Zadar, it’s numerous monuments and great spaces, was an inspiration for artists from the earliest antiquity. Just recently I have found this amazing, original woodblock engraving (print on paper) dated C 1890. This is from a publication on the Mediterranean . The print  has been hand colored in watercolorIt is in excellent clean condition on good art paper.It has a thine white card backing. It measures approx 31cm x 23 cm.

Charlie W. Wyllie - Zadar, Capital of Dalmatia, Porta di Fosse

This wonderful engraving was done by British artist Charles William Wyllie (1853-1923)
It depicts the late 19th century scene in front of the main land gates to Zadar showing merchants and sailors in this small, wonderfully protective harbor. Fosa is now very different but maybe even prettier than depicted here.

I got it on eBay for 20 USD… pretty good

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Village of Vrana, near Biograd and Zadar, is filled with amazing treasures. The area was inhabited from the earliest days of civilization since it was lying on fertile soil with numerous fresh water springs and it was close to the sea.
This area has over a dozen great fresh water springs that almost never go dry. That was realized by the Romans once they conquered Liburnia in 1st AD. Since the coastal area between Vrana/Pakoštane and Zadar is very fertile, numerous villas rusticas were build by the Roman colonizers.
The demand for fresh water supply grew and the Roman authorities decided to build an aqueduct from Vrana to 41 km away (26 miles) distant Zadar.

The small cave

The aqueduct was starting at two springs nearby the cave. Both springs: Biba and Subiba are still in use today for entire region of Biograd. Both springs, combined with the water from the cave, was more than enough to supply Zadar, ancient Jader, and, according to some experts, it was even capable of delivering 57 liters per second. Quite an achievement considering that the engineers had to get all that water up the hill and then find the best route to distant Jader. And not only that, the water was also used for many villas rusticas along the route…

Remains of Roman pipes

Even now, the stone pipes, that were later combined with led ones, can still be found under ground. Although majority of people think immediately of arches and beautiful overground aqueducts like the one in Segovia, Spain – most of the aqueducts were buried under ground or only few feet above the ground. The area around the aqueduct was also well maintained and even guarded, since these were some of the most expensive parts of the infrastructure.

Remains of the aqueduct near Sv. Filip Jakov - seen from the main road

The portion on the picture above is going through my friend’s field. Since he is an archaeologist, he is taking good care of the monument and even put a small sign marking what it is.

Several other curiosities are connected with this aqueduct: the engineers used a very different led pipe technique than ever and anywhere before. The led pipes were used to bring the water from the springs to siphons and raise it to the hill over Pakoštane. But, if the builders used that to bring the water over 5000 meters of Vrana marsh, the total weight of led used would be over 500 tons making this an extremely costly project. They probably considered making an arched aqueduct over the marshes (and that would be SPECTACULAR!) but the marsh of Vrana Lake was probably very bad place to put the columns and pillars i, since the soil was too muddy.

The entrance to cave

Recently, the cave was cleaned of ugly graffiti and the simple, yet helpful, handrail was put in place. The tourist board of Pakoštane finally came to senses that Vrana is an amazing location filled with attractions for curious travelers.
The main cave is fairly big and impressive. There is a smaller cave from which the water flows out. That, smaller cave, is also known for several species of bats but the water is quite high these days so it is impossible to get inside. The water actually flows from all sorts of places and openings and it is good to bring good boots. Not in the summer when there is hardly any water.

The cave

Romans even had a small altar for the nymphs and it was dedicated to obscure deity called Bind – Neptunus. The only other mention of that deity was found on one location in Bosnia.

There are several other interesting things in the cave as well: Borelli family grafitti from 19th and even 18th century and a plate in the memory of a 1899. visit of Hapsburg archduke “Karl Stipan”.

Vrana cave is so nice to visit with kids! Perfectly safe and quite unusual and interesting. It makes a great trip for everyone and especially if combined with rest of the attractions: Vrana castle, Maskovic Caravansary, birdwatching…

We always drink water when here!

Contact us for a private program or custom tour in this area: www.tours-in-croatia.com
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All that

I make my way to the youth hostel in Zadar, and just my luck there is only one. On exiting the bus and going to the hostel, I realise its a YHA hostel, and then met with a Contiki bus. I literally just go “Oh fuck!”. If you know me, you will know my displeasure for ‘bus/coach tours’ of Europe. Especially those aimed at 18-35. And the name Contiki. The next night I will hear the worst story by a dickhead traveller on one of these tours – and it pretty much sums up why I hate them.

Anyway, seeing as I cannot check in to 1pm I dump my bags and go explore Zadar. I get off the bus, and see a supermarket and grab some breakky – yoghurt and chocolate milk! Score. So I scoff my food whilst walking down to the harbour. And across the bridge to the Old Town.

Roman Forum, Zadar.

I make my way down to the Town Square, before heading down to the Riveria. Where I stumble upon what is called the sea organ, which is actually an organ that is played by the movements of the ocean and the sounds are unbelieveable. There is also the Sun Clock next to it but thats pretty boring, except for the massive boat next to it. I end up lazing on the step next to the sea organ and reading a book, before drifting off to catch some sleepy zzzz’s.

Sea Organ, Zadar.

I head back through the town and back to the hostel, via the shop for some lunch (trusty baguette with salami and cheese). I check into my room, and sit outside and eat my food.

Its getting a little bit on the hot side, so I go off to the local beach and go for a swim. And I am not really used to it, because unlike in Spain/Portugal the beaches here are rocks and pebbles. Bloody torturous on your feet. Its great once you get out in the water, but the trek down to the water is terrible.

After a swim, I make my way to the town again, and grab a few beers. On my way down to the harbour I see some Croatian Crooner belting out a song for a music video….looks as gay as Smithers.

Croatian music video shoot...weird.

I go and sit by the sea organ and watch the sun go down and people watch. It is by far one of the prettier and relaxing sunsets I have witnessed.

Sunset over Zadar.Chilling with a beer.

Sunset Dive.

On the way back to the hostel, I run into a group of breakdancers – they are an overbundane of these guys in Europe. And also a pretty good water polo game.

Night time water polo on the Zadar Riveria.

Back at the hostel I run into a girl named Sarah, who is also making plans to go to Plitvice Lakes National Parks tomorrow. So we organise to meet up fairly early in the morning and head there together.

I have a few quiet beers at the hostel garden, mainly due to the massive amount of kids nearby and doss pretty early.

Bled, Slovenia – July 26th, 2009.

Up pretty early by my standards, we leave at 9 for Canyoning, and I grab some breakfast – big tub of yoghurt – and wait for the girls at their hostel. They seem to have had a pretty big night after I left – with some picking up slovenian men and going for a midnight dip in the lake. Georgie is still drunk and does a ‘Ashley’ jig from Cesky.

Doing the 'Ashley' Jig.

We hop in the car, and head out of town.  Before being called back as someone was left behind. We go to our guides crib and pick up our equipment which consisted of running shoes, booties, wetsuits and helmets. Piling into the car, we get driven out into the hills of the surrounding mountains, and end up between Bohinj and Bled at a canyon site.

