Tag Archives: antiques

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Dubrovnik, Croatia Stole My Heart

An impressive entrance into the fortified community of Dubrovnik, Croatia is to arrive by cruise ship in Split and take a bus ride over an unblemished, coastal mountainside to the impressive City Walls, known by locals as the Gradske Zidine.  The massive walls contrast with the fluid ocean surrounding the Southern half of the Old City.  The Gothic and Renaissance archways and palaces are fitting for a Shakespearean theatrical setting.

You enter through one of two gates.  The smaller stone bridge entrance is located at the northeast tip of the wall and named the Ploce Gate.  Guards dressed in striking uniforms stand attention at this gateway and also at the main entrance, the Pile Gate.

The Pile Gate opens its wooden drawbridge with chain pulleys at the western side of the wall.  You follow the Placa to reach the tour guided walk around the wall.  The Placa was a shallow sea channel that divided the city both physically and socially until it was filled during the 12th century.

Before walking around the top of the wall, you enter the Pomorski Muzej, the Maritime Museum on the upper level of St. John’s Fortress.  Fantastic models reveal the evolution of sailing vessels in Croatia and present the increasing fortification of the city walls by adding bastions and towers during the 400 years following its completion in the 13th century.

It is a long walk around the top, and I do not recommend carrying an infant while wearing two inch sandals.  The views are phenomenal and you get a sense of the desperate desire for survival that encompasses the Croatian history.  Even though the temperature is climate within the Old City, the top of the wall is hot.  Vendors and cafes are available with water and snacks so make sure you bring some spending money.

If you opt out of walking the full distance and decide to spend time in the Old Town below, you can descend narrow, open stairs which are crumbling and without any handrails – again, don’t recommend carrying a baby on this tour.  Within the town, it seems gypsies and noblemen live side by side.  The narrow alleyways have small shops, but the items are not notable.  There is a bookstore with a selection of English text; however, once I returned home I realized I could have purchased the same books at my local store at a lower price.  Travel size goods include wine and cheese.

History is the theme of the Old Town and there are unique museums.  A War Photo Limited museum displays the horrendous disadvantages of enduring war.  The Muzej Provoslavne Crkve, the Orthodox Church Museum, presents Balkan and Russian religious icons in addition to contemporary work by Vlaho Bukovac.  The Katedrala Velika Gospa, the Cathedral of Our Lady, is full of religious paintings and relics of saints that are decorated with gold, silver, and jewels.  A Jewish Synagogue is also open for view.    The Crkva Svetog Vhaha, is the 18th century Church of St. Blaise.  The Dominikanski Samostan, the Dominican Monastery is constructed with gothic cloisters and holds a religious paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries.

My favorite aspect of the Old Town is the Knezev Dvor, the Bishops Palace.  Expect to see festivities.  Russian dancers kick and stomp in front of a seated crowd of tourists dining and drinking from silver mugs.  Military guards move in formation as if they too are putting on a dancing performance.

I recommend this trip for families because it is safe and a true medieval town well worth the education and excitement of being exposed to something new.  I also recommend this as a stop for couples who love an amorous setting.

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It’s Me with the Shark

Recently, I acquired family heirlooms, keepsakes and trinkets, from my childhood home. Each carried a sentimental value far superior to any feelings I’d felt for items accumulated since establishing an adult life. Yet, as much as I loved them, my heirlooms spurred those marital feuds I’d heard about – one spouse denying another the freedom of expression to incorporate his roots into their united living space.

I arrived with my booty while my husband was distracted with obligations for his biological family. I strategically arranged my loot on our walls and bookshelves. Even more were carefully placed above the kitchen cabinets for a glittery effect when your eyes wandered during bouts of excessive talking by others.

Once everything was ready for viewing, I knew what was coming. My husband (Zip, we like to call him) was a very predictable man.

“Bahhh.” Zip screamed as he walked down the stairs.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” our daughter cried out.

I didn’t have to ask. I knew Zip hadn’t fallen down the stairs or bumped his head. Nothing I had to say would change his initial reaction. I didn’t even need to look for him to explain our glory in having received the bountiful blessings. He found me in the laundry room, folding the sheets I had used as packing material.

“I love you, but that shark is mangy and no way on the deer.” Zip tossed a pair of socks into the straw basket and glared at me.

That was my family he was talking about. And I didn’t appreciate it, none, at all. Had he no grasp of what value those two particular items  meant to my family, meant to me? Did Zip not realize how heavy they were? Risking my life by carrying them up a rickety ladder, again and again, trying to get the nails in perfect placement on the walls, deserved more appreciation.

That shark was special. My mother caught it on her honeymoon in Clearwater, Florida. She was the only person who hooked anything on their deep-sea fishing excursion. Granted, the cracks devalued its intrinsic nature and underneath his belly hides a gruesome backside, but the shark defined the path of my parent’s fifty-some-odd-year relationship.

