Hampton Court

Lady Chatterley does not live here anymore

Wallenberg everywhere

This was not the first time I bump into Raoul Wallenberg while traveling. My previous encounter was in Sydney and now in Budapest.

It runs in the family

A family tree at the Mont Orgueil castle in Jersey.

Four hours in Zagreb

I visited Zagreb briefly during my stay in Ljubljana. It was an interesting and exciting experience. It was not long ago when Ljubljana and Zagreb were part Yugoslavia, but now they seem to be from different planets. While Ljubljana's buildings are in good shape, Zagreb looks more like a city after a bombing. Many facades are falling down and there is a rather mystique and oriental atmosphere in the city. Despite of Zagreb's dowdy appearance it feels a metropole unlike Ljubljana. As there was not too much money in the communist era, the 60's and 70's ugly architecture has not destroyed the old quarters. My stay was short and the weather was cold, so I did not see too much of Zagreb. I will definitely go back on a sunny day.

Silent history

I noticed a strange but understandable thing while touring the alpine countries. References to Nazi history are few. One example of this is the brochure of Berchtesgaden in Austria. The village advertises Kehlsteinhaus as one of their main attractions. The place is better known as Eagle's Nest, one of Hitler's mountain get-aways. The brochure mentions the place representing a piece of history but it does not refer to the former occupier. Historic wounds still seem to need some healing. On the other hand, in Slovenia I saw Nazi symbolism in media and even Nazi medallions at Ljubjanian antique stores.

Left: A magazine cover from Bled with header 'Germany in year zero'

Right: A poster in Ljubljana with header 'Little dictator'