Old Town, Zagreb
It is just the snow, Fierce and I in Old Town, Zagreb today. Walking through the Stone Gate there is a picture of Mary and baby Jesus on the stone wall. It was the lone surviving object of a fire in the area. Across from it, the town has set up a prayer area where you can light a candle. It's light contrasts the dark cove and offers a glow of warmth.
Needing a bit of a refuge from the cold, we stopped at a really adorable coffee shop and had cheesecake and coffee for breakfast.
With our hats and gloves back on, we made our way to the history museum only to find out that it is under construction due to an earthquake a while back. Then we circled around and found the same with a gallery and an art museum. One museum stated that it would open in March, but alas we started to laugh and chant: circle around and closed...circle around and closed!
I had read that Old Town's tower fired a cannon every day at noon, so we decided to head in that direction and see what we find.
Find something, we did: The Museum of Broken Relationships. I sort of hoped it would be a historical telling of how countries have come together and separated, but it was exactly as the name implies. A museum full of random artifacts people have sent in with personally written notes about sad moments in their lives. I sort of hurried Fierce through it and steered him away from some objects...ah not a museum for kids. However, I did get a cute pic of him signing the guest book.
Since we didn't spend a lot of time in the museum, we were quite early to the tower. This was worth seeing. You climb a circular staircase up four floors and you can step off into open rooms with lovely views on each floor. One even had a space where you could sit and take in the city below. Fierce played with his robot from the gift shop here while we waited for 12:00 to arrive. Also, the very top floor is open aired and offers a lookout over the entire city in all directions.
Noon did come and the specticle did not disappoint. An amunition specialist entered the special room for the cannon, loaded the blank round and called out the one minute warning. Precisely at noon, there was a loud bang, sparks and puffs of smoke. Fierce and I loved it!
Before leaving Old Town, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. I tried a hot mulled wine while we waited for Fierce's pizza and my tomato soup. Everything was delicious. When the waiter found out we were from America, he was so excited to tell us that he plays football and that it is hard to find leagues around here. He said he played tight end and loved the sport.
We walked around a bit and then made our way back to the hotel on the early side. It's Sunday and not many of the shops are open. On the other hand, I am glad they enjoy a day of rest. Earlier in the day, I had heard a worship song from a door to a Baptist Church, recognized the tune and smiled. God bless.
