Today we took a long walk through some new and coveted developments to the north of Zagreb’s crammed center. Since independence, whole villages have sprung up in the foothills of Sljeme, a wooded hill that can be seen from much of the city that runs along the Sava River. Many an urban villa, as these developments are now known, has sprouted there. Quite a few are still under construction on parcels of land of all shapes, sizes, and grades. Some have gotten high praises from the association of Croatian architects, as well. They are going for small fortunes in spite of the economic crisis that is gripping the country. But there is not a trace of urban planning anywhere one looks. Roads are too narrow for cars to pass by one another. Many sections of these roads are too steep for the winter months, when ambulances, firemen’s trucks, and garbage trucks cannot possibly reach the developments in higher places. The slopes are often forbidding. Electric lines, water pipes, and sewage pipes are most likely insufficient or entirely missing in much of the area. As we were returning to the center, we kept shaking our heads it utter disbelief. “Croatia,” we kept muttering under our breaths. Indeed, the whole country is laid bare in the foothills of Sljeme.