We are told to put ALL of our stuff in the wetsuit and place them on like a backpack – see pic for details. And hike up about 20 minutes to the top of the canyon. Where our guide tells everyone to immediatly go to the toilet, as not to piss our wetties. Its a bit of a struggle getting on the wetsuits for most people but before you know it, the guides giving us all the info we need before setting off down the river.

Our wettie backpacks.

We climbed down into the canyon and were told to sit on the edge of this little pool – where the guide immediatly splashed us with ice cold water. Which was a good idea as we were just about to do our first dive into icy cold water.

The next few hours were spent traversing, sliding, jumping and climbing through a picturesqe canyon in Slovenia. And I must admit it was one of the most funnest activities I have done. Certainly an awesome experience. And plan to do it again, but at a higher degree of difficulty.

The gangs all here. After our canyoning trip.

We go back to the hostel, where we cook up some yummy omelletes before I say goodbye to the girls and head off to the train station to go to Ljubljana and then a train to Zagreb. Before getting on a night train to Zadar.

This would have to be one of the worst, but certainly one of the memorable train rides I have taken. The first train to Zagreb was fine – it was an Austrian train so it was modern and up to date. However, at Zagreb – where I got a quick snap – and a feed. Before getting onto the next train.

The train to Zadar was an old fashion rattler, it had compartments and I’d managed to score one by myself for a while, til some friendly Germans joined myself in the carriage with an iPod dock and speakers. Thinking I’m gonna have a pretty good trip, the ticket conductor gets on board and tells me I have to go to a different carriage as this one will be seperated and going to Split, where as I’m going to Zadar.

Zagreb Station....not much going here.

So I head to the rear carriages as told, and I have a look at all the compartments. There is one with room – an old lady, a dog and a daughter (I presume) – and ask them if I can take a seat. Only to be rudely told “Seats taken” in a forrest gump kind of stupor. Fair enough. So I dump my back in the aisle and watch as the country side goes by in darkness with a twinkly of light.

I go to get comfy leaning up against my bag in the aisle, before the friendly Austrian girl who caught the train with me from Ljubljana comes up to me and says she has a spot for me in her compartment. Sweet.

The compartment is rather small, cramped and has 4 people. We all sort of spread out, and weave around each other as best as possible whilst trying to sleep. It was basically human tetris.

Its not long til we’re all drifting off to the rattle of the train carriage.

We take our first look in Part 1

by dkpatriarch

© 2009 David Hilton

When to next for the Assassin?

With Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2 achieving great first-week sales of 1.6 million units worldwide, a 32 percent increase on the original medieval action stealth title, which sold around 1.1 million copies the first week in 2007, I’ve decided to jump the gun a bit and explore where and when the inevitable third Assassin’s Creed game could take place.

Ubisoft have chosen very well for their first two titles and so they must think very carefully (if they have not already decided) [Ed: which they already have, but just haven't let on about] about the setting of the next installment, especially now that they’ve got the game’s mix of free-running action and mission diversity right this time.

Here is Part 1 of my list of possible time periods and settings that I’ve come up with after pondering the possibilities through the filter of my past education in history.  Part 2 is now available HERE. I’d really like to know which one you, as fellow gamers, think would fit the Assassin’s Creed style.

1. The Fourth Crusade: Crusaders Sack Fellow Christian Bastion of Constantinople

The Siege of Constantinople

This would be a bit of a “back to the past” as far as time period goes, but there is no reason why this series needs to stay in chronological order, except if Ubisoft believes gamers want ‘more’ technology (like the gun and flying machine in Assassin’s Creed 2).  I hope that isn’t the case because this period has much to recommend it.

First, the Medieval Crusader period is still a rich setting to explore, and second, the Fourth Crusade wasn’t remotely the same as the one explored in Assassin’s Creed.

Finally, it is a time when the Templars were still active, and they and the Assassins are central to all the games’ overarching plot.

This ‘crusade’ started out with the goal of Christian soldiers fighting the ‘infidel’ Muslims in the Holy Land, but the crusaders were waylaid by the Venetians and used instead to fight Venice’s trading rival and the Greek Orthodox Church in Constantinople (present day Istanbul).

In other words the war was about power, greed and competition between both the merchant cities and the two great Christian Churches: Roman Catholic and Eastern Greek Orthodox.

The Crusader sack of Constantinople in 1204 was largely due to Venice’s manipulation, where you had the Crusaders all ready to recapture Jerusalem only to get into debt with the Venetians who were to transport them there and then instead get pointed toward Constantinople to pay off their debts.

This presents plenty of the betrayals and manipulations found in the first two games.

Present day Zadar

It also presents the gamer with beautiful exotic new settings in Constantinople, which had been the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire full of rich culture and history and extraordinary Byzantine architecture which can still be seen in Istanbul today, and Zadar (in present day Croatia), which is still a beautiful medieval town along the Dalmatian coast.

There is also some familiarity in a setting that has been done just recently in Venice, though the city has not yet reached the Renaissance period.

Ubisoft Montreal have said they want to use historically significant events as settings for their Assassin’s Creed games, so why would this be a good choice?  I found this website summed it up nicely:

Probably the most telling event which displayed the decline of the crusader ideal was the capture and pillage of the Christian bastion of Constantinople by the members of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The subsequent dismemberment of the Byzantine Empire weakened Christendom in the Near East and created an animousity between Catholics and Orthodox which has lasted into the 20th century.

Constantinople could not recover enough to fight off the Turks after this and much of Eastern Europe fell to the Muslims as a result.  Talk about shooting yourself in the foot: go off to expand Christianity and end up losing a whole lot more territory of it.

2. The French Revolution: Vive La Revolution!

Bastille prison attacked in revolution

This is very likely one of the strongest possibilities for the next game as it was rumoured to be the setting for the second game back in December 2008.  I’ve written about this before, and you can find more detail about the time period here,  but I will try and summarise why this setting would be appropriate.

The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a huge historic period of upheaval where the notion of absolute rule by the monarchy and the aristocrats was turned on its head when the downtrodden, starving, smelly, diseased peasants, incited by the intellectuals and merchant class, revolt and start killing off their so-called betters.

When they ran out of them, they followed by killing each other off too during the Reign of Terror. Of course the ideas of freedom, equality, and brotherhood were all dandy but repression was more fun. It was just that repression was now carried out by the lay-people, not just upper crust lords and ladies in wigs.

Off with their heads!

The other monarchies of Europe felt threatened by the French Revolution and so attack. Napoleon fights them and wins. For awhile anyway.

The mayhem of this period and the clash of idealism and power make it another great period for an Assassin’s Creed game.  This would allow Ubisoft to be more chronological as well, though I don’t personally believe this is necessary.

Certainly the French Revolution and the Republic that followed showed the violent transition between the old feudal social model and the new ‘power to the people’ ideal which would be revisited in various forms throughout Europe and the New World.

Paris (before the big wide boulevards, cafes and Eiffel Tower) still has a lot to offer as a setting, even if dirtier and full of narrow alleys, and various other French towns could complement it.

I’m not sure where the Templar and Assassins conflict would come in, but as secret societies now they could be integrated into the upheaval fairly easily.

3. World War 2: Was Hitler A Templar?

Templars are supposed to have beards, not silly mustaches!

