Croatia now, reflecting then. Contemporary rock concert, WWII history, clash.

Who collaborated with the Nazis, who didn't, who was responsible or did not intervene effectively enough in the deaths of so many Orthodox, Gypsies, Serbs, other Croats, others, all this lives on in current events.

11/1/2007 - NYT Arts section. A Croatian rock group's concert, that had been scheduled for the cultural center run by the Croatian at the Church of St. Simon and Methodius, located at 10th Ave. and 41st St. It was canceled said spokesman Mark Weitzman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (a goal there is to counter anti-Semitism),because of protests that some lyrics glorified the WWII government, the Ustache, that was a flip side of the Nazis in terms of support. The artist: Marko Perkovic (Thompson is the stage name). Apparently there is a slogan in a song that echoes the Ustache regime.

Protesters included Nenad Milinkovic, of a Serbian-American church in Manhattan.

• Of interest especially to us is the name, St. Cyril and Methodius - the same name of the Orthodox Church in Prague CZ where the assassins of Nazi Reinhold Heydrich were finally cornered and killed themselves. Go to the posts at Czech Republic Road Ways , specifically Operation Daybreak, Assassination of Reinhold Heydrich. Also look at Places of Petr Ginz, for a similar post, at An Assassination in the life of Petr Ginz. Petr Ginz was a 12-13 year old boy in Prague during the Occupation in WWII, and he had entries related to that assassination.

The names of saints recur in many countries - and people bring them to where they emigrate. Connections, connections.

Croatia; and the Old Yugoslavia. History of Central Europe

Every so often, we come across a site to be passed on to you.

We think: Among the best history sites is at History of Central Europe at //mysite.du.edu/~etuttle/misc/europe.htm#Mong.
Scroll to the part especially about the relations between Croatia and Serbia. Roman Catholic v. Orthodox Christian; Roman alphabet v. Cyrillic, etc.

Attila and Istria

Istria and famous people. Istria is the peninsula on the northwestern part of the crescent that is Croatia, bordering Trieste, Italy; and Slovenia.

It appears that like Attila the Hun died in Istria. See istrianet.org/istria/history/0000-0999AD/huns-goths/attila-death.

This is not Attila. If you thought it was, then you have been influenced by all the pro-Roman constructs that are part of our biased culture and have been for centuries.

This instead is Roman. The ruins of the Roman Empire are very much a part of Croatia (see the town of Split in particular here). Here, the Roman fellow registers frozen surprise at being caught corrupted and impermanent after all, and the empire toppled.

Attila probably was not the 100% barbaric villain we are taught - instead, read of his virtuous and admirable sides. Look, chew and decide before swallowing. See Bogomilia - A Site for the Unsung. He was a barbarian, originally meaning not a Greek, see www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarian.

Read a contemporary account. Go slowly through this Medieval Sourcebook, Priscus at the Court of Attica, a report of Priscus' of meeting with Attila, and his court. Read it all. Especially paragraphs 5 and 6. Not bad. Priscus was a Goth historian. See www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priscus.

Food -- Ajvar, scampi buzara, cevapcici, slivovicz, Vegeta seasoning (r)

Food.

1.  AJVAR. 

The national relish. Ajvar: pureed red pepper and eggplant spread. Bright red. Served with salads, meats, on its own. Everywhere

Buy at Balkan food supply stores, or the international section of a big supermarket. Now, our recipe: Take half ajvar, half crushed tomatoes, some rice wine vinegar (or balsamic) splashed to taste, and it beats ketchup.

See how to make ajvar at www.necessaryjourneys.blogspot.com/2005/10/walking-on-my-stomackor-how-to-make.

2. BUZARA

Scampi buzara: www.croatiatraveller.com/Recipes/buzara.

This uses Vegeta, a seasoned salt used in so many Balkan dishes. It has dried vegetable bits and is available at our supermarkets now, in the international section. Does have msg. I use it even in eggs now.

3. CEVAPCICI

This is a sausage shaped ground meat dish with beef, lamb and pork. Cevapcici.  Or shape them as patties/sausage with Vegeta, cevapcici, at www.xpat.nl//journal_archief/.  There are variations with lamb, beef and pork, egg white, garlic, baking soda, cayenne and regular pepper, and paprika, this from Serbia. See://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Serbian-Cevapcici/Detail.aspx/  Comments included to add the Vegeta. These are not fried, just grilled. Other recipes fry; or specify more garlic cloves and to grind seasonings together before adding to the lamb, beef and pork mix.

We keep Vegeta on the shelf like any other mixed seasoning - gives a deeper flavor than other mixes. It comes in foil bags folded over at the top, a little lasts a long time.

4.   TUICA

A shot of cheer. Croatia as well as Romania.

