Day 3--Zagreb, Croatia

 

I was so tired when I was trying to do last night's blog that I forgot two interesting things about our flights yesterday and the day before.  First thing was about five minutes before boarding the airlplane for Denver the pilot came out and picked up the microphone.  He asked how many people were going to Denver.  He then stated that we were all on the same team.  He made some jokes about flying and how thankful he was that we were flying United beause he could put food on the table for his family.  Then he commented about how much food his family ate.  All the time making the speech humorous.  He then mentioned the masks and also said to be kind.  I've never had a captain take the time to come out and smile at everyone and say a few words.  It's a shame all the airlines don't do this.

The second thing that happened was when we were on the bus that took us from the plane to Frankfurt terminal.  These are the double buses that have kind of an accordian like center piece that joins the two buses and allows on bus to turn.  Everyone is standing.  All of sudden the bus went around the corner and my left foot followed while my right foot was stationery.  I looked down and there's a round moving flooring in the accoridan part of the bus.  One foot was on it and the other foot was the stationery part.  At least the yoga helped because I didn't lose my balance and stayed upright.  Thank you, Jackie.

Bill was up at 3 am but I had no problem with the jet lag and slept until 6 am.  The breakfast was very nice.  I always enjoy the fruits when we are in a foreign country.  Of course, even the eggs taste better than they do in the states.

At 9 am we met our fellow travelers.  There are 15 others.  I have a sister named Dale, so I was surprised to find out that there are two women named Dale in this small group.

Simone was our local guide who also escorted us to the hotel yesterday.  She was awesome.

A few years ago, Nick and Nikki and kids took us to the incline in Pittsburgh.  One of those places that is so near when you live in the area and never do.  I thought of them today when we took this incline.  It is all of 200 feet and takes 55 seconds to travel from the bottom to the top.  Needless to say it has set records for the shortest and quickest ride around the world.

Here's our small group experiencing the 55 second ride. Voran bought the tickets so I don't know what it cost in US dollars.

It was fun and the views of the city were terrific.  

Many Europeans smoke but look how neatly they put there cigarette butts in the crack on the wall.

There was a bell in the top that would ring warning everyone that it was time for the city gate to close.  When the city gate was torn down, they replaced the bell with a canon and the canon would go off everyday letting the people know that it was noon.  If you look closely you can see the canon in this photo.

Simone told us so many interesting stories about the city. I'm trying not to tell you everything in case you decide to visit this area.  

Here's the builing where parliment meets.

Directly opposite of it is the building where the prime minister has his office.

Did I mention the 5.5 earthquake that Zagreb had two years ago.  

This one had the roof replaced with glazed tiles.  It was very colorful but at the moment of the photo it was cloudy.

The gas lights are hard to see but there are 248 of these in the city.  A man goes by every night and lights them and then comes back in the morning to put them out.  

Simone is telling us a legend outside the only remaining city gate.

According to the legend, the apartment above the gate caught fire but the photo of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus was the only thing that didn't burn.  It was considered a miracle. They made it into a shrine and many people make a pilgramage to come and pray for someone.  Bill and I said a prayer for one of our loved ones.  

Here's a statue of Saint George.  I think the dragon at the base of the statue looks more like a crab than a dragon.

Croatia is also where the tie was invented.  No comments from any men, just reporting the facts.

It sprinkled a little, not enough to get you wet at the Farmer's Market.  There are three floors of the market.  The floor below this is the fish market and then below that it is the flower market.  Open everyday--rain, sunshine, snow or earthquake.

This is Saint Marks Catherdral.  It is closed as they renovate it from the earthquake.

Simone spent some time showing us where we walked in the city.  No wonder my feet were tired after 2 and half hours.  It's a very comfortable city and the people are so friendly.

Bill and stopped at a Christmas market for some hot wine and decided to have a sausage to go with the wine.

For someone who said he wasn't hungry, he did a good job of eating the sandwich.

Here's a photo of our hotel--Hotel Dubrovnic.

I always buy a Christmas ornament symbolic of the country.  Simone told us the story of the heart with the mirror.  It is protected by UNESCO.  It's perfect for our "Travels" tree.

Bill also thought I might need a hat.  I have ear muffs with me, but have hearing aids and also the earpiece for the "whispers" which gets to be too much on the ears.  I guess I wasn't thinking when I left my New Zealand hat at home.