I’ll be upfront with my opinion of this option: it stinks!  Yet according to some rumours Ubisoft may be looking at a female protagonist and they may be looking at World War 2 as a time period appropriate for a female assassin.  That means I’d better include it in my list, reluctant though I am.

I have no problem with a female assassin but I don’t believe that female assassins are only appropriate to the 20th Century.  And let’s face it, World War 2, though it still can be an engaging game environment, is not fresh or inspiring for an Assassin’s Creed game.

The female assassin in World War 2 has been done before in a game as well: Velvet Assassin, not to mention that a stealth open-world style game set in WW2 is being done by EA in The Saboteur, out soon.

Assassin's Creed 3: The remake?

Could the Nazis make good neo-Templars with their insignias, swastikas, uniforms, and interest in the occult?  Yes.  Would they make good targets for an assassin?  Yes.  Do I see this time period being exciting and feeling like the historic Assassin’s Creed games so far?  No.

Still, Sebastian Puel, the producer, said:

We don’t want to just decide we want to change and have a female hero as the first inspiration is always the time period, but if you’re talking about, say, World War II the economies in England and France were run by women because the men were off fighting.

Hmmm….the economies, huh?  Factory girl gone assassin….fascinating stuff.

4. The New World: Conquistadors

A New World for a new game?

An intriguing option would be the expansion of the Spanish Empire into the New World with the conquest of Incan and Aztec territories by the gold and land hungry conquistadors from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

These men were explorers, conquerors, adventurers, soldiers, and fortune hunters and invaded the New World for themselves, for Spain, and for the Church.

As far as turning points in history go, this is a big one: the wealth and prestige gained by owning new territories began a colonialism race that only fairly recently has faded and certainly is responsible for the way the world is made up today.

What role the Templars and Assassins would play in this is unclear, but the New World represented a new start to many, and a place where people could build their own society with some degree of independence.

This would appeal to any surviving Templars, as they would see a new place for them to rebuild their wealth and influence (possibly at the Spanish Court using their new riches, but possibly just in new territory away from interference).

The conflict for the Assassins would be to prevent this, while all around them native populations are taking sides, dying of sickness brought by the newcomers, and waring against these smelly pale Europeans who carry advanced weaponry.

Depending on the exact date chosen, there could be Spanish colonial towns and forts,  Incan or Aztec cities with temples, and dangerous jungle in between.

PART 2 can be read HERE.

You can also catch Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies Assassin’s Creed Lineage films here in full glorious colour -  – all 45 mins of them. Part 1 and Parts 2 – 3.

• Where would you like to see Assassin’s Creed 3?

Remember that David’s prediction of the current location and era was correct, so perhaps his predictions may well be close to the mark for the next iteration. Make your vote count, as we send these articles to Ubisoft, and they can  see your comments and the poll.

©2009 David Hilton

• Other games in genre at discount $’s for ALL OXCGN readers + Bonus Points

Lavdara. It has been a while since I was there. Maybe 6 years now… We had a lovely trip with some friends:barbecue, beer, wine and some stretching on lovely April sun.
Since then, I was planning to get back on several occasions but simply too busy or always something else (excuses, excuses…). It is an island after all and not reachable as anything on the mainland.

Recently, the authorities of Zadar decided to replace the ancient stone blocks that cover the streets of Zadar with new, Istrian stone. The old one came from Lavdara and had a very characteristic brownish color (some sort of pale, pinkish butterscotch).

The ancient quarry on the northern shores of Lavdara (not my original image!)

Lavdara was a quarry ever since the Roman times. Their engineers figured that the stone quality was satisfactory and fairly easy to extract from the sea level. Usually, the stone that is constantly in touch with the sea water is not good but this one was ok so they carved the shores of Lavdara for over 3400 ft in length. Approached with special boats and took the stone to Zadar (Roman Jader) where it was further processed, carved, shaped for all the beautiful monuments, walls. Maybe even sculptures.
The process continued for centuries and was abandoned in full only in 1965. when the last of Kukljičani (people from Kukljica on Ugljan Island) turned to tourism or found jobs in Zadar which started recovering from WW2 devastation.

April sun...

So, it was always a pleasure to return to such a historic place. This is one of my favorite islands and there is something strange about it. Reading more and more about this unique place, I was becoming even more fascinated. What we did not know at the time of a visit, but have seen from the sea, there was once a wealthy local family living on Lavdara. Ruins of their mansion is all that is left…

Burning callories after lunch...

Now this is a great teen-horror movie scenario! Group of teens (ok, lying, we were all 25 – 30 but same in those movies), after a lovely picnic decides to explore a ruined mansion hidden deep in the island. And this place makes your imagination go wild! Not a place where I would like to hide on a stormy night!

Actually, the last inhabitants of the house: Anica, Vera and Krstina Dominis (who left in 1966) spoke of a scary sound that was appearing in the last days of October for past decades of their life there. Someone was talking about a house ghost appearing just before the All Saints and some blamed wind howling through a crack in the ground or something similar.
Since it appears only on specific time of the year, ghost sounds more likely! )))

Ruins of an old mansion

So we walked through abandoned groves and fields to reach this house. The stories connected are not scary at all.
It was once a lovely property of a rich local who moved there with his family and staff. The Zadar family of Cendolini owned the house for 270 years till it was bought by the famous local family Petricioli. Zovanin Petricioli married Ana Sifert from Rijeka but died in 1850. and gave her the island and the house. After his early death, Ana married again for a merchant Fortis of Trogir but she died in 1852. and her inheritors sold the island and the house to Dominis family from Sali and Cvitanovic from Iz who even divided the house. Both Dominis and Citanovic were shepperds. Eventually, the Cvitanovic family sold their part of Lavdara to people from Sali and left the house in 1927.

No one will look through this window again...

The house was then only inhabited by the women and children of Dominis family. They lived a fairly lonesome life on the island but they were known for laughter and smiles and were often visited by people from Sali. Their men were not constantly on the island and, if they needed help, they would start fire and signal with smoke that they had a problem (illness or simillar). So, after they left in 1966. the house was slowly deteriorating which is a pity. It is most likely from early 1600s and should be restored as one of the finest examples of traditional architecture in the area.

The inner court with some stables

Several people tried to buy it but there are so many owners and they cannot agree on anything…
Same story over and over.
The whole property is in a shape of a fort which came handy in the past since several pirate raids of the house have been recorded. The pirates knew that they had little chance entering over the walls or passing guns so they would attack in the evening when the sheep was herded back to the stables and the doors were wide open.
There are 6 rooms on the first floor and few kitchen spaces since the families were quite big at those days. The ancient furniture was still to be found…

The antique bedpost

Not only that Lavdara has a very interesting history but the geography is equally as interesting: There are two interesting caves on the island and several wells of mixed water (sea and sweet water). There is even a story of roman horse racing track on this island but that makes no sense. Or does it?

Spring on Lavdara

But story of Lavdara is always about stone. Even the name comes from LAPIDARIA which is Latin for quarry.
This is the island where the stone was quarried for Zadar from Roman days till today. From this stone the most beautiful buildings in Zadar have been built: the university, the hospital, churches…

The stone of Lavdara is now being replaced with new, from Istria. This Istrian stone is new, white…has no soul. Many people of Zadar feel like the city is now taking a big step backwards destroying some of the most picturesque streets of the ancient quarters. The excuse is that the old stone is now too slippery (true), carved too much (true) and that the city should replace it so the tourists can walk more easily.

