Blue whale

I found this whale while taking a walk by the Lake Jarun. I'm not sure if he's smiling or scowling but he sure looks funny! Every time I pass by it's surrounded with children who are playing around, climbing and having fun! This time it was a resting place for this fellow walker.

Home of Croatian Artists

This building has a special place in my heart! It is placed it the eastern part of Lower town on the Victims of fascism square. It was designed by the famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović (he was very multiskilled artist!) and is called Mastrović's Pavilion – Home of Croatian Artists. It was built in 1938. as a exhibition place and, after many changes in function through years, it holds the same function today. I like the fact it is round (so perfect for exhibitions) and that it has this half-building-half-sculpture fell.

I wish you all a nice start of a new week!

Boy and his teddy

I found this unbelievably sweet sculpture in one small children's playground on Krešimir's square in the east part of the Lower town. It was made by the sculptor Emil Bohutinsky in 1939. I was really mollified to see it standing there, that little boy and his teddy bear!

Rowing into the new day!

I took this photo at the Lake Jarun last weekend. It was still very cold and cloudy. After beautiful and sunny week, this weekend is supposed to be rainy again. It really isn't fair! Still, I hope you will have nice sunny weekend! Cheers!

Romantic verses for country

I finally decided to show you this sculpture of Petar Preradović that's on a Preradović square also know as Flower square. He is a well know Croatian poet who lived in 19. century. Although he was a general and spent most of his life outside of Croatia, he preserved his love for mother tongue and country - and wrote beautiful verses full of romantic spirit! Also, he was one of the most important figures of Illyrian movement.

Two worlds collide

Few nights before I had two exhibition openings (yes, I know that you think I'm crazy!). They were both great and I didn't want to miss a thing. First one was in the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery and the second in Museum of Arts and Crafts (MUO). In Klovićevi Dvori I had a chance to enjoy the beautiful and charming paintings of Croatian painter Rober Auer. His magnificent Secession charm was just overwhelming! Than I rushed to MUO to see the exhibition of Croatian Designers Society. That one was incredibly crowded and crazy! It seemed like everybody who is anybody in the Croatian designer world attended. In this one evening it seemed like two worlds collide!

Velvet morning

I took this picture the other day while waiting for a business meeting in Lower town in Ilica street. I had a nice coup of green tea perfectly served with some tea cookies, honey and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It was in Velvet - an old/new café bar in Dežmanov prolaz (eng. Dežman's Passage) near the Upper town. The surrounding is so peaceful and calm, it was a delight to sit there and enjoy the sunny morning. I really like Velvet - it is in center of town but away from all the noise and craze, it is non smoking and it is so lovely decorated. I definitely recommend it!

Need a room to stay?

I was passing by this house the other day and thought how charming and lovely it looks. The door and the window just take my breath away! It was in Radićeva street not far away from the Iliric square. But it surprises me the most that it is actually a private house that has rooms for rent where you can stay while visiting Zagreb. And that would really be something, don't you think?!

The true winners!

Yesterday when I was heading for the river bank to take a shot of Sava flooding I stopped at the Jarun and took this photo. It was the Terry Fox Run that's organized every year in September on Jarun. This race is organized all around the world with the goal of raising founds for cancer researches. Terry Fox was a young Canadian who was diagnosed the malignant tumor and who than decided to star the so called ''Marathon of Hope'' with the purpose of fundraising for the cancer researches. The organizers were lucky this year considering all the rain and flooding in Zagreb.

Sava River Flood

Maybe you know and maybe you don't know, but Zagreb lies on river Sava. And I think that I haven't shown it to you before. So here it is, in its worst! Past three days here we had a strong heavy rain and also in the neighboring country Slovenia. It caused a lot of flooding and many small villages around Zagreb are flooded and in danger. Zagreb is safe for now because it has a quite efficient system of preventing huge amounts of water from reaching the city. The city has a big bank that can hold a lot of water. This trees you can see in the middle of the photo are the trees that are actually next to the river bed. Now it is all flooded and it looks very scary!

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Thank you notes

I guess you probably know what this is, no? I took this photo at the Stone Gates where I also took that photo of candles. The whole space around the holy painting of Virgin Mary is covered with these little plates that are thank you notes to Virgin Mary. These little notes are the witnesses of a great number of people who prayed to her and got help and their prayers accepted. The day that people of Zagreb celebrate as the Virgin Mary of Stone Gates day (31st of May) is also the Day of city Zagreb as she is the patron of Zagreb.

Dear readers, I wish you all a nice weekend - especially sunny and warm! :D

Formula One Baby

I took a shot of this baby on a Zagreb main square the other day. It is placed there as the invitation for the first Zagreb Auto Motor Show 2010. that's going to be held at the Zagreb Arena (a new multifunctional hall built in 2008) from 17th  till 19th of September. I'm really not particularly into cars, motorbikes or formula one cars and probably won't attend the event. But if any of you my dear readers will go, please do write a comment how it went.

What a scene!

Ooo, how I love this one! It's called The Fisherman and was made in 1908. by the sculptor Simeon Roksandić. He is actually a sculptor from Serbia that did two of this sculptures/fountains. The first one is placed here in Zagreb on the Upper town Jesuit Square. The second one I believe was placed in the famous Belgrade park Kalemegdan. However, the meaning of a fisherman strangling the snake still remains unknown to me. 

Edit: Link to Belgrade sculpture

Croatian Parliament

I was just passing by the St. Mark's Church on the Upper town the other day and decided to show you this building. It's the Croatian Parliament built in 1910. in Neo-Classical style. Although it looks quite small and modest, this building is rather a big complex that's occupying the large space that used to be a residential block.