THE GREEN CATHEDRAL AND VRLIKA RIVER, IMOTSKI, CROATIA

Today I'm taking you to Green Cathedral, near Imotski, Croatia. Built in 1995 in vicinity of Imotski town, this Catholic church without walls is quite a sight to behold. The surroundings are absolutely beautiful as well. We made a stop there while driving through Dalmatia and it was definitely worth it. While we were there, we only saw one family of tourists and they were local. So, I guess that the Green Cathedral is still under the radar.  If you're visiting Croatia and you're looking for some peace and quiet, this is an ideal location to visit. The only time this place is busy is during the feast of Assumption. That's actually the reason why this lovely church was built. The feast of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most important feasts for the locals. Not that you have to be in any way religious to visit this sight. It's just a serene and glorious place.

 As much as I love the seaside, it's important to remember that there is more to Dalmatia (and Croatia for that matter) than the beach and the sea. There's so much nature, history and architecture to explore! I was born and raised by the sea, but with time I learned to appreciate this thing I like to call 'River Magic'. I simply adore being next to a creek, a river or a lake. It just feels me with a feeling of peace and serenity, especially if there's some greenery around and there usually is. 

 THE GREEN CATHEDRAL AKA A CATHEDRAL IN THE OPEN  AKA OUTDOOR CATHEDRAL

Definitely worth  a visit, especially if you are in the area! I really felt at peace here. Summer 2023 was at times lovely, at times quite tiring and challenging. You know, the way life generally is.  I'm glad I took advantage of my time to read books, study some foreign languages and work on art projects. However, on the other hand, I cannot say that I feel completely rested and refreshed.  That is all the more reason to feel blessed for finding a new happy place and a few infinitely precious moments of peace. Sometimes a moment of peace does feel like infinity. Sometimes a moment is more than enough. 

CITED FROM VISIT IMOTA SITE

The Church of the Assumption at Durmiševac was built in 1873. Since the nearby church on Opačac, owned by the Franceschi family, was neglected for a long time, the Bishop of Makarska allowed the parish priest of Proložac to build a new church to celebrate the Assumption.

Not far from the church, along the river Vrljika, in 1995, an “outdoor church” was built, the so-called Green cathedral – a structure with the outlines of a three-nave basilica with a sanctuary and a facade (designed by architect Edo Šegvić) – where a holy mass and procession is held for the feast of the Assumption. The whole area around Durmiševac and neighboring Opačac is a kind of “Our Lady’s Garden” of the Imotski region- a place of peace, tranquility, gathering and prayer.

IMOTSKI TOWN- THE BIRTH PLACE OF TIN UJEVIĆ

Imotski town is also known as the birth place of Tin Ujević. He was an extraordinary poet and 

I translated one of Tin Ujević's poems for my blog many years ago.

 Plaything Of  Winds

Suffer without a tear, live without a swear,

and be peacefully unhappy.

Tears are vain, and laments

won't ease a troubled sleep.

Give yourself to the drunk wind of life,

let it whirl you where it will;

let yourself be spinned like a leaf,

in the mad whirlwind.

Fly like a spinning leaf caught by a gust of wind,

for flight, my soul, you were created.

It is not meant for earth, it is not meant for rest

a flower that has no roots.*

                                     *Poem by Croatian poet Tin Ujević, translated by me

A SENSE OF GRATEFULNESS WITHOUT THE PRESSURE OF HAPPINESS

OR HOW TO SAY NO TO TOXIC POSITIVITY

I do feel grateful for the peace I felt while visiting Vrlika river. As I said, it has been a rewarding, but also a difficult summer. I have had some time to rest, but it's hard to relax with so many uncertainties in the air. Always  that feeling of no having enough time or even worse of not being sure are you using your time wisely. In life you cannot have everything. There are always sacrifices. That's something I'm learning. 

When did we start believing that happiness is a natural state in this world and that are somehow at fault if we don't feel it all time time? Maybe we can blame the modern trend of toxic positivity and the self-help industry, but really aren't we also to blame? We want to believe we can have it all if we just organize ourselves better, drink lemon water in the morning or whatever stupid thing might be in. It's easier to believe modern influencers and journalist than to admit this world is a scary place. Even when it' s not a scary place, it's a hard place to live in. Wouldn't it better to just admit it, though? Life is hard because it's hard, not because there's something wrong with you. 

 If you rest, you'll feel better but you might also feel guilty. FOMO and all that. There are no guarantees. There's no magic formula. If you are going to work on your art for hours at end, you'll get better at your art but you will probably also end up with chronic back pain. Jf you work hard on anything, you'll sometimes get frustrated, feel tired and overwhelmed.  If you catch up on reading like a hardcore bookworm you always wore, you'll end up feeling exhausted. For everything in life there's a price to pay.  There's no such thing as a free lunch. That's just the way it is. Nobody has it easy. The grass looks greener on the other side but it really isn't. We'll all fighting our battles. One day at the time.

