The Rocky Horror Show

I really like the concept of community theater. People producing good quality theatrical productions to entertain their neighbors at affordable prices. I support that--not as much as my eldest son, who has been the fly man as well as running the rails for the City Circle Acting Company for over a year. It is great to watch, but behind the scenes, these guys, who love the stage. They also are teaching high school students about a life in the theater--the company actively encourages young people to be involved with them.
The latest production, which ran last weekend, was The Rocky Horror Show--no more perfect Hallowe'en musical was ever invented--at least not for an all-adult audience. And you really wouldn't want to take somebody who hasn't gone through puberty to this show. It is raunchy (which was pointed out to me by my 21 year old son--shocked, he was. And he is no babe in the woods). First, it involves major costuming--wigs, high heels (both both genders), and boas. Outrageous costuming, in fact, and Hallowe'en is definitely the season for dressing up as someone you are not. It also features a transsexual, and there is no better season than Hallowe'en to see a lot of cross dressing. The audience dresses up almost as much as the cast, so it is very festive. The concession stand sold prop bags--things to use at particular times during the play, and throughout, people were talking back to the cast in the fashion that has come to be expected of this very camp play (and the movie version as well). It has been a long time since I have participated in the Rocky Horror fun, but it all comes back to you. Happy Hallowe'en!

Ptuj, Slovenia

Ptuj is the oldest city in Slovenia, and it is an easy drive from either Ljubljana or Zagreb (which would involve a border crossing which is of indeterminent difficulty--but there is a nice duty free store to sweeten the pot). It is in the heart of a white wine growing region in Slovenia, and as is true of much of the country, the rolling hills with vineyards terraced into the sides of them are ubiquitous. If all you do in Slovenia is drive around, you are in for a treat. It is just gorgeous, in a rural and productive agricultural sense. Being from Iowa, we appreciate the fertility of the land, and the hills are a nice change of pace.

Numerous archeological remains prove that the city experienced its first period of prosperity as the Roman town of Poetovio. The present much admired appearance of the city originated during the Middle Ages when Ptuj experienced its second rise to wealth and prominence. The castle, the Dominican and Minorite monasteries, the Provost Church, the old City Hall, the patrician houses, numerous marvelously carved doors, wrought iron window grills, and stonecutting details are the most important elements testifying to the spiritually and materially rich life of the people in this region. Diverse and lush buildings abound.

We had a fantastic meal in Ptuj. We were there on a Sunday, so much of the town was out on the street after church, but we managed to get a riverside table at the Ribic Restaurant--what a wonderful luncheon menu! The light fish plate for two was spectacular to behold--and if that is the light plate, you don't want to tackle the heavy one--there was a wide variety of options, with two whole fish anchoring it down. The food was equalled by the setting, and we would defintiely go back to eat and walk around the town.

Border Crossings in the Balkan

One thing that the Euro zone has made us out of practice for is border crossings--I remember back in the early 1990's when we realized that we did not like Sewitzerland as much as we had hoped to and decided to drive from Geneva to Chamonix one day. There were several 'aha' moments along the way--the first was that the Swiss were perfectly willing to rent us any car we wanted, but they would not let us take a BMW to Italy--ok. We aren't going to Italy, but good to know. It must reflect something deep seeded about their cultural priorities, but just what it is escapes me. The second was that we kept seeing these signs that said 'Peage' after we had been in France a while. What can that mean, we wondered. While I was thumbing through the French phrasebooks, it suddenly became clear--it meant we had to pay a toll. Uh oh. All we had were Swiss francs. Thankfully, the credit card was an option, and we sailed through, but it was one of the last times that we had to deal with multiple currencies, until this trip.
So, within what used to be Yugolslavia, you have to cross borders between the newly established countires--they do not have a 'Slav Zone'. And in the case of the Serbs and the Croats, they hate each other. Slovenia is in the Euro zone, but the other two aren't and it hardly mattered to us, other than that we could spend Euros, since we were never in another Euro zone country. During our trip we made a total of seven border crossings betwen the three countries we visited--it is so easy to slip from one to the other in terms of how close they are, and that Croatia encircles Slovenia, and it was quite an experience--not to mention that it filled a couple of pages with passport stamps.
The good news is that if you are not a truck, the crossing is pretty painless. The wait is the only problem, and that usually took less than a half hour at each of the two checkpoints involved in a border crossing (trucks, on the other hand, had lines that looked to be kilometers long, and so crossing the border could take all day--my spouse thought they should have a guy who does the border crossing, but different people to bring it to and from the border. There would have to be several border crossers for every straight ahead truck driver, but such a wait could drive you crazy...unless waiting was your job).

