Stephen Travels

Tag Archives: Croatia


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The Virgin Mary on a Battlefield and a Dead Miner

St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, Millvale, Pennsylvania

Just four miles outside of downtown Pittsburgh, in the borough of Millvale, Pennsylvania, St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church offers a collection of artwork, created by a single artist, that I had never seen in a church before—and I’ve visited a lot of churches. Maksimilijan “Maxo” Vanka created 25 murals that turned the religious art world on its head by graphically portraying war, violence, exploitation, bloodshed, environmental destruction, and selfish materialism. But, in his societal commentary, he didn’t abandon the promise of faith and the tenets of Christianity to make his point: In Vanka’s mesmerizing art, there’s also the promise of eternal reward for those who navigate successfully through the world’s self-inflicted evils and horrors. Read about it >


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Feeling Blue

Urn, Lightner MuseumSuffering from the winter blues? Then turn your attention from the figurative blues to the literal ones and you’ll be much happier. Around the world, the coolest color has the ability to awe us. It’s also the color that can best calm us down. Just look at the sky or a tranquil sea and you’re already feeling better. But nature doesn’t hold a monopoly on blue. There are some outstanding manmade objects that equally do the trick. Read about the top five blues >


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It’s All in the Curious Details

Stone Mosaic Sidewalk, Freiburg, GermanyIf you’ve been following my blog for a while now, and I hope that you are, you know I have a passion for architecture. I’ve written about castles, cathedrals, mansions, and so many other buildings and their fascinating stories. While I love looking at the entire structure as a whole, sometimes there’s an engaging little otiose detail that may elude me on first glance. Thank goodness for that second look, when these curiosities, thoughtful and often playful, grabbed my attention and made me appreciate the imagination of those who created them. Although some have lost their raison d’être to the mists of time, others can tell an entire history. Read about the top five architectural curiosities >


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Underrated Zagreb’s Best Buildings

Croatian Railways Headquarters, ZagrebWith good reason, visitors to Croatia flock to and concentrate on its gorgeous Adriatic coast and such unmistakable cities as Split and Dubrovnik. But there’s more to this country than its enviable coastline, verdant islands, and pristine beaches. A simple detour east brought me to Zagreb, one of the most underrated capitals in Europe and one of its most surprising, filled with great (and uncrowded) restaurants, fun markets, tons of museums, and striking architecture. Read about the top five buildings in Zagreb >


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Music in the Sky: The World’s Best Bell Towers

Cathedral of St. Domnius, SplitI’ve had the opportunity to ring the bells at the Church of St. Anne Shandon in Cork, Ireland, and at the Church of the Assumption on an island in Lake Bled, Slovenia. But, for the most part, my experiences with bell towers have been restricted to admiring their vertical beauty and listening to their heavenly music, and that’s rewarding enough. No matter their purpose, from cheerful chimes on college campuses to somber tolling marking a funeral, bell towers make for striking exclamation points in a cityscape. Read about the top five bell towers >


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On the Wall

One of the world’s great fortified cities, Dubrovnik, Croatia, is unforgettable, from your arrival there to every moment you spend sheltered within the impressive defensive walls of the Old Town, drinking fine Croatian red wine, exploring ancient churches, admiring unique doorways, and popping into one of its museums. To get a different perspective of this unmistakable city, I went upstairs and took a 1.2-mile walk atop the walls that kept Dubrovnik safe for centuries. Read about it >


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Bodies of Work

Jenners Department Store, Edinburgh, ScotlandIf you feel like the weight of the world is sometimes pressing down on you, imagine if an actual building were doing the same thing. Since the sixth century BC in ancient Greece, stone women have been supporting entablatures on their heads; their male counterparts came along a little later, in the Greek cities in Sicily and southern Italy. These caryatids and atlantids not only served a practical function, as a column or pillar to support the weight of a structure, but they also added impressive panache. Read about the top five atlantids and caryatids >


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Croatia’s Choicest Churches

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Varazdin, CroatiaAs I traveled around this Balkan nation, I continuously noted domes and bell towers rising above their shorter neighbors. These telltale signs of religious buildings beckoned me, with their beautiful architecture and their centuries of history, art, legend, lore — and the occasional miracle or two. Read about the top five churches in Croatia >


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First Impressions That Last

Pitons, St. LuciaYour journey begins in your mind, when you ruminate about a place you’d like to visit. After you’ve made your itinerary, selected the places you want to explore, and booked your accommodations, there’s only one thing left to do: Go. And when you get there, it’s that ever-important first impression that can set the tone for your entire trip. That initial reaction all depends on how you arrive, and the mode of transportation you’ve selected can make all the difference. Read about the world’s top five arrivals >


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European Nature at Its Finest

Plitvice Lakes National Park, CroatiaAfter spending more than a week in urban Croatia, in Dubrovnik, Split, and Zagreb, and enjoying their myriad attractions (not to mention lots of fine red Croatian wine), it was time to see one of the most beautiful national parks not only in this Balkan nation, but in all of Europe. So I hopped on a bus for a two-hour ride from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park and then spent a glorious day exploring this outstanding attraction. Read about it >