Confused flowers

It's been warm, too warm for this region and this time of year. This weird sunny and warm weather made people happy, but also confused the nature. Here's one confused flower which definitely shouldn't be blooming at the end of October:



Neither should this one:

Worried...

Most of us see childhood as a period in our lives where we were able to be completely problem-free. I guess we usually forget tiny things that bothered us even then. This little guy spent a whole friend's b-day party sulking and looking very worried... who knows what was bothering him...

Misty tower and a legend...

One more in misty series... this time, a tower called Lotrscak. There's a view-point on top of the tower with a 360deg panorama of Zagreb.



Tower Lotrscak was built in 13th century as a part of the southern fortified wall. Fourth floor was added in 19th century. Its name has roots in latin "campana latrunculorum" - thief's bell which would ring every night before the fortified town's doors would close. For more than a century (it started in 1877), there has been a cannon on the 3rd floor, which fires at noon. There was a period of 2 years starting 1991 where the cannon didn't fire because of the war in Croatia. I'm not sure if it was operational during WWI and WWII.

Other than signifying noon, it's also a reminder of a Zagreb's legend. It is said that a cannon from Lotrscak tower fired a shot exactly at noon hitting a Turkish settlement across the river Sava during their invasion of this region (16-17th ct). The cannon ball supposedly hit a platter with a turkey which was meant for pasha (a hot shot in Turkish army). Because of this "aimed" shot, it is said that is why the Turks never conquered Zagreb. :)

Misty panorama...

Almost none of the high-rises are visible because of the fog/mist. New Zagreb (across the river) is not visible at all...

Misty, warm night...

Tonight was quite warm for this time of year (almost 15C), but the omnipresent mist reminded me of the time of year. This is a walking path (unofficially known as the lovers' lane) at the edge of the Old town, overlooking Zagreb.




Btw, the photo only looks slightly out of focus because of that mist.

Panoramic view as seen from this walking path is coming tomorrow :).

Bilingual names of streets and squares

The Old town has recently become richer for extra signs similar to those we had during Austrian-Hungarian empire rule. They're bilingual, with the top name in old Croatian, and the lower in German:

They don't make balconies like this one any more...

Another baluster detail, another trilemma

Same baluster, same "camera" (on my Nokia cell)...

B/W, color or sepia?

Yup, I couldn't make up my mind on this one. This is a baluster detail taken with my Nokia. I've changed colors with Picasa... What do you think? Any preference?

Emerald ballroom ceiling

I attended a regional BI (business intelligence) conference at the Regent Esplanade hotel yesterday. All presentations were held in a so-called Emerald ballroom, which is called like that, I'm guessing, because of its oval shape. In addition to glorious marble columns and golden mirror frames, the central ceiling piece is tainted glass:



Btw, sorry for the lower quality, I took this photo with my Nokia...

Iron lace fence & doors

This is probably my favorite fence in whole Zagreb, with its elaborate iron lace work:


The building is in the Old town...

Doors that lead to our parliament also boast nice iron lace(with a touch of gold ;-)):

The oldest pharmacy...

Inside the Old town, next to the Stone gate, there's is (as far as I know) the oldest pharmacy in Zagreb (14th ct). Their windows boast old decoration, though the feeling is lost when you enter it - then it's a typical modern pharmacy... the building has been renovated many times since then, but the place of this pharmacy is the same as the original one and it continues its legacy.

The crest above the entrance says "k crnom orlu" which means something like "at black eagle's". This eagle, I'm guessing, might be some left-over from Austrian-Hungarian monarchy. Right below is the official (but old) crest of Zagreb. I'll leave its explanation for some other time.





FYI, the oldest pharmacy in Croatia is in Dubrovnik (dating from beginning of 14th), and it's the 3rd oldest pharmacy in Europe.

Colorful boats for rent...

Back to the lake Jarun:

Forest texture...