Do we have to adjust everything to tourists or people come to Croatia to enjoy our tradition? I know my clients appreciate the authentic experience…

Secret Dalmatia Tours in Croatia

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Davor Stipanić

(objavljeno u tiskanom izdanju Zadarskog lista 18.11.2009.)

JEDNO PRESIJEDANJE VIŠE

Čini se kako nas u skoroj budućnosti očekuje jedno presijedanje više budemo li iz Zadra avionom putovali u neku zemlju izvan schengenske zone ili netko dolazio k nama. Naime, unutar nje svaki je promet domaći i ne podliježe graničnim kontrolama, a promet zadarskog aerodroma prema tim zemljama je tako malen da ga se (skupa s Pulom, Rijekom, Osijekom i Bračom) ne može smatrati mađunarodnim čitavu godinu nego samo tijekom turističke sezone. Stalno međunarodnim bi se smatrali Zagreb, Split i Dubrovnik. Oni valjda za to imaju opravdanje u broju polijetanja i slijetanja, te dovezenih i odvezenih putnika. Osobno duboko sumnjam da je to istina kada je riječ o Dubrovniku, ali moguće je da broj ukupno godišnje prevezenih putnika s tog aerodroma nekako nateže statistički laštik do potrebnih vrijednosti. Interkontinentalni putnici ne bi trebali predstavljati problem jer ionako uglavnom putuju organizirano i kreću od glavnih gradova regije. Problem nam itekako prestavljaju ne-schengenski Britanci, Ukrajinci i Rusi. Obje ove potonje nacije su među «novijim» gostima, ali njihov broj stalno raste. Britanci su pak stari gosti i još se nisu niti blizu vratili onim brojevima koje smo s Otoka imali prije Domovinskog rata.

To pitanje je postavljeno našim turističkim odličnicima na najvećem turističkom sajmu u svijetu, onom londonskom. Tour operatori se nisu niti potrudili sakriti svoje zaprepaštenje oko činjenice kako su to još uvijek samo govorkanja i kako se zapravo još ne može dobiti jasan i konkretan odgovor. Oni naime sve svoje poslove planiraju godinama unaprijed. Stvaraju logistiku i pripremaju teren. Kad jednom negdje krenu onda je to lanac koji se odvija onako kako to oni žele na odredištu koje su precizno proučili.

Po običaju domaćeg ping-pong izjašnjavanja odgovornost se prebacivala na nekoga drugoga. Često mi je nejasno čemu služi Vlada kada svakom ministarstvo ima gard «države u državi» i lijeva ruka redovito blage veze nema s onim što radi desna. Valjda je to razlog zašto ministri često mijenjaju mjesta za onim stolom. U suprotnom bi bile dovoljne dvije tv snimke. Ljetna i zimska. Dugi rukavi, kratki rukavi. Toliko su naime međusobno usuglašeni da moraju rotirati oko stola kako ne bismo pomislili da stalno gledamo u neku arhivsku snimku. Na ovako suštinsko pitanje ministar turizma samo trepće očicama i kaže kako to nije u njegovoj nadležnosti, ali će učiniti sve da to ne bude tako.

Ljudi se krenuli raspitivati i došli do toga kako odluku zagovara MUP. Kažu da ti aerodromi ne gube međunarodni status (niti ne mogu kada im ga MUP niti ne daje) nego će samo u sezoni postojati njihovo osoblje za pregled putne dokumentacije i ostalih formalnosti. Carinu ne spominje nitko. Sezonu će, pretpostavljam, određivati oni iako je svaka logika da bi to trebao diktirati promet pa makar bila riječ o jednom dolasku/odlasku tjedno.

E pa sad. Pitanje koje se nameće je veće od planine solidne veličine. Koja je to vrsta prometa koja kod nas ne jača dolaskom, a jenja prolaskom turističke sezone. Hoće li tom logikom doći do podjele morskih luka na domaće i međunarodne. Hoće li doći do selekcije graničnih prijelaza u cestovnom prometu. Hoće li nekadašnji autoput Bratstva i jedinstva ostati međunarodni zbog gastarbajtera iz istočnih zemlaja koji, neovisno o vjeri, hitaju u zemlje porijekla preko Božićnih i Novogodišnjih praznika, a Dalmatina postati domaća jer se njome voze uglavnom naši ljudi na «privremenom radu u inozemstvu». Ili će svi postati domaći jer se njima slabo voze Britanci, Rusi i Ukrajinci, a gastarbajteri valjda imaju «nekakve schengenske papire».

Od kada postoji turizam završetak turističke sezone je vrijeme kada sezonski radnici odlaze kući (čit: na burzu rada), a stalno zaposleni počinju koristiti godišnje odmore i nagomilani višak radnih sati. Nikada nisam doživio da se u turizmu prekovremeni rad u sezoni dodatno plaća. Uvijek se radila preraspodjela radnih sati i to se koristilo zimi. MUP očito razmišlja i radi drukčije. Jedna od najvećih mana sezonaca (osim onih dugogodišnjih) je bila da odlaze s posla taman onda kada su ga savladali. Želi li MUP takvo nešto. Misle li smanjiti broj svojih uposlenika zato jer neće imati posla izvan turističke sezone. Po svim pokazateljima, naročito onima schengenskih zemalja, imamo više policajaca po broju stanovnika od bilo koje od tih zemalja.

Što to priječi MUP od svojevrsnog «ulaganja» u nacionalno najprofitabilniju, ako ne i jedinu profitabilnu gospodarsku granu. Status otvorenog, međunarodnog aerodroma moraju imati svi oni koji zadovoljavaju međunarodno propisane kriterije za takvu kategoriju. MUP i njegov dio posla samo su karika u lancu koji opslužuje izuzetno složeni mehanizam zvan zračni promet. Karika važna, ali ne i jedina ili presudna. Ne bi se moglo bez nje, ali po tome je sasvim jednaka ostalima. Ne može niti bez jedne jedine. Svaka ima svoje mjesto i ulogu.

Odluka ili prijedlog ili namjera, što već jest, u najmanju je ruku čudna nakon što su i niskotarifni prijevoznici pokazali toliki interes i orijentiraju se uglavnom na aerodrome s manjim prometom. Jedan od dominantnih ciljeva je produženje turističke sezone. Svake godine treba započinjati ranije i završavati kasnije. Špice će uvijek ostati špice. Zbog njih se grade i široke gradske ceste, autoputevi i brze pruge, kupuju veliki trajekti i čini sve ostalo što se čini. Opet je u špici sve zakrčeno, a puno vremena zjapi prazno ili poluprazno. Budemo li i mi sami smanjivali mogućnosti dolazaka nema niti «v» od vjerojatnosti da ćemo taj cilj ostvariti. Produženje sezone je imperativ i plaće manjeg broja policijskih službenika su tu vrlo malena stavka. Osim toga, MUP živi na državnom proračunu, a nitko ga ne puni brže i učinkovitije od turizma.

