That Croatia is in the shape of a boomerang is testament to its history, with the Croatian culture alternately being winged away to neighboring powers only to return and eventually establish itself as a nation. No one is sure of the origins of the Croats, but it is thought that they began as a Slavic tribe living north of the Carpathian Mountains, eventually moving south into the regions that make up today’s Croatia. Theirs was not an aggressive military action, but a gentle drifting and settlement, like water seeking its own level. This can be seen in the quiet, gracious nature of the people.
The Balkan Peninsula has been a crossroads between Western, Northern and Eastern Europe. At various times Croatia has been occupied by Romans, Ottomans, Hungarians and French with varying degrees of success. Before his death in 1089 Zionimir, a Croatian king who bolstered his hold on the throne through an alliance with the papacy, cursed his fellow countrymen to never be ruled by a monarch that spoke their language. Shortly afterwards Croatia attached itself to Hungary and remained thus for eight centuries.
The Balkan Peninsula has been a crossroads between Western, Northern and Eastern Europe. At various times Croatia has been occupied by Romans, Ottomans, Hungarians and French with varying degrees of success. Before his death in 1089 Zionimir, a Croatian king who bolstered his hold on the throne through an alliance with the papacy, cursed his fellow countrymen to never be ruled by a monarch that spoke their language. Shortly afterwards Croatia attached itself to Hungary and remained thus for eight centuries.
Approaching the seaport town of Split in the early morning from the east coast of Italy, the ferry travels through a series of islands, dotted with snug little communities and small fishing boats. These islands have a history of providing landings for Greek and Venetian forays and at times shelter from military clashes, creating settlements. In fact our hosts in Split met on one of these islands, her family having settled there generations ago and his family settled in Split for 500 years.
Today as the result of being surrounded by avaricious forces and their attendant religions, who seemed to sweep in like high pressure areas, Croatia is staunchly Catholic. This is evidenced by the large crucifix on the wall of the ferry passport control office and the religious artwork displayed throughout our accommodations.
Today as the result of being surrounded by avaricious forces and their attendant religions, who seemed to sweep in like high pressure areas, Croatia is staunchly Catholic. This is evidenced by the large crucifix on the wall of the ferry passport control office and the religious artwork displayed throughout our accommodations.
The twists and turns of history are constructed of irony however, as the center of Split’s brilliant waterfront is a palace built by the Roman emperor Dioclesian, who voluntarily relinquished the crown and returned to his home town in 305 A.D. At one time before the Adriatic receded, his palace extended into the water so that he could walk off the deck of his ship and stroll through his front door. Jupiter was his guardian diety and he insisted on being known as the “Son of Jupiter”. An avid anti-Christian he caused the death of quite a number of folks.
However, that was so yesterday. The Dioclesian palace with all its winding streets and plazas is now home to many crafts vendors, restaurants and entertainment, the cellar and throne room being the set for the Game of Thrones Season 5.
Split is an idyllic, well ordered town centered around the seaport. Swimming beaches are walking distance. We were fortunate to have gotten a waterfront apartment where we could sit on a little porch and watch all the activity. Aside from watersports and ferry comings and goings, there was also the intrigue of private yachts and their opulent passengers. Food for the imagination of a nosy writer.
The journey up the coast and inland to Plitvice National park is steeped in beauty and history. The towns along the coast such as Biograd, Sibenik and Zadar were the first lines of defense from the Venetian fleet. This proved to be tragic for the residents. Although at first the Hungarians came to the rescue of the Dalmatian coast, there was little more support from that quarter and Zadar was completely sacked by the Venetians in a ten year siege beginning in 1173. Biograd, former capitol was razed and occupied by the Venetians in 1126 and even after they were chased out by the Hungarians, the city was never the same. Now a quaint coastal village with narrow winding streets where we had a delicious lunch.
Heading east and north from Zadar you cross some narrow farmland plains that produce the beautiful fruits and vegetables that can be seen in roadside stands. Soon you begin to climb into the Velebit Mountains, which are mostly exposed granite covered with low vegetation and punctuated with the occasional fir tree. We’re heading to Plitvice National Park, which is a series of pristine lakes laying like a sleepy serpent in a crevice between mountain ridges. Absolutely pristine water with trout as long as your forearm. But also crowds and crowds of tourists, so unless you seek out the trail less traveled, you will find yourself marching shoulder to shoulder with a column of picture taking strangers through a pristine forest. A very unsettling sensation.
To journey to Cigoc, a small village in southeastern Croatia on the edge of Lonjsko Polje National Park, is like traveling in a time machine. The roads are narrow and wind through small villages whose houses bare the marks of time but still stand strong despite historically recent conflicts to attain nationhood in 1995. We stopped at a roadside café where I was served a hamburger the size of a dinner plate and perusing local newspapers, discovered the imminent celebration of 20 years of nationhood.
The Sava River is a wide slow moving river whose headwaters lay in the mountainous northwest region of Slovenia, flowing southeast through Zagreb and forming the border between Croatia and Bosnia Hersogovinia. In the past a critical hot zone region, it is now a pastoral waterway lined on both sides with cattle. The road to Cigoc runs along the river, which continues southeast, merging with the Danube.
Hawai`i has humpbacks; Cigoc (cheegosh) has storks. On almost every roof is a resident stork, usually standing in a seven foot diameter nest, that they will return to from Africa every spring. The gigantic rooftop homesteads and pteranodonic look of the storks’ flight are positively Jurassic and add another sense of timelessness. There is much mythology connected to the stork. They are harbingers of good luck, fidelity, family harmony and fertility and to have a stork nesting on one’s roof means the blessing of unending love. To the Egyptians they represented the soul or ba and according to some legends, storks don’t die of old age but fly to an island and take on the form of a human.
We stayed at the edge of the park with the Baric family who created Tradiciye-Cigoc, a restaurant and tourist accommodations. The main building, which was rescued from a neighboring village, was brought to the site and rebuilt using traditional methods and provides various rooms upstairs with a large restaurant downstairs. There is also a separate little cottage, which is where we stayed and camping out back with a constant flow of bikers, bicyclists and car campers.
The Lonjsko Polje National Park is home to many bird species and is a conservation area, but it is also integrated with the agricultural livelihood of the villages that border it and its traditionally built houses and agrarian lifestyle create the feeling of timelessness and harmony. The park is a series of wetlands that at times are impassible due to flooding, but August was definitely not one of those times. The pastoral quiet only broken by bird call and the sound of a swan’s wings, which was oddly metallic as if they were attached with hinges. There are various flocks of sheep that are followed by a few storks who are eating the frogs and other creatures unearthed by plodding hooves.
While we were in Cigoc we attended a festival in the neighboring village of Gusce to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Croatian nationhood. There is a feeling of gratitude for the survival of their culture and nation, but there is also raw anger. On the banks of the Sava, along with cattle and sheep, are memorials, crosses that are testament to lives just begun, lost to war. At a traditional folk music performance, where a line of traditionally dressed women, arms locked together, sang in multipart harmony, two men sat at a nearby table in heated discussion, their voices almost at the volume of the singing, oblivious to the beauty and harmony taking place on stage. As if in a parallel universe, they continued on with their discussion, unaware of the end of the singing or the exit of the musicians.
Here, the love of place is bittersweet, but must be very strong for the culture of a small Slavic tribe to endure the many centuries of incursions that has been Croatia’s history. Aloha, European style.
Here, the love of place is bittersweet, but must be very strong for the culture of a small Slavic tribe to endure the many centuries of incursions that has been Croatia’s history. Aloha, European style.
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