Interesting Mass at the cathedral. English-language cancelled, so I went to an earlier one. Tried to time it for the Mass of the Faithful, as the readings and homily would have been lost on me. Small, grizzled old man at the door apparently thought I was a gawking tourist and tried to physically grab me as I went in. Kept walking, saying I was there for Mass (in Croatian and Latin). In both the Croatian diaspora and Hungary, I've encountered a fair amount of such things. In this city, the church bells peal loudly, but the church doors are frequently bolted. War-weariness, perhaps.
Interesting free concert of local music scheduled in town tonight, but 9PM on a Sunday. I wonder if there might be some unconscious cultural habit of staging culturally meaningful events at times when the German and Austrian ambassadors would be certain to send their regrets.
American kitsch piece scheduled at the national theatre, Almost certainly going to give it a miss.
I get the sense that things are going just slightly -- but sufficiently -- askew. Perhaps a trick of the mind.
Beautful weather, though.
Oddly there seems to be a push locally for 1950's-style blue laws. The malls and groceries closed on Sunday. (The orthodox coastal bit of the old Republic to the south does the same). It's odd, though. Why would a largely Muslim city absolutely reliant on the tourist industry close up shop on a Sunday? (Though all the tourist things appear to be open -- it's just the malls and proper groceries and most of the retail shops, apparently.) Not that inconvenient -- the western cheap coffee places are still open, so I can get out of the rooms for a bit, and I generally do the grocery shopping on weekdays to avoid the crowds.
Curiouser and curiouser. Gently down the stream -- inshallah.