The deer was unique. My uncle caught the fellow in Colorado. I loved my uncle. He’s a geologist and his keen intelligence played a key role in my development. He demonstrated ambidexterity for me. As an inventor, he took apart toasters and devised wind gauges. Traveling all over the world in search of oil, he collected rocks as gifts for me. I wouldn’t describe him as a hunter-type which made the heirloom all the more exciting. True, while I was vacuuming the poor deer, it fell off the wall and I had to nail it back onto the mount. From the looks of the construction, it was an original home-crafted mounting with the same random technology I applied. I doused it with Lysol three times a day for a week, but still, every time I touched it, my fingers became coated with an oily blackness. If we left it alone on the wall for the next forty years, it shouldn’t fall on anyone’s head, again.

Admittedly, I was a vegan, but unfortunately for the world with myself included in some kind of third-party way, my sympathies and lifestyle changes from a roast beef, rice and early English peas diet to abstaining from consuming rotting flesh hadn’t expanded into my wardrobe and decorating selections. Yet, that was to say.

 

Oddly, the same night Zip announced his refusal to merge representations of my family adventures into our binding pack, he dragged me out of bed in a panic. He had placed some parts of a gun in front of the television and wanted to know where I had put them.

“I can’t sleep until I find out where they are,” he said, completely oblivious as to how insignificant his tid bits compared to my memorabilia.

I pulled them out of a drawer – a practical place to put mechanical garbage. He laid them out on the table top in front of the television, same as they had been before I tidied the house. Seemed like if they were so special he would have found a container or safe to store them inside.

As I walked upstairs, Zip said innocently,”Did you grab any bullets lying around your parent’s house for me while you were up there? I want to use them to teach the kids how to shoot those guns you brought back.”

Based on my husband’s attitude, we had some serious housecleaning to do. There was the reindeer skin I picked up in Sweden and the zebra skin pillow from Africa. We have to get rid of the elephant foot my husband made into a trashcan. There was the sheepskin our friends sent back from New Zealand. Three leather chairs and a sofa had to go. I needed to toss the lion dew-claw my husband ripped from a fresh kill for good luck. There’s the zebra rug, too. The antlers, let’s not forget those. He had planned to have a python skin we picked up in Morocco placed on a nine-foot long plague, but the taxidermist ruined it. Since then, he’s considered acquiring a stuffed tiger that died of natural causes at the zoo. As if a taxidermist took a sleeping animals and propped him up on his hind legs, the tiger’s paws remained lifted after he struggled at his last breath.

Thankfully, Zip’s initial repulsion to become subdued; however, I dread his reaction when grandmomma’s furniture arrives. I haven’t decided whether or not to prepare him for the shipment.

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Passion Flares in Copenhagen, Denmark

I belong in Copenhagen, Denmark. Its atmosphere enters my soul and embraces me. Even my husband says I blend with the rest of the civilians. Residents ask whether I’m from there.

Such a romantic city, even Denmark’s royal family smolders with passionate tales wherein their enduring love for one another broke all barriers.  Established by Danes and Vikings, Copenhagen has a special quality that combines contemporary artistry with avid traditions.  Bronze and plaster sculptures created by noteworthy artists adorn every street and most buildings.

Copenhagen’s Town Square is fairly new, rebuilt during the early 1900s.  The romantic Scandinavian Renaissance architecture includes twisted spires held high by demons, copper rooftops supporting copulas, and dramatic coloring within the textures.  Decorative doors enhance the clean lines of the smaller buildings.  Some doors are geometric with contrasting primary colors, and others are hand-carved with intricate vegetation scenes.  There are no boundaries imposed upon the creativity of Denmark artists.

The city is known for its damp, moderate climate.  Vibrant splashes of flowers bloom around houses and illuminate fields.  If you are lucky to visit during a storm, plan to search for amber deposited by the waves along the northern shores.

As a sea faring city, red, navy and white boats brighten the harbors and accentuate the charming yellow and orange cottages designed in Danish Neo-classicism.   Entering from the waterway, you will see the Little Mermaid, sculpted by Edvard Eriksen, sitting on a rock, staring out at sea, waiting for her prince to return.

Funky décor accentuates restaurants that spill onto courtyards.  The meals are prepared with the same crisp appeal as the immaculate washrooms.  And the people are gorgeous.

Shops are tucked into basements and inconspicuously nestled along quiet streets.  Antique stores offer unique selections of World War II relics and needlepoint.  Bright moccasins, capes and weapons crafted by Eskimos and other tribes near the North Pole are treasures. Selections are unique and highly crafted.

A must see is the Tivoli Pleasures Park that inspired Walt Disney.  Its authentic international themes lead you along walkways strung with celestial lights and surrounded by fountains.  There are countless museums and churches with refreshing architecture and prehistoric relics.  Denmark is an example of imagery at its best.

