Sanja Martic

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)

The area that we are passing through today is a birthplace of a famous Croatian scientists Nikola Tesla who lived and worked in the US for most of his life. He was born in a small village of Smiljan that we are zooming by on our way to meet our host in Gospic. His name and work is inspiration for Tesla Motors. The house that he was born in is turned into a museum and a memorial.

I am not too happy about not stopping at the memorial. This is a missed opportunity as Tesla is my hero, so I will leave some links here as a way of paying respect to this great mind and an inspirational personality.

More info: http://nikolatesla.hr/

http://www.mcnikolatesla.hr/izumi-nikole-tesle/ (original patents filed with the United States Patent Office)

A quick rest stop in Rastoke with great views, but one must be on a look out for poisonous snakes (collected here for the antivenom production).

          

 

 

As the sun sets we are leaving Continental Croatia behind. In order to get to the Adriatic Sea, we have one last obstacle to face, the mighty Velebit mountain range (5700 ft. at its highest peak). Desolate and beautiful it was finally conquered some 15 years ago, when Croatian Highway A1 was built, and a 3-mile-long tunnel was drilled through its heart allowing passage to all regardless of the weather or the season.

We are ignoring the highway and crossing Velebit the old fashioned way, across the saddle using the scenic route first built in 1850s during rule of the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I. Dramatic route slithers like a serpent up the south side of the mountain that is completely barren, with only its limestone insides exposed. It connects the crystal blue sea to the green forests and pastures, where we came from.  Some of the best examples of karst topography can be seen here.

Rugged and desolate, Velebit mountain range is a Nature Park with two National Parks within its range, safeguarding many species of diverse plant and animal life. Park is a very popular hiking ground for numerous international and domestic tourists, but we will not have time to explore it. We take a brake at the saddle and try to take in all of the grandeur that Velebit is commanding on us. I try to take away with me its stillness and permanence that at times I miss so much.

As we take pictures, excitement over the view quiets down, conversation becomes obsolete, sun disappears and we are slowly wrapped in a blanket of dusk. Quietness and the coolness of the night surround us as we look at the Island of Rab, our last destination. I can now tangibly foresee the end of our journey and a wave of sadness washes over me.

More about National Park Sjeverni Velebit: http://www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr/

More about National Park Paklenica:  http://www.np-paklenica.hr/en/

Varazdin is a small town not far from Hungarian border, and about two hours drive north of Zagreb (The “two hours drive” depends very much on the vehicle that one is driving, and lets not forget that we are still in the VW-bus) well known for its baroque city center, but even more for its cemetery.

          

Gradsko groblje Varaždin (Varaždin City Cemetery) became internationally well known for its unique design after Herman Heller became its director (1905-1947) and ordered a planting plan that included over 7000 Arborvitaes as well as Maples, Ash trees, Birches, Willows and Magnolias. By careful trimming of the trees and shrubs caretakers are creating arcades and walls that suggest walking through an outdoor cathedral.  Design is meant to inspire a sense of peace, order and contemplation.

Walking through the Cemetery was overwhelming. It was an endless maze of meticulously trimmed, repeating green walls that enforced a sense of the human time constraint as well as the endlessness of time. I was hoping that a visit to the Cemetery will be relaxing, but the sense of peace around me was in a stark contrast with the sense of unrest inside me. The notion that I have a dynamic schedule ahead and must soon depart would not leave my mind. Another issue was formality and finality of this place as opposed to the lively, playful, colorful and wild allotment gardens that I am used to seeing by now.

More info:    http://www.parkovi.com/index.php?content=About_Varazdin_Cemetery

Our Varazdin host was Goran Hanzek who devoted plenty of his free time to showing us around the town and the gardens. We say our goodbyes and depart towards Sisak.

Last views of Varazdin:

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After spending an eventful day in Zagreb’s City Community Gardens, I decided to visit another type of garden – Zagreb Botanical Garden.

Garden webpage:   http://hirc.botanic.hr/vrt/home.htm

Tired from talking to people and navigating through busy city streets, I opted for this oasis of peace and quiet that was semi-empty on a hot August afternoon.

As I was sitting on a bench near the lily pond and reading one of the Botanical Garden guides i picked up on the way, I discovered that this was a favorite spot of a famous Croatian watercolor painter from the late 19th century Slava Raskaj.

Her paintings were mostly nature themed, and this very place, where I was sitting is where she painted  her famous “Lopoci” – Water Lilies series. Most unusual at the time in Croatia was that she was a woman painter, and that she was deaf from birth. There were many obstacles that she had to face and overcome in order to pursue her passion for painting. I wondered about what her life must have been like and recalled the details of her paintings as I took a long, melancholy stroll through the park.

Journey starts in the garden! First stop is Zagreb. But not before we load up the van.

We are lucky to have these lovely fresh veggies from Sandra’s mom garden. Most popular vegetable garden plants in Croatia are tomatoes, green beans that come in many varieties, onions, carrots, collard greens, Swiss chard, spinach, kale, beets, scallions and peppers. Climate in Zagreb is very similar to New Jersey’s climate with 4 seasons, hot summers and cold winters, but less humid.

Loaded up and going now.

I am secretly hoping to get my turn driving, and I do!
As the day progresses it is getting colder and a heavy rain starts in the early afternoon. Thermometer reading is 12 degrees Celsius (54F), unusually low for August. I am wearing all of the clothes that I packed in layers and I am still cold. August heat that I was worried about will clearly not be an issue during our trip. I hear on the news that other parts of Europe are also experiencing a cold spell.

After a few phone calls and some navigating through the city streets, we arrived at our very first community garden!!

Our host is Vanja, a long time community organizer and a blogger of all things Zagreb related. He is also one of the editors of the web-page Mapiranje Tresnjevke (Tresnjevka Mapping). The page is an example of collaborative exploration of one of Zagreb’s neighborhoods (Tresnjevka) by its own inhabitants and sharing of the information with the world at:
http://www.mapiranjetresnjevke.com/tresnjevka-mapping-croatian-mapiranje-tresnjevke/

To take a look at Vanja’s blog – Unknown Zagreb (in Croatian language only, but with some interesting pictures of the city) – please go to:
http://blog.dnevnik.hr/nepoznatizagreb/2016/07/index.html

Eko Ekipa Precko (Eko Team Precko) is the name of this community garden as well as the community group whose members see themselves as an alternative urban community.

Mex, Sanja, Goran, Vanja

Garden in the early stage

(Image used by Vanja’s permission)

It was great to see all of he things that a community can do when connected. There is an old Croatian saying that comes to mind, “all of the people posses all of the knowledge”. Therefore knowledge will only be complete when all people are connected.

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