Strângi comori pentru viaţa ta. Strângi comor pe Pământ. Te zbaţi să ai ce e mai bun în viaţă şi permanent eşti într-o vânătoare continuă. Da, vânătoare. De comori. De bani. De faimă şi de avere. Ai, ai şi nu-ţi ajunge. Vrei mai mult şi tot mai mult. Abia îţi faci o familie şi aia pe fugă. Din 24 de ore, 18 eşti la servici, 4 dormi şi 2 le petreci stresându-te pentru ziua de mâine. Şi după ce ai adunat mult, stai permanent într-un stres continuu ca să nu le pierzi. Ai o viaţă ocupată de gânduri negre, de îngrijorări şi plină de stres.
Şi cu ce folos? Ca să nu-ţi vezi copii crescând? Să nu ştii când le-a ieşit primul dinţişor? Să nu vezi când face primul pas? Sau să nu-ţi vezi minunata soţie când zâmbeşte, plânge sau se joacă împreună cu micuţii? Dar în schimb… ştii când vine primul transport cu marfă, ştii când trebuie mărite şi micşorate o salariile, ştii când muncitorii sunt mulţumiţi sau nemulţumiţi.
Pierzi o mare parte din viaţă. Oare la asta să se rezume totul? Să strângi bani cu lopata, să nu ai timp să te bucuri de ei, ca în final să mori nefericit de o boală de inimă? Nu toţi oamenii trăiesc la fel, dar toţi sfârşesc la fel. Sub pământ. Şi el nu ţine cont dacă ai fost bogat sau sărac. Dacă ai trăit viaţa sau nu. Tot putrezeşti.

“Mrtvi dan, skale van!” (All Saints Day, bring out the ladders!)
This old proverb is rarely used these days when fashionable “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” is taking roots even here, on the shores of Dalmatia.

Traditional olive picking would start somewhere around November 1st and lasts through the winter, sometimes even till mid January or, like in Sali on Dugi Otok, even later…

Olive tree

Olive tree is the “sacred tree” of the human kind and olive trees have been grown with special care and attention. Same applies even for picking – I still hear my uncle yelling at us, kids, when we would brake a branch while picking! The traditional process is fairly easy: bring out the ladders and big sheets of fabric or anything similar and divide into groups. Some climb the tree, some climb the ladder but most stay on the ground collecting the fruits that fall down on the fabric.
Small trees don’t need any of the equipment and those are usually picked from the ground.
Some areas in Dalmatia, keep the tree growing in width and not in height (by putting weights on the young branches) so they don’t need to climb at all making everything very easy.

Picking the olives on small tree

Olive picking is not an easy job and injuries and lost eyes are quite common!
However, being on fresh air and enjoying family, is pure fun that gets rewarded by olive oil. In the past, and even today, people would work for olive oil since that is a job that demands as many hands as possible. It was customary to give workers one or two liters of oil per day (for food and light) and they would even get some food. Since both the owners and the workers were usually quite poor, most of the day they would work with eating only dried figs.
In Murter, the owners would throw the workers figs on the ground so they would eat them as they find them not to loose time sitting down.
Now we prefer to grill some meat and fish while in the fields and that seems a better way !

Nice and ripe!

There are some 5 mil trees in Croatia now and that is still a small number. Portugal, of approximately same size has 38 mil.In the past, there were many more trees and it was even noted that Brac island alone had about 1 mil!
Most of the olive groves are in Istria and Dalmatia and the recovery started quite recently when government begun subsidizing planting of olive trees. Probably the best move they did! Everyone was planting new trees and olive oil was regaining it’s role in our cuisine. We, at home, use about 8-10 liters per person in a whole year which is way above what “regular” Croatian household spends but still quite bellow Greeks who use 26 liters per capita!!!

Olive oil on Croatian coast was regarded as one of the highest quality “in the World” even from the Roman times: see Apicium here.
The comment in this book is addressing olive oil from Liburnia and saying that Liburnia is southern Istria. That is not correct: Istria was Histria and Liburnia was the region from Histria to the banks of Krka river now in North Dalmatia.

Islanders from Pašman Island coming to their "overseas" lands

The groves pictured are in Primorje region: just between sv. Filip Jakov and Biograd. It was a huge Vila Rustica estate and farm in the Roman times so we can talk about a continuing tradition of growing olive trees here for nearly 2000 years! The olive grove belongs to my aunt’s family from Mrljane but they have too many trees ob Pašman Island so they let us pick these.
Many of the groves in this region are owned by the people from Pašman Island (town of Tkon in particular).
On this video you can see them preparing to go home after a long day in the fields:

Today a “battle rages” between the supporters of traditional and new, fashionable Extra virgin olive oil. We, who grew up on traditional olive oil, have (had) a tough time getting used to bitterness and grassy taste of extra virgin oil. Besides, it is not for cooking but mostly made for dips and salad dressing.
I have become quite fond of this modern olive oil and really enjoy all the different possibilities it offers. Just recently we enjoyed a fabulous combination of very young oil with roasted, salted almonds at Alen Bibic winery.
But, this extra virgin oil has nothing to do with Mediterranean tradition since this method was almost impossible in the old days and no one practiced it! The problem was that there were very few olive mills and the means to transport the picked fruits to the mills were quite slow. That is why olives were kept in barrels with sea water to preserve them till the producer’s turn at the mill would come. We still keep our olives in sea water and we had to wait our turn even last year! Now, 4-5 new mills opened in our region this year alone and we can all have extra virgin olive oil… if we wanted to.

The fruit of the Gods!

When you talk about the Mediterranean tradition, then only the traditionally made olive oil can be considered as the “real” one. Now the supporters of extra virgin olive oil are trying to give all sorts of evidences to prove that their oils are healthier and better but personally, I can care less. I like them both and use them both. Not because it is fashionable thing, but because I like them. I know of NUMEROUS Istrian olive oil makers who sell all their extra virgin olive oil production in Italy or Zagreb for “top Dollar” and going to Dalmatia to get the traditional one since they like it better. Fine by me!

The best thing out of all this is that new groves and trees are planted every year, people are investing in new technologies and designing various bottles/packages and more and more families can support themselves on their own land! That is very important for smaller islands and one of the best examples is Olyinthia on Šolta Island which is famous for it’s olive oils!

Click for olive oil tours in Croatia or to enjoy our gastronomy tours of Croatia.

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Blij met onderstaand verslag van een Incentive ingestuurd door een klant.

In september vertrokken wij met 40 deelnemers voor een hele bijzondere reis georganiseerd door Moja Croatia naar Kroatië. Op de luchthaven van Keulen stond de reisleidster van Moja Croatia ons op te wachten bij de incheckbalie van German Wings. Nadat we onze bagage hadden ingecheckt was het tijd voor de eerste kennismaking onder het genot van een kopje koffie. Na een prettige vlucht landde we precies op tijd op de luchthaven van Zadar. Van herfstweer kwamen we in heerlijk zomerweer terecht, na een korte rit kwamen we in ons hotel aan. Een klein en mooi familiehotel gelegen aan het strand. Het avonddiner genoten we met elkaar op het terras.

De volgende dag hebben we kennis gemaakt met de lokale gids en vertrokken we richting Skradin. Per boot gingen we richting naar Skradinski buk ,naar de beroemde Krka watervallen. We bezochten een ethno tentoonstelling en de oude molens aan de rivier en genoten van een heerlijke lunch op een boerenhoeve, bij dé Kroaten thuis.

