What another amazing day in Croatia! I do not think we could have asked for prettier weather. We covered a lot of ground and have learned a lot about public health throughout our travels. We talked about smoking and a little about disabilities; but today we learned the importance of two new aspects of public health: traffic safety and spas. I will do my best to incorporate these things throughout this post.
The first thing on our agenda was going to the Veliki Tabor castle. We headed out on our charter bus on a major highway when Dr. Cotton told us to keep a look out for the change in the roads. As we drove she asked us to keep in mind the three E’s of traffic safety: engineering, education, and enforcement. We focused today on the engineering aspect of the three E’s. On the main highway everything appeared to be relatively safe in engineering. The roads were paved, they were divided into multiple lanes, and there were traffic signs posted. Also, the highway had lights so people driving late at night could see and they had shoulders where could pull if they needed to. As we got closer to our destination it became very apparent that the standards for the highways were not the same for the back roads. The differences in these roads were pretty drastic. Although some of them were paved, they were not obviously divided into two lanes nor did they have streetlights for night travelers. The roads did not have any shoulders for people to pull over to if they were in an accident or having any kind of emergency. If someone needed to pull over, they most likely would become stuck in a ditch and would probably have trouble merging back on the road. They also did not cater to cars any larger than a small SUV. I could not be more thankful for our skilled and talented bus driver. He made us feel very safe even though the conditions were not at all optimal for a charter bus. I am pretty sure he is the most skilled driver in the country if not the world. Travel safety is a major public health issue in Croatia as you can imagine with roads like these. Traffic injuries are the number one cause of injury death in Croatia. 18% of those deaths are pedestrian. People walk a lot on these roads and it is clear that they are not safe. These drastic statistics raised my attention to the importance of traffic safety in Croatia and at home in the States.
We arrived safe and sound to the Veliki Tabor castle, which is pictured in the first three photos above. The castle is under major restoration and although it is not open to the public at this time, we were granted special access. The group took a tour of the castle and learned about the history behind it. The restoration that was completed gave us a good idea of what the castle looked like in its prime. After our tour, we had lunch at this beautiful restaurant called Grensna Gorica. They had tables set up outside and presented us with another five course meal. It was different than most of the others we have had so far because they made everything from the resources in their back yard. The picture that is posted does not do it justice. After lunch we got back onto the bus and traveled to Kumrovec, the hometown of Tito, the controversial dictator of Yugoslavia. Kumrovec has been turned into the only open-air museum in Croatia (very similar Williamsburg, VA in the U.S.). This allowed us to experience the town as it as has been since its founding.
After our tour the group piled back into the bus for the long anticipated trip to the spa! Everyone was looking forward spending the rest of the day relaxing by the pool and experiencing other indulgences. The spa offered indoor and outdoor pools, water slides, an exercise gym, massages, facials, and reflexology, as well as hypertension and blood glucose screenings. The last photo posted was the stress-reduction lounge for use before and after a treatment. The spa gave us all an eye opening experience to the difference in our culture compared to Croatian culture. A few major differences I saw were: smoking in and around the pool, coed changing rooms, Speedo’s, and public nudity to name a few. After getting over all of those things, it seemed that everyone relaxed and enjoyed themselves. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
On our way back to Zagreb, Dr. Cotton explained to us how much importance the people of Croatia place on spas, thermal springs, and sanitariums for their health needs. Croats will take up to a month off of work to spend time at these places. They still get paid for their time off and insurance will pay for their stay. Unlike the U.S., Croatians believe in maintaining health by maintaining a temperament lifestyle. These holistic approaches to dealing with medicinal needs appear to help the people stay relatively healthy. In my opinion after experiencing the spa today, it relieves stress and allows the body and mind to relax. I certainly felt healthier after leaving and if I can speak for the group, everyone else seemed to be feeling better as well.
Everyday so far has been absolutely amazing. It blows my mind how much we have already seen in just three days. Looking at our itinerary, we have even more to look forward to. Even though they are long days, I look forward to every morning I wake up in this country. Look forward to writing soon!
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