In Romania, tuica. Home made clear brandy. Should never be opaque, or white, or milky looking. Recipe? Hard to find because often homemade. Wikipedia offers one, specifying a brass still, placement on hill or in barn, and close attention to the sounds coming from it as you go. Age it 6 months to 10 years, in oak. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A2uic%C4%83/

Flavors - Some licorice, plum (possibly other fruit like quince, sour cherry, fig), ginger, coriander, perhaps some cinnamon, See http://www.ask.com/bar?q=tuica+recipe&page=1&qsrc=2994&ab=5&title=A+DRINKER%27S+GUIDE+TO+EASTERN+EUROPE+|+More+Intelligent+Life&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moreintelligentlife.com%2Fstory%2Fa-drinker039s-guide-to-eastern-europe&sg=7Ae5qVPwaocbbeH6TraUa8HZUcN%2BJ1UKQ7RvWiJjtos%3D&tsp=1256155108900/

In Croatia, slivovicz.
Or slivovitz. See www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/s/s0478600/  Try a home brew, ://www.ask.com/bar?q=slivovicz+recipe&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=3&title=Sir+Benfro%3A+Prejudice+and+Plum+Brandy&u=http%3A%2F%2Fsirbenfro.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fprejudice-and-plum-brandy.html&sg=OAkU98IlEnydJvRshttbwMY1vbJYfo31XO60L2XWIqw%3D&tsp=1256155400660

And a history of spirits-making at www.abbeville.com/Products/Excerpt/0789201658Excerpt.htm.
Excellent.

Update: Jasenovac concentration camp

Fresh evidence of how successful a policy of sweeping bodies under the grass can be. This is an update of an earlier post on Jasenovac at 12/6/06.

Just look at it. How could such a pretty park signify programmed mass murder? A memorial indeed gone from memory again. The new Ripley's: here is Jasenovac, the WWII concentration camp. See earlier Jasenovac post.

An article in the New York Times, 7/2/07, International Section, by Nicholas Wood, points out the concern of Daniejel Ivin, president of Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights: that people are being taught that Ustache actions, (the WWII ethnic cleansing and religious-cultural genocides of Serbian Orthodox, gypsies, Jews, others, and with established-church people remaining essentially passive) no worse than other actions of leaders in the later Yugoslavia.

The joy of oblivion - see the photo in the article, of young fans gesturing in the old Ustache (WWII Croat puppet government) salute, and wearing old symbols of that era, including swastikas, and apparently uncaring about or ignorant of their holocaust-totalitarian significance.
Come again?
No wonder kids treat these symbols as nothing more than rockstar fun. Jasenovac concentration camp is now an ignored and unsung bit of acreage, with a rundown memorial tulip, and abandoned museum). There are some reminders in bronze maps and paths through beautiful pond area, but the real history has successfully been remade by the victors.

Hungarian population in Croatia - near Sisenik

In this traditional Hungarian neighborhood, near Sisenik, also near Zagreb (the capital), the houses are wood. They are distinctive from the other Croatian houses, that appeared to be a stone or brick, or stone/brick covered with stucco.

There were vast migrations of Magyars from the area now known as Hungary, throughout Eastern Europe. These houses also look like the traditional wooden houses in Poland. Don't know enough about the populations to tell the roots. Wikipedia says that there was a relationship between the Croatian and Hungarian groups, sharing a sovereign, from 1102-1918. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hungary.

Sinj - Above-rock Cemetery

Near Sinj. With the land so rocky, and karst hills, cemeteries may be surface mausoleums, in terraced rows.

There is the church, again on top of the hill for defense.

We came away with a fuller sense of "refuge" after seeing so many of these lone buildings, or perhaps forts and castles, silhouetted up there.

Istria - Real Estate Values

Look to the background and see just the tips of the Alps at Slovenia. This view is from the coast of Istria. Istria is a province of Croatia, that also borders Italy and Slovenia.

For second home buyers, consider northern Istria. The New York Times, 5/25/07, notes similarities between this province in Croatia, with Tuscany. Compared to prices in Split or Dubrovnik, homes are relatively inexpensive. Munich is only 5 hours away, says the article. "The Tuscany Life in Croatia: Second-Home Shoppers Look East for a Place in the Sun," by Brett Corbin.

Planes and title searches. No direct flights so far from US; and land use can be separated from the land in inheritances, reports Mr. Corbin. Be careful if you decide to fly into Venice, an hour or so from Trieste, and drive over. When we rented a car, a Trieste rental was not allowed into Croatia, but a Croatian rental was allowed into Italy.

Templars, road from Osijek to Verajdin

Knights Templar accumulated great landholdings and many towns are said to have originated with their economic activity. This is the ruin of a fortress in a Templar area on the way from Osijek to V.erajdin. ,We took a non-motorway route across the northern area, just past the agricultural panhandle and moving back into hills and mountains.

The dirt road that looked like it was going to the fortress and town up there looked ok, but rapidly became rutted and rocky. I became rapidly uncomfortable, so we backed down. Literally.

Near Osijek - The agricultural panhandle. Carnival, old grave

The pleasure and privilege of a car. Stop a while. At will.

See the world's universals, up close if you want. Here is a carnival camp. Get out. Walk a bit. Breathe in. Breathe out. Again. Let time pass.

Wander in an old graveyard off the road. Find a girl's face. Hello. Terejiza. Her picture, in ceramic, holding a book. A direct gaze. What happened?



















A river, the view from the trestle bridge. Do not do what we did . We followed some local people up the staircase to cross the bridge on the pedestrian walkway. When we came down, a train came by not long after. I looked back up, and saw the other people standing firmly by poles, arms around, back to the train, with the nonchalance of experience. Would we have had the wits to do that? Never go on railway bridges. Never. Not even when there is a pedestrian walkway.