Karlovac, Croatia

Karlovac,a fortified military outpost, was founded in the 16th century and named after Karl II, a Habsburg commander. The fortification was strong enough to make the Ottomans abandon their designs on it, after seven different unsucessful sieges.
Only about 35 miles southwest of Zagreb, this town of 60,000 people is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, and four different rivers, the Kupa, the Korana, the Mreznica and the Dobra. It is an industrialized town in the center, but we stayed at a riverside hotel outside the city, in a park setting that was relaxing and beautiful. It was our last night in Croatia and we wanted to be off the Istrian peninsula but not have too far to travel--this fit the bill.

During the Croatian War of Independence (1991-95), being close to the frontlines between the Croatian and the Serb forces, parts of Karlovac suffered heavy damage.
It was the one city where we consciously parked th car as much out of view as possible--much like the NATO-bombed buildings in Belgrade, the bullet holes in walls here were not repaired, making us think that Serbs might not be entirely welsome here, even now. We had a peaceful time, enjoying the local beer and the nicest hotel we stayed in the whole trip.

Istrian Hill Towns, Croatia

For the full Istrian peninsula experience, we left the coast and went in search of the quintessential hill town. On the one hand, there are lots of choices. The region is one hill after another, and in the style of medieval architecture and sense of security.

So dotted throughout the peninsula, you see cultivated land, and hills with villages snaking up to the top of each of them. We chose Motovun, the birthplace of race car driver Mario Andretti, for our typical hill town. The streets are steep enough that you must park at the foot of the town and walk up--which we were adept at after a week of exploring Croatia--and were treated to medieval streets, an enclosed town, and spectacular views.

Istria is known for truffles and we were there during truffle season--we had some wonderful truffles in other places but had a disappointing experience while there. Which means that we have to learn to order better and try more places on our next visit. Such a gorgeous spot, and while the Dalmation coast is reputed to be very beautiful, the Istrian peninsula is well worth a visit.

Rovinj and the Croatia Adriatic Coast

Our trip to Croatia was too short overall--as is so often the case. One thing we did not get to fully enjoy was the extensive Adriatic coastline that is such a tourist draw for Croatia. As a compromise, we went to the Istrian peninsula, which is the most accessible coastline if you are traveling from central Croatia. Rovinj is a medieval town, which has plenty of charm in and of itself--it is a UNESCO World Heritage sitre, and well deserving of the designation. The views of the Adriatic are an added on bonus.

I rented an apartment through the Residence Porta Antica, which has five apartments in their building on the waterfront and 9 additional apartments throughout Rovinj. I completed the booking through bookings.com, which was a breeze to use and unlike my recent experience with Orbitz, I didn't have any issues with the place having my reservation, and they don't require being paid up front, so if there are problems, you can deal with the hotel directly. We loved our apartment. When we checked out, we learned that there is a couple that spends a week in Rovinj in our apartment every year--we could understand the attraction.

It was so pleasant to be able to open the windows, sit in the living room and look out over the bay. Highly recommended. In addition, the town itself is very pleasant to walk around. The coastline is rocky--not much sand, and so more picturesque but less condusive to lying on the beach. Walking the narrow medieval streets is also very nice--there are no cars allowed routinely in the city, and so it is nice to have a leisurely stroll on cobblestone streets, stopping at a seaside cafe for a beverage and soaking in the atmosphere. We defintiely did not get enough of the Adriatic and will need to return.

