Brenda and Glen were on the plane with us and Peggy and Guy and their friend Vesna where waiting at the Zagreb airport at 10:45 p.m. to bring us back to Vesna’s welcoming home for the first leg of our journey.   Vesna is amazing, as is her country home and garden (see photos).  My “room” includes a balcony (perfect for morning yoga), kitchen, living area, sleeping area and bathroom.  The home is surrounded by beautiful and bountiful gardens with a “stairway to heaven” (see photos) in the yard. 

In true Croatian tradition, our stay began with a midnight dinner  of multiple courses, and as this entry is being written we are gathered in Vesna’s kitchen as it fills up with incredible aromas for a second late evening Croatian meal. 

We enjoyed a delightful day in old town Zagreb…surrounded by buildings dating back to the 10^th century!   (See photos)  Enjoying stops in sidewalk cafes where thousands of people gather throughout the day , visiting ancient churches and cathedrals, and spending time in two  unique museums, which can only be found in Zagreb.   The First was the Museum of Naïve Art – Croatian folk art by selftrained artists using distinct styles and showing Croatian peasant life, landscape, people, and sometimes making statements.   One of the defining techniques is painting from foreground to background, which is a reversal of most art.   

Our next stop was the museum that has been designated the most unique museum in Europe and it is.  It was The Museum of Broken Relationships.  Not only is it unique it is probably the most therapeutic museum in the world!   It began as an exhibit of item donated by people (of any type) who had suffered through a broken relationship.  The display contains objects symbolizing broken relationships:  bicycles, books, stuffed animals, clothes, broken glass, tickets, figurines, notes, clocks,  gowns, toys and trinkets.  All accompanied by a brief explanation of why it symbolized a broken relationship and often the joy it gave to give the relationship to the universe through the Museum of Broken Dreams.  The idea is incredible and probably a life changing therapeutic experience for the givers who in few words share their pain and their new lives with the world.