Rooftop Swamp

There have been some happenings in my life in last few days, both nice & not so nice, so I didn't manage to sit on my laptop & make a blog post, but today finally I decided to take time for myself & do it! Also, for months already I've been thinking of posting in #urbanexploration & #wednesdaywalk, so today I realized that this post can be valued in both communities. I really took these shots 3 days ago - on Wednesday - but till today no time to edit nor post them...

This is really a part of the rooftop of this magnificent building - it is under water & plants are growing out of it. With all the other ruined details it associated me with the swamp.

Haludovo Hotels

On the photos of this post you can see just a small part of one of the greatest communal, economical & architectural projects in Yugoslavia. Not even whole parts, just remains of ruins. (Cause it is demolished & cause the batteries of my camera ran out.) This hotel complex was built by the Yugoslavian-Croatian government & financed by the publisher of Penthouse magazine - Bob Guccione. It was registered as the property Brodokomerc company which was in hands of people as public property in former Yugoslavia. It was the unique project in the whole world. Nothing similar anywhere at the time. But I don't really want to describe the history of the place cause there are many authors & sources who already did it.

This is the main building of the complex. Used to be called "Palace".

Even thou it is Mediterranean, North-West of Croatia, island Krk in Kvarner bay, it looks like it is Chernobyl. These are the consequences of a militant transformation from socialist (so-called communist country system) to the wild non-regulated capitalism lead by the so-called democratic government. The truth is that this greedy government, like almost every other government in this corrupted world of false material values, wants only power-influence through money cause the highest false value, that we as mankind agreed upon, is that quantity of money is the only true value & through this, money turns into power which can influence others & literally you can buy people & make them do what you want. Ugly practice, very ugly.

Privatization of public property which happened all around the world, also happened in Croatia. This hotel was also public property even thou the main investor was only one guy. He made a lot of money through gambling & after returning the investment & maybe even earning much more, he just left the property & moved to some other investment. This complex was left in the hands of the workers & was worker-directed until the war broke in Yugoslavia. All orchestrated by the forces who had interest. War is the worst manifestation of human deviant behavior but also the greatest job for those who run the war business & stay alive after it when all the others kill each other. The resources stay the same for less number of people. Can you do the math? Enough of this bad stories. Many will not believe my words so I suggest you to do your own research & real truth seekers will surely find the truth!

These kind of ruins are perfect spots for the street artists to create some graffiti & I always like to see these art pieces. For example this girl in the bottom balcony looks like a comic character & very beautiful.

Why did I anyway come here to shoot in the 1st place? Usually, I do real estate photography professionally but I am sometimes bored with all the architecture that I encounter on my job & this complex & the state of it is extra special itself & to make some crazy photos to use them to promote my real estate photography & through these joking a bit about the job standards.

I don't like the letters graffiti so much but they still look good. I prefer more the graffiti pictures that show something more than just letters.

For few months I was planning to do this & finally I did but even for a better reason... And this is a nice story that I'll write here in the following text below.

New Year Celebration

I didn't go anywhere for the false new year celebration cause I don't like this way of celebration, I don't eat meat, drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs. I don't like the noise & the bad music everywhere around & all this chaos for the fake date. So, I decided to stay home, sleep & rest well. In the morning I woke up, made myself the space smoothie & went to the wellness in the newly built Hilton hotel here around Rijeka. My only plan was to fully relax in the wellness focusing only on myself. But when I came there...

...there were only few guests in the wellness & one of them was a nice girl only wearing panties & looking very attractive. I was noticing her immediately but she was was also noticing me. I decided to stick to my first plan & focus on myself. I entered the steam sauna, sat down & really enjoying the humid heated air, slowly breathing & meditating a bit when I heard the doors opening...

...I opened my eyes & exactly that girl with who I already exchanged the attraction was entering the sauna, like she was following me. Again I decided to keep focused on myself. She also sat down & started relaxing. Some time passed & I felt like I had too much of steam so I exited the sauna, took hot than cold shower & went for the jacuzzi. The girl was already there, I think. One part of me wanted the presence of that beautiful girl but I still decided to continue with my 1st plan so I was enjoying myself there too with closed eyes & sometimes opening them.

The next time I opened my eyes, the girl was looking at me, directly into my eyes, so I smiled & she smiled back for few seconds. We didn't speak anything & I closed my eyes again. & so we were changing saunas & showers, coming in & out of the jacuzzi, encountering here & there...

...when I felt thirsty & went for the bar to drink some water & eat some fruits. While I was there, I was looking at my phone & even doing some jobs. Suddenly, the girl also moved into the bar & passing near me, we again looked & smiled to one another & she left. I was thinking that maybe I should do something after all but still I decided not to & continued the phone work...

This shot I kind of like the most cause in my brain it associates me as the perfect manifestation of the words "rage against the machine".