Dag 3 bestond uit een boottocht naar de beroemde Kornati-eilanden, we hadden ook deze dag schitterend weer waardoor de zee een prachtige schittering gaf. De Kornati-eilanden behoren tot het één van de nationale parken van Kroatië, en zijn absoluut een bezoek waard als men er in de buurt ( omgeving Zadar) is. De lunch genoten we met elkaar in een restaurantje in Telašćica bay. Daarna bezochten we de Telašćica kliffen. In de avond keerden we moe maar voldaan terug in het hotel waar we ons diner kregen.

De volgende ochtend na het ontbijt met de bus na het nabijgelegen Obrovac, eerste dronken we temidden tussen de lokale bevolking op een gezellig terras een kopje koffie, daarna richting Kaštel Žegarski voor een adembenemende kanosafari naar Muškovci. De kanotocht duurde ongeveer 3 uur en de natuur die wij daar te zien gekregen is zo ongelofelijk mooi, doordat alle gasten verrukt waren van datgene wat we ook nu weer aan moois te zien gekregen waren er genoeg pauzes ingelast om veel mooie plaatjes te maken. Na de kanotocht genoten we van een lunch op een boerderij met heerlijke prsut (lokale gerookte ham), kaas, olijven, vijgen, brood en lekkere wijn. Tegen de avond terug naar ons hotel voor het diner. De vijfde dag was een ochtend ter vrije besteding, gebruik gemaakt van het strand en gezwommen in de zee die nu nog 22 graden was. In de middag brachten we met elkaar een bezoek aan Zadar met onze reisleidster en een professionele gids. Onze reisleidster vertelde dat zij het liefst zo veel mogelijk met lokale gidsen werken,dit ter bescherming van hun (Kroaten) eigen werkgelegenheid en omdat lokale gidsen toch over het algemeen veel meer weten van alle in’s en out’s. Fijn vonden wij wel dat onze Nederlandse reisleidster voortdurend erbij was, dat gaf toch wel dat stukje toegevoegde waarde, zeker omdat zij zo vertrouwd is met Kroatië en er al zo lang komt, zij wist ons zoveel te vertellen. Na een mooie wandeling startte de avond panorama cruise rondom de stad Zadar en omgeving. Aan boord van het schip kregen wij een lichte avond maaltijd met verrukkelijke Dalmatische specialiteiten. De volgende dag vertrokken we voor een bezoek aan het bergendorpjes Krasno en Kuterevo, alwaar een wildreservaat is voor beren en we gingen naar Smiljan, een historisch dorpje en de geboorteplaats van de bekende wetenschapper Nikola Tesla. Een dag ook weer waar we zoveel moois te zien kregen. De natuur is Kroatië is zo ongekend mooi, nooit geweten dat dit land zoveel mooie natuur heeft. De een na laatste dag was een dag ter vrije besteding, als afscheid werden we in de avond getrakteerd op een dorpsfeest op een boerenhoeve, we genoten van de lokale specialiteiten, er as live muziek en we dansten de hele avond door. Een mooier afscheid van deze bijzondere reis konden we ons niet wensen. En dus namen we de volgende dag met moeite afscheid van een prachtige reis in een schitterend Kroatië. Zie ook: www.mojacroatia.nl

BADco. continues research on the application of advanced computer technologies in choreographic artistic practice.

After a series of workshops and presentations of Whatever Dance Toolbox (WDT) locally and abroad, BADco. invites you to our workshops in Split and Zadar:

Do it yourself

workshop leaders: Ana Kreitmeyer and Zrinka Užbinec

05.-08.11.2009 in Split in collaboration with Center for Movement (C4M Split)

18.-22.11.2009 in Zadar in collaboration with dance-theatre association “Zalet”

“Do it yourself” workshop is based on practical work using the software tool “Whatever Dance Toolbox” BADco. has developing in collaboration with German software developer and artist Daniel Turing.

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BADco. also invites you to its performance in Dubrovnik:

Memories Are Made Of This… performance notes

14.11.2009 20:00 in Art Workshop Lazareti

Pravdan Devlahović, Ana Kreitmeyer, Krešimir Mikić, Nikolina Pristaš, Zrinka Užbinec & Damir Bartol Indoš

Directed by: Goran Sergej Pristaš
Dramaturgy: Ivana Ivković
Collaborators: Tor Lindstrand (space), Daniel Turing (software),
Nicolas Siepen (film), Miljenko Bengez (lights), Silvio Vujičić (costumes)
Design: Gordan Karabogdan

Borrowing the title from the famous Dean Martin song, this notebook-like performance explores the mechanisms of forgetting, emotional consumption and remembering moments and spaces that have been evacuated or that were
never there.

BADco. nastavlja s istraživačkim radom koji se bavi primjenom naprednih računalnih tehnologija u koreografskom umjetničkom radu.

Nakon niza realiziranih radionica i javnih prezentacija tehnološke alatke Whatever Dance Toolbox (WDT) u zemlji i inozemstvu, BADco. vas poziva na radionice u Splitu i Zadru:

Sam svoj majstor

voditeljice: Ana Kreitmeyer i Zrinka Užbinec

05.-08.11.2009. u Splitu u suradnji sa Centrom za pokret Split (C4M Split)

18.-22.11.2009. u Zadru u suradnji sa plesno-kazališnom udrugom “Zalet”

“Sam svoj majstor” radionica je temeljena na praktičnom radu sa softverskom alatkom “Whatever Dance Toolbox” koju su BADco. razvili u suradnji s njemačkim programerom i umjetnikom Danielom Turingom.

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BADco. vas također poziva na izvedbu naše predstave u Dubrovniku:

Memories Are Made Of This… izvedbene bilješke

14.11.2009. 20:00 u Art radionici Lazareti

Pravdan Devlahović, Ana Kreitmeyer, Krešimir Mikić, Nikolina Pristaš, Zrinka Užbinec & Damir Bartol Indoš

Rezija: Goran Sergej Pristaš
Dramaturgija: Ivana Ivković
Suradnici: Tor Lindstrand (prostor), Daniel Turing (software), Nicolas Siepen (film), Miljenko Bengez (svjetlo), Silvio Vujičić (kostimi)
Dizajn: Gordan Karabogdan

Posuđujući naslov poznate pjesme Deana Martina, predstava u formi izvedbene bilježnice, približava nam mehanizme zaboravljanja, emotivne potrošnje i prisjećanja na trenutke i prostore koji su prazni ili ih nikad nije ni bilo.

Bijela rijeka is a small river flowing in the rain season (mostly Fall and Spring)  from the 300 meters high hill down to the Karin Sea near Zadar. Hard to spot from the street, it requires some easy hiking along a very dramatic canyon.

It has been a while since I wanted to go there since I heard a lot of nice things about it. It also protected area of exceptional beauty as part of the Zadar county special program that preserves the areas of unique beauty. It was always hard to find some time but today we had amazing sunny day with temperatures in the mid 20s (Celsius, about 70 F) and I just had to get out to get away from the computer, plans, projects…

Bijela River canyon seen from the dirt road

Karin is about 20 minutes north from Zadar. The village of Gornji Karin has some new houses on a hill and the dirt path to the Bijela River mouth is located at the very end of the new settlement. The canyon can be seen from far away but nothing can prepare you for the beauty of Bijela!

