Starting from the center of Zagreb, this afternoon we walked west along Ilica, the longest street in the city. Quite soon we were in Eastern Europe, as it were. “Bratislava,” I commented the tangle of dilapidated apartment buildings, army barracks, shabby stores, abandoned factories, and squat rural houses, many of which were on the verge of collapse. After an hour and a half we came to Vrapče, famous for the largest lunatic asylum in the vicinity of the Croatian capital. The Austro-Hungarian building fronting a large number of wards of different vintage was rather appealing from Ilica, which ends at a narrow road lined with tall trees leading to the asylum gate, but I was not too eager to enter any of its long corridors. Thick grills on many windows suggested some caution. My beloved was a bit disappointed by my unwillingness to explore the place in greater depth, but we soon headed for the bus that would take us back to civilization. “Two tickets to Zagreb,” I told the driver. “No-one here appreciates your humor,” my beloved whispered behind my back when she saw his sour face. Going along Ilica once again, we were back in the Austro-Hungarian center of Zagreb in no time. “Hmm,” she mumbled as she looked around the main city square, “I feel lost for some reason.” Indeed, it took us only a couple of hours to visit several centuries. As well as several countries.

Addendum (March 19, 2011)

In response to this piece, Hrvoje Bielen writes that Ilica is only the third-longest street in Zagreb. He sent me a link to a website that relies on a well-known book that sets things straight. For better or worse, I have not even heard of the other two streets. Long as they are, they must be some distance away from the center, which I know pretty well by now. Anyhow, Ilica remains the longest street in the city for me. The website I glanced through also claims that this is the street that is most typical of the Croatian capital. There!