Plešivica Wine Road, Croatia

When we headed out of Samobor, we were on a road that one of our many guidebooks said was the beginning of the Plešivica Wine Road, so off we went. The Rough Guide did state that most winemakers are not set up to taste, but will offer you a taste. That we found to be true. The book also stated that the road was well marked. That was patently false. I should have become suspicious when the web site that the guide book recommended as part of the trip was entirely in Croatian and undecipherable (by me). We decided to head towards the town of Plešivica and hope for the best--which we knew might be a complete failure based on an attempt in Slovenia to follow a wine road (in that case we found ourselves on what was little more than a horsepath headed straight up a hill. Our rental car was definitely not up to the task and we did as our GPS so often encourages us to do--we 'turned around when possible'. The drive, up to the very end, was gorgeous, but no wine was encountered or drunk).

Up until the time we got to Plešivica we were convinced that no such wine road existed--we saw not one sign, and while there were plenty of grapes to be seen, wineries were scarce. In downtown Plešivica we hit the jackpot. A sign! Many wineries! We stopped at one place, with people out front, a large sign, and an open feeling. We judged their friendliness appropriately but not their preparedness. The sign was apparently the one thing that they had finished--the tasting room was piled high with furniture, but they quickly cleared a small area, put a table and chairs down for us, and started to pour. We didn't realize that it was a white wine region, and the red wine they poured, Portugiser (a Croatian version of Nouveau Beaujolais) was not to our liking, but the various brandies and a nut liquor that we very much enjoyed. Amongst the three men serving us, only one spoke any English, which he learned from listening to rock and roll--in particular, he was a big Led Zepelin fan and he and my husband bonded briefly over 'Stairway to Heaven'. They were the only people all trip that inquired about our Serbian car--politely, but they were quite curious how we had come by it. We bought several bottles and moved on, but brandy in the morning took it's toll. We stopped at one additional place and tasted the region's best known white wine grape, Graševina, which was delicious--a flavorful and interesting light white wine that we bought a bottle of and then drove on. Another trip we would perhaps have stayed nearby and tried several more wines in the small but charming town of Plešivica.

Samobor, Croatia

As we headed out of Zagreb, we felt compelled to stop in this small medieval town. Why? In preparation for this trip I had read every guidebook that the library had to offer (Rough Guide, Rick Steves, Moon Guide, Insight Guide, Fodor's, and Lonely Planet) and they all said that this is the picturesque town to visit. If I had already been to the coast, and known then what I know now (that there are plenty of picturesque towns in Croatia), we might have skipped it, but we were following the guidance of others.

The only hint that you are in a tourist area is the price of parking--it is 10 kuna an hour--the same as parking in the center of Zagreb. But we had no trouble obtaining such a parking space (no doubt the locals can ill afford the price), and we were there early enough that there were no bus loads of people to deal with. Samobor is a charming town, with the streets full of people having morning coffee at a cafe on the center square and a friednly air about it. There is a stream that runs through town with wooden bridges that span it, and stone streets throughout.

One thing that we did not manage to do, which I regret now, is to go up the hill behind Samobor to the ruin of a long gone castle. The castle was built in the 13th century and was inhabited until the late 18th century, but as of now it is a ruin, a castle without a roof, and a fine looking ruin at that. We did buy the apertif and the mustard that the town is known for, so something to remember the stop by.

One thing I did not know when I was there but have since learned is that Samobor is one of two Croatian towns involved with an energy efficiency project. The aim of the project is to implement new energy efficient ways of building construction, raise public awareness about rational energy usage, save and efficiently use energy sources and conserve the environment.
Samobor has invested in the following projects:
introduction of more efficient public lightning system
gasification - fuel change and boiler-house reconstruction
heat insulation of public buildings (improvements in windows, facades, etc.)
All of which you wouldn't guess from looking at the town--which is a wonderful message--that you can update effiency without taking away the character of the architecture.