...when suddenly the biggest surprise of all came to me! In one moment that girl was standing in front of me wanting to meet me. I stood up shook her hand & we introduced each other. We also spoke few more words, like a 5 min chat, exchanged some contacts & agreed to meet soon in the next days...

Strange Romance

...& so we did! We met again in a hotel only this time in this ruin! Why here? Cause over the phone she asked me if I like to dance & really do. & her idea was that we meet somewhere privately in the fresh air away from smoky clubs, bad music & fucked up people on various drugs, install a blue tooth speaker & play our own music. That was just like a perfect scenario for me! The other thing was that half way between her place & mine was this hotel complex ruin that I wanted to shoot so much for months already.

Pictures-graffiti look so much better than only letters!

We really did meet here & talked a bit while I was still shooting until camera batteries died & than really we played music on the speaker & danced privately. It was so nice! Until the speaker battery ran out too. But we didn't give up! We went back to our cars, left the dead technology in the cars & took out other more robust & real instruments to create our own music & some fire show. She took her fire dancing equipment & me the African drum - djembe. So, I played & she danced with the fire. It was already dark so the fire had an extra effect & sound of the drum echoed in the dark vast concrete giant ruin. Now I feel sorry that we didn't record at least 3 min of it. It was monumental!

After finishing the trial performance we again left all our accessories back into the cars & went for a walk by the sea in the dark, with no light but still it was kind of visible. We talked a lot about our lives. It was really nice & pleasant. It seemed like our 1st date. Anyway, we agreed to meet again soon. When we reached back to our cars & the moment to separate, we hugged each other & stayed hugged for approximately 10 min & we both felt so good about the hug & the whole afternoon. I felt an urge to kiss her & to be kissed by her too. So, when we finished hugging, I leaned towards her & touched her lips with mine & stayed like that for more than few seconds. She didn't really kissed me back at first but I didn't remove my lips & she didn't removed hers either & I felt her gentle kiss back... Then we entered the cars & left in different directions.

More Shots & Philosophy

I realized how the description of my date totally didn't follow the photos of the ruin but also I wonder - why does it need to?! I hope you like the potential beginning of the love story. Now I'm going back to the ruin...

This was the central hall with a lounge bar just below the reception.

I could write so much about this ruin, its history, why it was demolished, why we had war in Yugoslavia, why we lived so very good lives back than & why we are living now like modern slaves in EU rule of capital. But I actually realized that all these writings are almost futile cause no one cares. It is the past. Many people died & still dying today for some other people's interest while ones are fighting for false ideals, others are fully enjoying the comfort of war income. Some are still alive with huge traumas & don't live the nice lives...

Can you imagine how brilliant this hotel was?! Even as a ruin it looks fantastic!

Still, the history can teach us not to repeat the same mistakes over & over again. But we still do it! These same people who directed & orchestrated the destruction of Yugoslavia & all the true values of mankind, are doing the same now in Ukraina, Palestina or anywhere else in the world where the war is being fought! These bloodthirsty monsters are sacrificing many innocent people just to indirectly take their energy, in form of material goods to accumulate more power.

Just aside the main building, there's another one. And more graffiti...

Still, I am finding the good side of all of this chaos & mess & Mother Planet that we almost destroyed with our selfishness & greed. There are people who are coming back to themselves, back to the consciousness, every day more & more! This makes me happy! & every each of us can heal & can find a community to fit in & a couple to connect with in a sacred bond of Peace, Love, Unity & Respect & lift up from the mud of the swamp!

The other side of the rooftop has even more interesting moment - a big tree found its way through the rooftop hole to grow above the darkness below into the Light in the Sky!

There are many teachers & the true protectors of the Universal Peace, the true people, who dedicated their lives to help themselves to rise & to show to everybody that a different life is possible indeed & we are here to love each other, be gentle & mild to each other & live in harmony with environment & be grateful to the greatest present - the Life Itself - what we got from our Earthly Mother & Heavenly Father.

Graffiti are really everywhere!

So, my message is almost always the same: Love yourself & you will be able to love others, help yourself to be able to help others too! Love can overcome anything! If you turn on the Light, the darkness vanishes! Be the Light! You already are! Stay away from toxicity & do not poison yourself with false & fake values! You are born rich, with everything around you! You are Free! Stay Free!

When I looked at it at first I really thought it was written "superman"! Hahaha...

Respect yourself, be yourself! Always! With no compromise! Respect other people & other beings too! We are all here made by the Creator with same right to inhabit this planet. No one has more rights than other! We are not the same but we are equal! The system is just an illusion created by strange people to enslave other people - this is the true evil! It is a manipulation of consciousness cause not everybody is grown to be strong. We are all born strong but weakened by the bad & false education which teaches us to be condition by fear. It is the rule of fear which creates an illusion in our minds. Open your eyes & you will see the truth! & take it easy...

There were tiny "graffiti" on the floor tiles too... Everywhere!