Bijela River canyon seen from the dirt road

The road follows the steep and fairly high canyon above the river. Since last week we had some serious rainfall, the river bed is quite rich with water. The numerous small cascades make wonderful noise and the puddles of turquoise water look like gems from high above!

The water is not always easy to cross and the rocks can be slippery on the way to the cave from which this river flows. The cave is well hidden but easily approached from several directions.

The 225 meters deep cave was surprisingly dry! I have heard a lot of stories of the water coming out with tremendous force but, probably due to lack of serious rainfall in the past two months, it was fairly dry inside.
I walked all the way to the second “room” but could not see much since I did not bring the flash light. But the sound of a waterfall inside the cave was quite exciting! For next time, I am planning to bring a flash light and waterproof boots for crossing the small lakes inside the cave. Haven’t seen any bats which surprised me.

The cave entrance

The water flows bellow the cave entrance and suddenly bursts out bellow two huge rocks.
The entrance, as I said, is quite dry although water is dripping from the ceiling.

The cave from inside

Bijela is one of the most beautiful examples of the dramatic beauty of Croatian karst landscape: cave, canyon, clear waters, waterfalls… It has it all!

Needles to say that the water is perfectly good for drinking!

The waterfalls

The access and crossings are for people ready for a bit of jumping and moderate walking up the hill. One or two crossings are a bit more demanding but that depends on the level of water in the river. There are several approaches to the cave. Some more demanding than the others but caution is necessary since the canyon is close to the main path and some of the rocks are slippery.

Bijela makes a perfect half day trip from Zadar and the region!

It is also good for shore excursions from Zadar if you are not in the mood for wine and food. Fir people who like hiking and the outdoors, it can be combined with a lovely trip to Karin mills – another pearl of this beautiful region! Fall and Spring are probably the best months for visiting the area!

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On Sunday mid-day, I left Zadar and Bibinje for points north. I can’t lie and say that every moment in those places was wonderful, in fact with the rain, graffiti and cement buildings it felt very prison-like, but I did enjoy some things.

I enjoyed spending time with Simon, who made the dreary, grim situation pleasant and almost fun. The first few days we were there were very down to business, trying to figure out where I would go from Zadar, what I needed for my Nepal journey, and what I could do about my visa situation. We arrived on Monday night to a less than desirable apartment so moved to Bibinje from Diklo on Tuesday, then spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday going into Zadar to find free wi-fi so that we could get some work done. By Saturday, when the sun came out and Simon’s last day, we were able to actually enjoy Bibinje and relax because I had hosts in Zagreb and had figured out most of my worries.

I enjoyed our days spent in a foreign country, feeling as if we were escaped convicts running from the law. We shopped at the local market for food, visited local bars and cafes for lemon tea, and watched American and Australian t.v. with Croatian subtitles. We were slaves to routine, so visited the same cafes and restaurants and were recognized and welcomed warmly.

Bibinje and Zadar are port towns, set on the Adriatic and in the summer months both were probably bustling with activity and tourists. Since we were there in the off-season however and it rained every day, I couldn’t quite get that holiday feeling. I think this was for the best though, because we had work to do and if the sun had been shining and there had been things to see, we may have been sidetracked and not as productive.

The week before, we had been in Rovinj, Croatia, on the Istra Peninsula and a gorgeous, Italian-feeling port town where the buildings were colorfully painted and the people were especially friendly. The sun was out every day of the five we were there but once, so we relished in the pleasant weather and touristy activities. We ate seafood almost every night, took a boat tour to the outer islands, visited a local church and climbed its tower for a panoramic view of the city, watched the sun set into the Adriatic, and enjoyed most of our meals outside. It was a great refresher from the absent English summer and it recharged my batteries and probably enabled me to handle my deportation a little better.

I enjoyed running into the German lady and her daughter, whom we had met because they had an apartment in the house we first stayed at and had kindly given us a ride into Zadar on Tuesday. They sat with us while we ate lunch in old town Zadar and we discussed couchsurfing, UK Immigration and the German language. It was nice to see friendly faces and have pleasant conversation.

I enjoyed the wedding we witnessed on Friday night, when Simon heard cars honking and knew immediately that it was a wedding party. We ran down to the main road near our apartment and watched the couples and bride exit their vehicles and start the walk to the church. They were led by a band of 4 men singing and playing guitars. The women were dressed so elegantly, as were the men, and the bride looked happy and nervous all at the same time. We stood at the church as they entered, then came back after the service and saw them gather outside of the church and sing songs in Croatian. It was fantastic.

And I enjoyed Simon’s last day in Bibinje, having a lazy morning, walking around town and enjoying the sunshine. It was emotional for me because this was our final goodbye and with everything that had happened it was very hard to deal with. Simon has become my good friend and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without him that week. He will forever be my British fixer and I know that I can count on him no matter what. I hope he feels the same.

I am now in Zagreb, looking forward to enjoying my time here, meeting locals and preparing for Nepal. The adventure continues…

AMALGAMATED PRESS (AP) — The world was thrown into chaos Wednesday as researchers from the University of Zadar in Zadar, Croatia, found a mistake in the commonly accepted conversion of the Meso-American Mayan Calendar.

Many New Age Theorists claim that the Mayan calendar predicts Armageddon, or maybe the Apocalypse, or perhaps the End of Days, to occur in 2012. First dreamt up in 1966 by legally retarded American anthropologist and archeologist Michael D. Coe, these theorists believe that the Mayans believed that the universe will “be annihilated on December 23, 2012, when the Great Cycle of the Long Count reaches completion,” even though modern Mayans consider this silly Western nonsense.

It was first believed that the ‘Great Cycle of the Long Count’ would end near the winter solstice in late 2012. However, Dr. Danica Škara, head of Zadar’s Academy of Dental Medicine & Crap-Psuedoscience, announced late Tuesday that the previous timeline had been misjudged. In a detailed report released early Wednesday morning, Škara stated, “The method in which the Mayan calendar was converted by early anthropologists did not account for minor discrepancies between the Gregorian calendar and the rotation of the solar system inside the Milky Way itself in regards to [the Mayan calendar].”

The end result: “The so called ‘apocalypse’ was actually scheduled five years earlier, i.e. 2007.”

After the news was made public, people all over Croatia ran into the streets to burn public officials at the stake and crucify those deemed to be “wrong do-ers” and “the lazies”. Prisoners broke free from their institutions and formed gangs of marauders who are reportedly wandering from zoo to zoo in order to butcher the exotic and tasty animals for sustenance.

Approximately one hour later, the report was released in throughout the rest of Europe, all of whose countries collapsed. Russian president Dmitry Medvedev tried to take advantage by ordering an invasion of the Ukraine, but all deployed Russian soldiers either drank themselves to death or mutinied and set up camps to run newly established warlord-run provinces.

President Barak Obama declared a State of Emergency in 49 states, declaring Delaware as “still safe since it is so boring that even during the widely recognized end of the world it could not and will not produce anything exciting, disturbing, or remotely interesting.”