Pod Grickim Topom, Zagreb

Location, location, location is one of the draws at this traditional-style restaurant on the Strossmayerovo Setaliste steps midway between Trg Bana Jelacica and Gornji Grad. We went on our first night in Zagreb, so we had no real sense of how the old town was lid out. Well, Zagreb translates to 'behind a hill' and the old town if set on that hillside. We wandered around the neighborhood, climbing ever higher, until we saw from the map we had that we were clearly past the restaurant, and headed down hill--and then stumbled upon the restaurant, perched on the hillside above the downtown, with an incredible view (and the lack of a real access road made me wonder how they got food in and garbage out).

We were there early, not a soul in the restaurant, which has only five tables--they let us know that they had only two tables unaccounted for without a reservation, so we took one in the corner, with a bit of quiet and a bit of a view. The wait staff is incredibly attentive, and the meal atarted off with pate and bread that were delcious.
We took the guidebook's advice and for an appetizer ordered a truffle pasta, which was the best part of the meal--the pasta was homemade and cooked to perfection--the sauce was lightly flavored with truffles and rich enough that when it was gone I didn't crave more--I couldn't have managed to finish it.

The main meal was delicious as well. Joel had a rolled veal that was cooked in a method called 'pod pekom', which means that the dish has been put into a stone oven under a metal cover. The cook puts hot coals on the cover so that the meal is cooked slowly. The meat was incredibly tender, and had a very good flavor. I ordered the grilled stuffed calamari--which was a good sized squid that came out of the Adriatic Sea and was then stuffed with shrimp and spinach, grilled, and then sliced. The squid was tender, the grill flavor was delicious and the meal was a lovely experience. Highly recommended (but not inexpensive).

Zagreb, Croatia

The first recorded appearance of the name Zagreb is dated to 1094, at which time the city existed as two different city centers: the smaller, eastern Kaptol, inhabited mainly by clergy and housing Zagreb Cathedral, and the larger, western Gradec, inhabited mainly by farmers and merchants. Gradec and Zagreb were united in 1851 by ban Josip Jelačić, who was credited for this, with the naming the main city square, Ban Jelačić Square in his honour. The origins of the name Zagreb are less clear. The Croatian word "zagrabiti" translates approximately to "to scoop", which forms the basis of some legends. One Croat legend says that a Croat ban (a viceroy) was leading his thirsty soldiers across a deserted region. He drove his sabre into the ground in frustration and water poured out, so he ordered his soldiers to dig for water. The idea of digging or unearthing is supported by scientists who suggest that the settlement was established beyond a water-filled hole or graba and that the name derives from this. Some sources suggest that the name derives from the term 'za breg' or 'beyond the hill'. The hill may well have been the river bank of the River Sava, which is believed to have previously flowed closer to the city centre. From here, the words may have been fused into one word and, thus, the name Zagreb was born.

While the city is old old old, much of the city appears to have been built in the late 19th and early 20th century--very attrractively, I might add, and very walkable. The city has well under a million inhabitants, so it is a very managable size--not that there isn't traffic, there is, but it is easy to navigate, and everything is in latin letters, so we could actually read street signs. A real plus!

We stayed in the old part of the city, called Gornji Grad just off Ban Jelačić Square in an apartment we rented from InZagreb. I found the web-site myself, but booked the Gold Apartment after reading about it in Rick Steve's guidebook. The location was fantastic, and the apartment would have been ideal for a much longer stay as well as what we used it for. The only thing is parking. We found street parking, which worked fine for the weekend but wouldn't work for week days--and we were unaware that streets were blocked off to traffic on Sunday afternoons, and couldn't read Croatian (which I am sure would have told us said information), so almost got a 500 Kuna ticket (~$100). Otherwise, Zagreb was grand.