so often, at a certain moment in time, all of your life's happiness will turn around a goddamn 'footBALL'. Or any other sport you might fancy. What I can't understand is all those people moaning about lousy referees, shitty managers and silly players...just days after they have sworn their hearts to the best manager and best team on the planet, just days after they have glued all those utterly annoying country flags to their cars and then timidly removed them as soon as it got dark outside. Life is a game, so is football, some you win, some you lose. Elimination doesn't always happen to someone else. At least our boys left having nothing to regret (but fate), quality, pride, bravery, teamwork, fair play, they've done it all but it wasn't meant to be. So I give all my thanks to all of them, for we have not gone through all those qualifications with them in vain, we have not waited for another exciting summer in vain, for another quality show, all those highly exciting footie moments, it was all worth it and I'm as proud as if though they have gone all the way. I'm proud of Luka Modric, perhaps one of the best players we've ever had, although he's only to become that, a young, wirey little lad, with the brains of a genious, and the skills that leave no room for indifference. Same goes for all the rest. And finally hope that our best striker, Eduardo, will be back for the World Cup qualifiers, after he has had his leg brutally and recklessly broken in the English Premiership (shame on you Martin Taylor!) which has left him to master the art of popcorns while watching Euro'08 in front of a TV.


So for all of you, my dear garden bloggers, raising an eyebrow and wondering if I have totally lost it, ranting about ' fussball' 'n all that bore, well, yes, I've lost it, and the weather is not helpful either, it's way too hot to garden, way too hot to open the window and turn off AC, way too hot to do any sort of mentally productive activity, thus the fiddle-de-dee was the only option to minimize the lack of my garden posts. Hopefully you'll find it in your hearts to pardon me.


(photos by: CROPIX, 24sata, Jutarnji)



... and as far as the fans go....who else sings their national anthem in such harmony?

Deja vu: Botanical garden

I spent both yesterday's afternoon and today's morning in the Botanical garden ( I did go home for a sleep lol). Although I never miss to visit this oasis of natural beauty whenever in the neighborhood, this time it was for their spring seedlings sale. Yesterday I came too late and today - well I failed to see the notice (in a large font!) that the sale is open only Mon-Fri 11-14. Bugger! We had a bit of an early morning thunderstorm with strong winds but after the clouds have cleared the weather was just amazing, as always after the rain. And what better place to find oneself than in a Botanical garden, with your camera (and low battery! drat) Even though I've only been there yesterday, it was like opening a new treasure chest all over again. And it seems I'll be there Monday. I've scanned through the plants they have for sale and seen quite a few extraordinary wonders that caused excessive salivation ;-)

this Sophora tree continues to mesmerize me...
(SOPHORA JAPONICA 'PENDULA' )















link to the Botanical garden Arboretum

Travelogue: Kefalonia - a taste of untamed Greece

I have drifted away from the gardening themes. Only for a while though. Apart from the general lethargy the weather has inflicted upon me, I didn't really get the chance to do some gardening without needing an umbrella one minute and a snow shovel the next. And now its raining again. I used to love rain, I loved the exquisite scent in the air just before the storm (not the one from the sewer obviously), and I never thought I'd be so susceptible to weather changes. Nag, nag, nag...

Island of Lopud, Croatia

To make up for all this nagging and to cheer up both myself and anyone else in need I'm going to tell you a 'short' story about a place I still consider a hidden peace of heaven. I do come from a small country that has been generously graced by an astounding amount of natural beauty, a breathtaking coast and the crystal-clear Adriatic sea. 1185 islands, islets and reefs and each has a different story to tell. We don't exaggerate (not that much) when we say that nowhere else will you find a sea as clean as the Croatian Adriatic and that Croatia is ecologically one of the best preserved European countries. You don't need more than that to get all proud & patriotic every now and then. But then there's this place that feels just like home and leaves you in awe of all the untamed beauty and one of nature's very best attempts to make another masterpiece. So welcome to Kefalonia, an extraordinary island that has made me an eternal captive. The sea is as turquoise as on the brochure, the food as tasty as the mouth-watering descriptions, the dramatic scenery takes your breath away, and as for the locals go, they make this Greek island such an unforgettable place.

the world famous Myrtos beach, Kefalonia

Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian islands and the sixth largest of all the Greek islands. Nevertheless, although earning some prestige as setting for the film based on the wonderful book by L. de Bernieres ''Cpt Corelli's Mandolin'', Kefalonia is still mostly untouched by the evil tentacles of mass tourism I think of it as a paradise lost and found, which has had and still has a true greek spirit in its purest form. No view from the balcony of a 5* hotel could ever make you feel as blessed as a dusty old dirt-track somewhere on the kefalonian west coast, a piece of rock to climb on and a breathtaking view of the deep, blue Ionian sea in all its might, followed by a distant tinkle of a goat bell somewhere among the countless olive groves. Truly a taste of untamed Greece. You can't but be mesmerized by its sparkling creeks, beaches and scenery dotted with century-old olive trees, cypress forests and forgotten villages. In lord Byron's footsteps (who wrote his Don Juan here during the Greek War of Independence), you are tempted to discover Kefalonia's mysterious geological phenomena - its caves, its underground streams and lakes, and its stark rocky landscape.

It was not my intention to sound like a brochure, but reading back I can see I'm on my best way to get there. So I'll just do what was initially my wish - to share some views of Kefalonia through a glimpse of a gardener and most of all, nature lover. If, on the other hand, you wish to find out more tricks and trinkets about this amazing place, feel free to visit my Kef website as I have (appropriately ;-) placed it among my favourite links.

... one of many forest paths...

Sissia - one of Kef's secret beaches, adorned with lush greenery and oleanders

Fiskardo - a village in bloom

Bougainvilleas galore



Sission ruins- a monastery founded by St Francis of Assisi;
up there in the background is MtAinos, home to dark forests
of a unique Greek fir (Abies cephalonica), an endemic specie


Kourkumelata - the prettiest village,
with the prettiest gardens

Visions of Kefalonia

... more to come !