Moja Drugi Kuća (My Second House)

From now until I leave Croatia I will be living with the Ježić family.
Here are pictures of my new home!

Looking at the house from the street!

The house is quite big, three stories and modern. The main floor has the front entrance, kitchen, bathroom, living room/host parents bedroom, (By day it's the living room but at night the couch turned into a bed) and an add on room that's in the process of being made into a bedroom. The basement is the garage, storage room and cellar. The top floor is the computer space, my host sisters room, my room, baka's (The grandmothers) room and another bathroom.

View of the front of the house.

On the right is the garage with the being renovated room above it. The window on the brick section of the house looks into the kitchen. The top window looks into the upstairs bathroom.

Front entrance.

Stairs leading to the front door and to the top floor.
Front hallway.

Downstairs bathroom/laundry room.

Living room/ host parents bedroom.

Other side of living room. Behind the curtains is the room that's being renovated.

Eating area in the kitchen.

The Kitchen.

The Kitchen. very modern! Computer area.

My host grandmothers room is on the left.

Upstairs hallway.

My host sisters room is straight ahead, mine on the right and the bathroom is on the left. Upstairs bathroom.
My bedroom! It's so big.
The armour.

The other side of the armour. There is a sliding panel to access both sides!Bedside! Desk and TV area of my room.

Work desk!

My host parents had the vase of roses waiting for my arrival! Very beautiful and they smelled great.

View from my bedroom window on a snowy day.

Switching

Part of the Rotary Exchange Student experiences is to live with more then one host family. This gives the exchangers the opportunity to experience different ways of life in their host country.

During my stay in Croatia I am to stay with two host families. Yesterday (the 10th) I made the switch. Kevin, the other exchange student in Varaždin and I traded families. I left the Piskać house and moved into the Ježić household. The transition was smooth and I am all settled in!

Cold day in Ludbreg

On the 9th Kevin's Host Mom had to run some errands in the nearby town of Ludbreg. She took Kevin and I with her and we just wondered around while she did her thing.

Map of Ludbreg.

Ludbreg is a small town of about 3,500 inhabitants. It is located 20km away from both Varaždin and Koprivnica alongside the Bednja river.

The Romans built Castrum Iovia on what is today's Ludbreg.

Statue of the Holy Trinity on the Holy Trinity Square. (Ludbreg's Central square)
Holy Trinity Square. (Main square)Another view of the main square.

Ludbreg is often referred to as the "Center of the World" or the "Rims of the World."

There were always legends about Ludbreg being the "Center of the World." Erasmus Weddingen confirmed this belief when playing with a map and caliper. He drew several circles on a map using Ludbreg as a center. He noticed that on each of the circles lay one or more cities. A number of European capitals can be found equal distances away from Ludbreg. An example of this is that Budapest and Vienna are both 225 km away from Ludbreg.

Center of the world marker in the main square.

"The Center of the World" (Centrum Mundi)

župne crkve - The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity

This is the oldest sacral building in the town. It was first mentioned in 1334. Since the 18th century this church has protected the Relic of the Precious Blood of Christ.

Doorway in the wall of the church.

Colorful tile work.

Bell and clock tower.

The first written traces of this church date back to 1334. The present day church was constructed in 1410. Since then it has been reconstructed several times. In the 18th century it received its baroque features.

Inside the Church's walls.

An old confessional.

The interior of the Church. A nativity scene is still on display at the front of the church.

I walked alongside this small river that connects to the Bednja river. Pretty little river. Ducks swimming in the icy waters. Partially frozen. A thin layer of ice on the edge of the creek. Group of bull rushes. Ducks. Batthyany Castle or Ludbreg Palace.

Since 1635 Ludbreg was in possession of the Erdödy family. In 1695 the powerful Batthyany clan took power over Ludbreg and held it until 1918. During that time, the castle got it's new appearance,walls surrounding the fortress and the tower were torn down, and the castle got it's third floor. In 1939 the castle was bought off by Municipality of Ludbreg.

In 1411 a priest was celebrating Mass in the Chapel of Count Batthyanys Castle. During the consecration of the wine the priest doubted the truth of transubstantiation and the wine in the chalice turned into blood. The priest didn't know what to do so he embedded the relic in the wall behind the main alter. The priest and workman kept this a secret. It was only reveled at the time of the priests death. After the priests revelation, news of the relic quickly spread and people started coming on pilgrimage to Ludbreg. This miracle relic was then brought to Rome. In the 1500's a commission was convened in Ludbreg to investigate the facts connected with the Eucharistic miracle. On April 14, 1513, Pope Leo X published a Bull permitting veneration of the holy relic. The relic has since been returned to Croatia.

Some people drive cars to town, other take their tractors. The Sanctuary of the Precious Blood of Christ.

The Croatian region of Moslavina was ravaged by plague during the 18th Century. The Croatian parliament in Varaždin vowed that if God stopped the epidemic "a church of Christ 's Tomb of Jerusalem would be risen at the place where the greatest treasure of Croatian Kingdom was stored, in Ludbreg." The vow wasn't fulfilled until 1994 when democracy was restored in Croatia. This church was what was constructed.

The grounds surrounding the sanctuary dedicated to the Trinity.

Modified Last Supper fresco.

In 2005 artist Marijan Jakubin painted this fresco in the church. In place of the Apostles Croatian saints and blesseds were painted. The Bednja River.

After a half day of exploring we had a small lunch at a local resturant then headed home.