Below is a short video of my travels through Croatia livened up with a song by Great Big Sea. If you don’t like the photos you’ll at least hear a song performed by some fun loving Canadians. (And who doesn’t like Canadians?) The video begins in Split, travels east along the coast to Podgora then inland to the Plitvice Lakes National Park and concludes in Zagreb. What you cannot see in the video is how friendly the Croatians were toward me and how safe I felt traveling there, even when walking around Zagreb after midnight.
Two concessions to the Croatian friendliness occurred in the markets of Split and Zagreb. Early in the video you will see a stern faced, solidly built woman standing behind a pile of green peppers and cherries. She got upset with me photographing her produce and began waving her hands in the air. Then she started yelling at me in Croatian. I didn’t understand the words but the sentiment was clear, “Stop photographing my vegetables”. I stopped immediately and apologized.
I had a similar experience in a market in Zagreb but none in Spain, France, Scotland, etc. The merchants were both women and over fifty years old. It made me wonder if the older Croatians who grew up under a communist government and who have also experienced war and ethnic cleansing are more guarded about being photographed.
When doing street photography I avoid looking secretive and often smile and hold up my camera gesturing for permission to photograph. But the facial expression, light, angle, etc. may be there for only a second and telegraphing all your actions or being too timid will cause you to miss some interesting and candid shots. Like most leaps of faith you don’t know exactly how you’re going to land until after you’ve committed to the jump. When on the edge to “shoot” or “not shoot” I often follow Mark Twain’s advice, “It is easier to beg forgiveness than to seek permission”. But I also try to learn from the experience and use that knowledge to avoid negative encounters further down the road. Somedays I learn more quickly than others.
A perfectly enchanting video, Brick; and a comprehensive and loving look at a beautiful place in this world. Thank you.
Thanks Jet. It was a beautiful and relaxing place to visit.
Hi Tom, Enjoyed the trip to Croatia . Thanks . H.
Sent from my iPad
>
Thanks Hal. Glad you had a good trip.
Croatia is our favorite 2nd home of all the countries in the world, which is why we stayed there for four months. It is all the more special because almost everyone speaks some English. And thank goodness because Croatian is not an easy language to learn. I loved the reminiscing of places that you and my wife and I have visited in common. Your video is a reminder that the beauty of Croatia defies description. – Mike
Thanks Mike. Croatia turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Ironically I nearly decided to forego a visit because I thought it would be too crowded in summer. In the end I found a small town on the beach and stayed much longer than I had planned.
Wow. Audrey and I really enjoyed your video. During our bike tour we took a ferry from southern Italy up to Rijeka, Croatia. The trip took 3 days and was so beautiful. We kept kicking ourselves for not biking up the coast line. Your video just confirmed how much we missed. This is a definite must do for the future. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks, glad you guys liked it. It was an incredible coastline. I guess there is always one more place to see just around the corner.