Postcard from the Balkans: Socrates & scooters

This special edition of our Summer Research Postcards features Jenna Simeonov, the Department's Communications & Office Assistant, who shares some highlights from her recent trip to Slovenia and Croatia:

We kicked off our journey in Ljubljana, Slovenia -- an extraordinary country that's got Alps, castles, and some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten. We hopped on the funicular and ascended up to Ljubljana Castle, where there's a museum of Slovenian history, a rotation of exhibits by contemporary Slovenian artists, and a spiral staircase that leads to a worthy view of the city.

If you wander the castle for long enough, you'll come across the Chapel of St. George, which despite the gorgeous detail in the ceiling, feels almost humble in its modest size. While I was taking this photo (below), I remember thinking how handy it would be to have some of the Art History faculty nearby, to tell me a little bit more about what I was admiring. (I'm still open to unsolicited factoids, for the record.)

After Ljubljana, we drove south to Trogir, Croatia. It's an incredible 12th-century town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site full of Venetian architecture and a harbour full of some very serious yachts. My in-laws live there for six months of the year, and for our family, Trogir has become a place that's equal parts comfortable and awe-inspiring. Once you've gotten lost multiple times in the narrow, cobblestoned streets, you'll likely stumble out into the town's main square, where the very Venetian-looking Cathedral of St. Lawrence looms high. I've spotted a handful of weddings spilling out of this Cathedral and into the public square -- including one bride whose stunning dress nodded to Maria's in The Sound of Music -- and it's always such a cool display of local culture and international tourism.

Next, my husband and I took a quick jaunt to Zadar, Croatia, just a couple hours north along the Adriatic coastline. The city is bigger than Trogir, with plenty of places to learn about the Ancient Roman history of the area. We hopped into the Archeological Museum and chronologically worked our way through Zadar's heritage (some of my favourites are in the gallery below). A standout was certainly this incredible array of portraits from the Danieli-Pellegrini Collection (ca. 50 BC - 250 AD). You can spot Socrates in the middle of the top row. And if anyone has some educated guesses on why most of their noses are missing, I'm extremely curious to know.

Also in Zadar was an unreal exhibition at Il Palače. Sure, there were ceramics by Picasso himself (pictured in the gallery below), but I was obsessed with their showcase of works by Croatian artist Ratko Petrić. I didn't know Petrić's work before, but he grabbed my attention with his nods to George Orwell, his irreverence of Botticelli, and other works that I figure aren't quite appropriate to post on the department's website -- but look him up if you haven't already, he's fascinating. (More of Petrić in the gallery below.) I stopped and stared at his Two Minutes of Hate (inspired by that horrendous scene in 1984) and when I realized I'd probably been staring for about two minutes, it creeped me out entirely.

Zadar has one of my favourite feats of art and architecture: the Orgulje (Sea Organ)! It's so cool. Created by Croatian architect Nikola Bašić, the Orgulje is a set of organ pipes built into a set of stairs right on the water's edge. When the waves lap up to the stairs, they push air in and out of the pipes. The resulting sound is a bit otherworldly (not my video, but this gives you a great look and listen):

In our final week abroad, we drove up north to the Istria region of Croatia, right next to the top of Italy's boot. You can definitely see (and taste!) the Italian influence here, with all its gorgeous truffle pasta and Napolitano pizza. We stayed in Pula, a stunning coastal city with well-preserved Roman architecture (including a coliseum that's apparently better preserved than the one in Rome, although I couldn't bring myself to bear the crowds to properly see it). We also took a memorable day trip to nearby Rovinj, which boasted the looming Church of St. Euphemia, overlooking the sea. 

I think the best part of this trip was the fact that all the art and architecture seemed to fuse seamlessly into our days of fun and exploring. That's what happens when you're physically surrounded by art history, and compared to Canada (its last 155 years, anyway) Europe can claim a significant head start. And in my humble opinion, that fusion doesn't get much better than watching my son take his scooter through 900-year-old Croatian streets: 

Highlights for days, really! I've left some more photo picks in the gallery below.