Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Markus and I walked around Zagreb some more today. We stopped by the technical museum which had a lot of old machines from the past 100+ years, and a planetarium.

How funny would it be to see someone riding this

Old-school radiation therapy

Planetarium star maker thingy


Old Soviet space satellite

We then walked around the city some more and met up with Sandra. Saw this one the way.

Interesting graffiti

My Namesake

Today my Grandma, Nikola and I visited the place where my Grampa Egon is buried. He's who I get my middle name from.

Grandma and Grandson

In the area was also a memorial to soldiers who died in the war for Croatian Independence, and WWII. Croatia has had a tumultuous 100 years, and now is the first time that it has been at peace for a sustained period of time.





We then had some ice cream and coffee, and talked about old times. The ice cream in Croatia is displayed much differently than I've seen before, and is very creamy.

My Mother's Hometown

Some of you may not know, but my Mom was born and grew up in Zagreb, Croatia. She emigrated to the States to go to college, and eventually became a US Citizen. I've been to Zagreb once before, but I never really had the chance to explore it in my own way.

Marko was able to take some time off work and show me around the city. It was cool to see some of the places my Mom has talked about, and hear Marko's perspective about how the city is now. It's gives me a faint idea of what it might have been like growing up in a Communist city in former Yugoslavia.

City Square

Largest church in Eastern Europe

Two girls praying

Notice the dates these people were buried here, waayy before America even existed.

We ended up at a WWI museum, where I touched actual weapons used by soldiers nearly a century ago. Makes you reflect a bit.

Century-old guitar that just looked cool

Nice park near the city center

Full-gallop

I thought this guy had an interesting shape about him.

Here are some pics from the "Stone Gate," a place that once was an entrance to the city when it was fortified. Now, you can go and light a candle (for a small fee, of course), and pray for someone to get over a sickness. Apparently it works; the plaques on the walls are people thanking this place for healing a loved one.







We ventured up to above the older part of the city, with many houses probably 100+ years old. This is the part of Zagreb that's been slow to "modernize."

For hundreds of years this cannon is fired at noontime

Very cool roof on a church

My mom's old high school, now apparently a museum

I noticed this sign as we were heading home. That's just funny:

Plitvice National Park

I arrived last night in Zagreb after a 14 hour train ride. The next morning me, my cousins Nikola and Sandra, and Sandra's boyfriend Marko drove to Plitvice National Park. It's Croatia's most famous park, known for its many streams, waterfalls and blue water.

The forecast called for rain, and started falling right as we got in a bus that took us to our trail on the mountain. Somehow as soon as we stepped off the bus, the rain stopped and the sun came out. I must have been more nice than naughty so far this year.

You'll see in the pictures some wooden walkways which cover the entire park, built in WWII to help with troop movements. In 1991, Plitvice was the site of the first armed confrontation in the Croatian War for independence. There were a lot of mines placed there during the war, and even though UNESCO declared it to be mine-free, we still stayed close to the path...










On the drive home we stopped by a small restaurant right on the edge of the mountain, and had a great view from our window.


That rain that someone above had delayed finally came, and it was a downpour. It was that type of rain that hits the roof so hard, conversation fades away as people listen and reflect on how powerful mother nature can be. The restaurant lost electricity, and we ate our dinner by candle light.

Bon Voyage, Stu-bear

Today, as I was on my way to Croatia, Stu was boarding a plane for San Francisco, California, where he will spend the summer soaking up the California sun and working for Stone Yamashita Partners, a VERY cool management consulting firm.

Stu and I have been friends for almost 16 years now, and I realized that at this point, this is the furthest distance we've ever been apart.

Bahamas 2005

Oh, and I say this with a long-established line of heterosexuality: Miss you, Stu-bear.

Ciao, Frankfurt

Today's my last day in Frankfurt. These last two weeks have FLOWN by, I can't believe I've been here for that long.

I'm going to miss a lot of things about this city, especially my friends from the Institut:
Christina, the Italian who pronounces my name "Andreiu";
Morgane, the French girl who without fail drops all her "H's", which always makes me smile;
Sukh, the British-Indian who, well, is a dishy Indian man with a British accent (that one is self-explanatory);
Elisabeth my morning teacher, who I will now and forever associate with the word "Doppeltgemoppelt";
and Susanne my afternoon teacher, who I will argue with about the relationship between men and women (and ever so ineloquently in German).

Suzanne, Sukh, Christine, and Morgane

Sweet send-off lunch from the Institut

After our last day of classes, Sukh and I took another walk around Frankfurt for one last look at the town. I snapped a few pictures:

Cool classic Bavarian style buildings

After Sukh left I walked some more around one of the main areas called Hauptwache, and captured some of the vibrant Friday afternoon Frankfurt.

Try and beat Jamaica's #3 chess player at speed chess

Very cool mall with something like 7 or 8 stories

Fingers are always a nutritious part of a balanced diet

Tomorrow I'll take the train through Saltzburg into Zagreb, Croatia where my Grandma and two cousins live. These two weeks have flown by. I learned some German, saw some culture, and met some awesome people.

Ciao, Frankfurt.