So, take a moment and breathe.  Sometimes it is what we need the most. To exist. To let go. Perhaps the words of Tin Ujević won't make sense to you. What does it mean to be peacefully unhappy? Perhaps it's an artist thing. It seems that in sometimes in life and in literature, we don't run away from our sorrows. We can draw strength from sadness. Like Wilde wisely said, a broken heart sells many editions. It's not the end of the world to be peacefully unhappy. It implies maturity and bravery. What if the happiness  everyone talks about is just a mirage? That happiness always projected into the future. You are here. Now. What are you here now? Peacefully unhappy sounds a lot better than falsely happy to me. 

Being grateful for the moments of peace but understanding than in life suffering is unavoidable.

 Buddha said that all desires lead to suffering. Isn't a desire for happiness (especially for the unrealistic happiness ) paradoxically just what is leading us  into suffering? The greater the desire, the greater the suffering? 

ONE MORE POST CONTAINING MY MEDITATIONS ABOUT BEAUTY AND HAPPINESS

A MEANING ONLY EXISTS WITHING CONTEXT

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRAVEL?

HOW IS TRYING TO MAKE OURSELVES HAPPY MAKING US MISERABLE?

THE STORY OF MY OUTFIT

AKA SUSTAINABLE FASHION FILES

AKA HOW I WORE IT BEFORE?

The outfit I wore was simple and summer friendly. 

WHITE SHIRT WITH  SUBTLE FLORAL PRINT- new to me (first wear), second hand 

DUSTY PINK SKIRT- ,MULTIPLE WAYS TO WEAR HERE, HERE , HERE , HERE AND HERE , LAST WORN HERE

THE TROPICAL PRINT SANDALS- 30 WAYS TO WEAR HERE, LAST WORN HERE

THE NEUTRAL MINI BAG- OLD, BORSA,  HERE & HERE

THE BEAUTY OF RIVER VRLIKA

CITED FROM WIKIPEDIA: 

The Vrljika is short sinking river in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, belonging to Neretva River basin. Its source is located on the outskirts of village Proložac near town of Imotski, Croatia. The Vrljika River is home of endangered endemic Softmouth trout, also known as Adriatic trout. The Vrljika River is a sinking river, typical of diverse karstic hydrology of Dinaric Alps in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Rising from a strong karstic spring, it flows often short stretches before it sinks again. Because the Trebižat (river) disappears and reappears at resurgences various times, the people used to call it different names. Exactly nine names are known (every time it resurfaced, the river got a new name): Vrlika - Matica - Tihaljina - Mlade - Suvaja (Posušje) - Culuša - Ričina - Brina - Trebižat.

Dinaric karst water systems support 25% of the total of 546 fish species in Europe, many endemic. The degree of endemism in the karst ecoregion is greater than 10%. The Neretva River basin, together with four other areas in the Mediterranean, has the largest number of threatened freshwater fish species.^[1] Among most endangered is rare and endemic species of trout, a Softmouth trout, also known as Adriatic trout (Salmo obtusirostris)^[2]

MORE PLACES TO SEE- TRAVEL WITH MY ART: 

#1 PALERMO ISLAND SICILY (ITALY)    #2 BAY MALA STINIVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)   #3 IRKUTSK, SIBERIA (RUSSIA) #4  MATEJUŠKA, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA)
#5 HVAR CITY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #6 ZENTA MARINE, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA) 

 #7 ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #8 SUCURAJ, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)
#9 MALA STINIVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #10 HVAR TOWN, ISLAND HVAR ( CROATIA)
#11 JELSA TOWN, DANCE O THE SAILS (CROATIA) #12 ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR, (CROATIA)
#13: SUCURAJ, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #14: BAY BRIZENICA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 
#15 BAY LOZNA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #16 BAY VEPRINOVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)
#17 BOL, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #18 PLANINICA, (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)
#19 SUCURAJ, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

#20 BEACH SOLINE,VRBOSKA,  ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)
#21 STARI GRAD, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #22 MAKARSKA (CROATIA)
#23 ZAVALA  PANORAMA (CROATIA) #24 ŽNJAN BEACH, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA)
#25 JELSA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #26 ZAVALA BAY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

#27 MALA STINIVA IN SUMMER, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)  #28 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BASINA BAY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #29 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BAY TORAC, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #30 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, VALETTA, ISLAND MALTA (MALTA)   #31 TRAVEL WITH MY ART : CAPE PLANKA (CROATIA) #32 TRAVEL WITH MY ART: ZAVALA (CROATIA)

TRAVEL WITH MY ART #33: LOZNA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

TRAVEL WITH MY ART #34: BOTA, VRBOSKA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day!