zagreb
i hate it when i don't update this thing for so long... i end up writing a huge post, followed by another huge post... bah.
anyhow, i went to zagreb this last weekend. my thoughts on zagreb need a little revision. admittedly, i'm a little biased these days, so that should be taken into account as you read the next few paragraphs.
as i stared out the window of my approaching train, i noticed how dirty zagreb actually is. actually, i should say, how CLEAN ljubljana is. dust seems to be a state of being in zagreb. the buildings, though they may only be 30 years old, feel far, far older. the environment in zagreb, simply put, is one of decay. with a city as large of zagreb, it makes sence that its cleaning/renovation crews can't keep up.
that being said, the feeling of life in zagreb is electric. zagreb is teeming with people. boasting a population of around 1 million, and countless tourists, even the empty parts of town feel like a crowd is just waiting for you around the corner.
i went to zagreb this weekend to assist in some children's classes. however, the turn out was low, so i ended up an attendee of the adult program that ran simultanious to the children's program. it was very nice to see the croatian baha'is again. while i saw a few of them at the piknik we had a few weeks ago, i got to spend more time with more of them this weekend. i especially enjoyed staying at vlado's house.
vlado embodies the concept of hospitality. if he could, he'd have his house full of guests all the time. the energy that builds up in him when he is playing the host is infectuous, and lifts the spirit. i went on a bike ride with him and his nephew up a rather steep hill. it was about 7 kilometers up along the road, but i'm not sure what the actual hight of the mountain was. we completed the journy in about an hour, and it was increadably tiring. while my muscles didn't take on that jello characteristic so often associated with rigurous excersize, my body was quite tired from the heat and the strain.
on sunday, i was asked to take care of one of the children of an LSA member. the girl, helena, is a spitfire of energy. she has one very infectuous laugh. i tried to talk to her in slovene, hoping that what little i knew would translate into croatian, but it didn't work so well... it only resaulted in her locking me in 'jail' and telling me that i should probably go back to school.
later in the evening had vlado and i on the bikes once more, this time taking a lesurely ride around a lake nearby his home. the lake was a rather nice lake, well kept for such a large amount of water. vlado told me stories from his past, about times before the lake was one large lake. when he would fish on it with his friends, illegally spearing them late and night.
i'm looking forward to returning to zagreb next week, when we'll be meeting with the Councilors of slovenia, croatia, and bosnia. speaking of bosnia, i'm planning a trip there next month. i'm really looking forward to seeing sarajevo.
now, here's to posting again in the near future, eh?
anyhow, i went to zagreb this last weekend. my thoughts on zagreb need a little revision. admittedly, i'm a little biased these days, so that should be taken into account as you read the next few paragraphs.
as i stared out the window of my approaching train, i noticed how dirty zagreb actually is. actually, i should say, how CLEAN ljubljana is. dust seems to be a state of being in zagreb. the buildings, though they may only be 30 years old, feel far, far older. the environment in zagreb, simply put, is one of decay. with a city as large of zagreb, it makes sence that its cleaning/renovation crews can't keep up.
that being said, the feeling of life in zagreb is electric. zagreb is teeming with people. boasting a population of around 1 million, and countless tourists, even the empty parts of town feel like a crowd is just waiting for you around the corner.
i went to zagreb this weekend to assist in some children's classes. however, the turn out was low, so i ended up an attendee of the adult program that ran simultanious to the children's program. it was very nice to see the croatian baha'is again. while i saw a few of them at the piknik we had a few weeks ago, i got to spend more time with more of them this weekend. i especially enjoyed staying at vlado's house.
vlado embodies the concept of hospitality. if he could, he'd have his house full of guests all the time. the energy that builds up in him when he is playing the host is infectuous, and lifts the spirit. i went on a bike ride with him and his nephew up a rather steep hill. it was about 7 kilometers up along the road, but i'm not sure what the actual hight of the mountain was. we completed the journy in about an hour, and it was increadably tiring. while my muscles didn't take on that jello characteristic so often associated with rigurous excersize, my body was quite tired from the heat and the strain.
on sunday, i was asked to take care of one of the children of an LSA member. the girl, helena, is a spitfire of energy. she has one very infectuous laugh. i tried to talk to her in slovene, hoping that what little i knew would translate into croatian, but it didn't work so well... it only resaulted in her locking me in 'jail' and telling me that i should probably go back to school.
later in the evening had vlado and i on the bikes once more, this time taking a lesurely ride around a lake nearby his home. the lake was a rather nice lake, well kept for such a large amount of water. vlado told me stories from his past, about times before the lake was one large lake. when he would fish on it with his friends, illegally spearing them late and night.
i'm looking forward to returning to zagreb next week, when we'll be meeting with the Councilors of slovenia, croatia, and bosnia. speaking of bosnia, i'm planning a trip there next month. i'm really looking forward to seeing sarajevo.
now, here's to posting again in the near future, eh?