Pack sweaters and light jackets.  Depending on the time of year, you might even need heavier clothing.  Make sure they are stylish.  Copenhagen remains atop the most current trends in everything from clothing to furniture to light fixtures.  Even dishes and silverware have a zesty spin.  Be prepared for twilight hours during the summer, which means more daylight for enjoying the picturesque town.

A definite “yes” for families who enjoy long days of endless visual stimulation.  An “absolute” for couples who yearn for a fabulous backdrop over a delightful holiday.

Having such a huge impression on me, Copenhagen is the inspiration for the enchanted world within Evangabella. I place the protagonist in enchanted swamps possessing similar characteristics. My most outrageous settings are sparked from their futuristic ways of thinking within their traditional locales.

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Secretive Serenity in Ljubljana, Slovenia

To veer off the beaten path of your European vacation venture past Italy and hop on a train that will sweep you through a valley into Ljubljana, Slovenia.  The capital city of Slovenia is an upcoming tourist destination.  The furtive mood combines a sense of hidden energy in a quiet social setting until sunset.  Just as the mysterious beings you’ve feared in your dreaded school literature classes wait until dusk to emerge, the silent old town suddenly fills with peaceful families and eager college students out for a bite of ice cream.  Yes, ice cream lovers stroll along the cobblestone streets with baby carriages and docile conversations in droves.  Anyone who enjoys eating and walking will appreciate the numerous shops, cafes, and bridges intended for socializing.  Once the sun sinks and darkness falls across the river, the town erupts with enthusiastic street parties.

Ljubljana nuzzles against both sides of the Ljubljana River, which carries murky waters in a motionless current.  Throughout history, numerous cultures desired control over its prime setting.  No wonder the Argonauts selected this city to boast their Golden Fleece.  Napoleon saw such strength in the city’s location, he named it the capital of his Illyrian Provinces.  It served as the Roman Emona and the capital of the Province of Carniola.  Today, Ljubljana holds the Congress of the Holy Alliance where European statesmen brainstorm and numerous trade shows.

Invasions by diverse cultures merged the creative ingenuities of dominate cultures.  The buildings combine a Viennese flare with Art Nouveau, Baroque and Renaissance details.  Their local artist, Joze Plecnik, is responsible for many sites, including the Cobblers Bridge where shoemakers established their marketplace.  Now you can find beaded jewelry and collectible posters sold from huts.  Enterprising musicians provide street performances and crumbling buildings house new age clothing shops. 

There are several town squares connected by narrow streets.  Look for the favorite lovers within the community.  The lovebirds were forbidden from tying the knot and in honor of their undying loyalty to one another, the city has a mural of a window where the woman waves her handkerchief at a mural of her soul mate across the courtyard. 

The city is known for its Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, which was one of the first music societies in the world.  Masters such as Haydn, Brahms, Beethoven, and Paganimi became honorary members of the orchestra.  The resident conductor in 1881 was Mahler.  The Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theater is in a Neo-renaissance palace that has symbolic sculptures for dramatic effect.  Throughout the year, Ljubljana hosts fantastical festivals featuring jazz, alternative music, and international arts, among others.

The museums have retained the rare art pieces from moments in history that other countries hastily dismissed.  The Modern Gallery offers paintings, sculptures and prints by Slovenian 20th century artists.  The Museum of Modern History provides a visual display with sound effects of the 20th century Slovenia from Austria-Hungary through World War II and the Tito period.  The National Gallery displays artwork created by Slovenians from the 13th through the 20th centuries with sprinkles of European paintings. The National Museum holds the Vace Situle, a Illyrian bronze urn from the 5th century BC.  Robba’s Fountain was created by the Slovene sculpture Francesco Robba in honor of three rivers that feed Slovenia.  I regret not purchasing a simple sketch of Saint Raphael from a quant antique shop beside a sports bar.

The city is a college town and students congregate on the steps of the pink Franciscan Church built between 1646 and 1660.  Another noteworthy Baroque building is the Cathedral of St Nicholas with main doors that tell about the previous struggles of living as Christians in Slovenia and a side door with images of the Ljubljana diocese.

Aside from the mysterious atmosphere of the Dragon Bridge and the historic French Revolution Square, and the Triple Bridge with its incorporated buildings, and the Town Hall featuring battle scenes, and Vodnik Square surrounded by flowers, fruit venders and vegetable huts, the magnificent hilltop castle is a must see.

You can reach the castle on a tram car or be like the vigorous students and walk up the hill to take a nap in the park designed by Plecnik.  From the Ljubljana Castle you have views of the terra cotta rooftops framing the river.  The castle walls were built during the 16th century and the tower was added within the 19th century.  On the castle grounds are a terrace, a café , a craft shop and gardens. 

If you prefer the great outdoors, there are gorges, brooks and lakes where you can hike.  Health resorts take advantage of the natural springs and waterfalls. 

Ljubljana is a definite yes for families in search of a tranquil destination and also for youthful travels who thrive on adventure.   Visualize an unspoiled Prague and a tranquil Budapest and you will know what to expect.