Richard Roberson of Charlotte, North Carolina, expressed surprise at the situation. “I had no idea that we were living in a post-apocalyptic nightmare these past few years.”

Daniel Woodward told AP reporters in Detroit that he was not surprised at all. “Things have been an absolute dumpster fire here for the past I-don’t-know-how-many years,” he said. “Probably since that time the Pistons won the championship. It got real ugly then and we’ve never recovered.”

The midwest United States appears to be fully in the grasp of ex-military neo-conservatives who roam around in bad-ass vehicles searching for more gasoline, while both coasts have been taken over by militant gays who are marrying each other all willy-nilly.

“This is clearly our darkest hour,” Obama said as he addressed a charging crowd wielding pitchforks, axes, and torches, kept at bay only by the Secret Service’s constant barrage of bullets. “And clearly, as it happened in 2007, it is not my fault.”

The only countries which have not been effected by the news are North Korea, a nation that has remained in utter isolation for decades, and Somalia, which was already a hellscape that featured lawlessness, mass rape, famine, terrorizing warlords, and a television channel that played nothing except Jimmy Fallon movies.

It gives me a special pleasure to enjoy the afternoons walking with my family. Here is just a small gallery from our yesterday’s walk in Kumenat area. This part of coast – between Biograd and Pakoštane, got it’s name from the work “convent” since the remains of a large convent have been found here. It was destroyed in the middle ages by the Venetians.
Not only that, the convent was built on the ruins of a very large Roman villa rustica: some sort of a farm that was basically a “center” for operating the large property. That way it would serve both as a residence of the landowner and his family and also as a farm management center. It often consisted of several separate buildings to accommodate farm workers and sheds and barns for animals and crops.

Today, no remains of the villa can be seen but walls, wells and other structures have been found just bellow the surface.

Olive tree

The grass

Good camouflage

Vrgada in the distance

Still sunny

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More on Biograd: http://www.sightseeingcroatia.com/biograd.html

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Now this is a special place!
The church of St Simeon is located in historic quarters of Zadar: near the Roman entrance to ancient Jadera. The tiny square is one of my most favorite places in the World! Small, quiet, historic… just radiates with harmony! I cannot explain it, but it simply shines with tranquility.

The church of St Simeon (Sveti Šime) was originally an old Christian three-nave basilica, then a Gothic adaptation and finally an important monument of provincial baroque. This church was mentioned for the first time in 1190. but most of it originates from the 16th and 17th centuries. The facade, as it is now, was finished in 1632. and the bell tower was built in 1707.

The church of St Simeon - Sv Šime

The patron’s day is October 8th and I try to make it to Zadar to see the saint in his sarcophagus every year. On Oct. 8th, the chest is opened and the mummy of the saint displayed for a week. The sarcophagus is a silver chest from the year 1380.and it is a goldsmith’s work of great value and one of the finest of medieval Europe. It was commissioned in 1377 and built by Franjo of Milan and his assistants. The actual coffin is made from cedar and gilded inside and out with pure silver. The scenes depict the legends and miracles of the saint.

The sarcophagus on altar

The legend says that, in 1203, a merchant who was carrying the body of St Simeon from the Holy Land to Venice was caught in a storm, and sought shelter in Zadar. Not to become suspicious, he was telling everyone that the body he carried was of his brother. He fell ill, and before he died had the body of the saint buried, but told the nurses taking care of him that they would find something interesting in his documents. The nurses found an inscription of the powers of the saint around his neck, and asked three local priests to dig up the grave. Miraculously, the three city rector’s had the same dream that night that the body of the Saint Simeon was to be excavated that morning.
So, at dawn, all three appeared in front of the surprised priests and realized that they all had the same dream. St Simeon has been revered in Zadar ever since. The silver casket of St. Simeon can be viewed daily and his remains are shown to the public on his patron day, October the 8th.

St Simeon's open sarcophagus on Oct. 8th 2009

The most interesting part is to actually see the mummy of the saint behind the glass!
An 800 years old mummy is a fascinating sight!

The mummy!

It is not allowed to take photos but how could have I resisted? That is why the photos are not of the usual quality.
This is to all Zaratini in the world to remember where they are from…

It was a lovely day yesterday and I took my clients Gerry and Christine Meijer from Australia on a hiking trip to Ljuba fortress and, when we returned, I wanted to show them the saint since they would have probably have missed it seeing Zadar on their own.

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Prošli vikend bio sam na izletu u organizaciji BEST-a u Plitvičkim jezerima i Zadru. Povod izletu je bilo gostovanje prijatelja BEST-ovaca iz francuskog Nancyja i želja da vide i upoznaju i druge dijelove Hrvatske osim Zagreba, a ja kao alumni prikrpao sam se grupi koja je išla na taj izlet.

Vikend je bio zbilja zanimljiv iz više razloga – po prvi puta sam posjetio Plitvička jezera što sam iskoristio za fotografiranje (slike su u nastavku), u Zadru sam se odlično proveo kušajući razna francuska jela i pića što je uključivalo puževe, a dan poslije je uslijedilo opuštajuće nedjeljno poslijepodne uz dvosatno prepuštanje morskim orguljama kao i lagana šetnja obalom gdje se odvijala igra svjetla i mora što sam opet pokušao zabilježiti fotografijom.

Da ne bi sve bilo idilično pobrinuo se prodavač na benzinskoj postaji koji je osjetio potrebu iskazati svoj lokalpatriotizam i omalovažiti sve što ima veze s pojmom Zagreb kojeg je uočio na mojoj majici kratkih rukava. Kusur za kupljenu robu bio je kratak za jednu kunu na što sam reagirao zamišljenim pogledom u kusur. Nakon te kratke nijeme tišine krenuo sam i verbalno primijetiti da je kusur neodgovarajući u čemu me on nepristojno prekinuo i ljutito odvratio: “Jesam ja prvi primijetio?” Zašto je u toj situaciji bilo bitno to da li je on prvi primijetio pogrešan iznos, umjesto da se ispričao – nije mi sasvim jasno, no uz takve ljude hrvatski uslužni sektor zasigurno ima svijetlu budućnost.

Kako je vodič u Plitvicama napomenuo, potrudit ću se posjetiti taj nacionalni park u sva četiri godišnja doba i doživjeti čari koje tamošnja nevjerojatna priroda pruža. Jesen se računa pod obavljeno pa je zima na redu!

This work by Marko Dimjašević is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at akuzativ.wordpress.com.

Davor Stipanić

(Objavljeno u tiskanom izdanju Zadarskog lista, 7.10.2009.)

Bio sam jako mlad kada sam prvi čuo izreku koja kaže da na svijetu postoje tri vrste inteligencije: životinjska, ljudska i vojna. Jako mi se svidjela kada sam je prvi put čuo, a tako je ostalo i do dan danas.

Upravo me zato jako razveselila vijest kako je vojska konačno i u potpunosti napustila Šepurine, nekada jako veliku vojnu bazu na jednom od najatraktivnijih dijelova zadarskog priobalja. Kilometri, borovom šumom zaklonjenih, pješčanih plaža bili su nedostupni i domaćima i gostima zato jer je tamo carevala vojska. Ograđena žičanom ogradom, zakriljena rampama s naoružanim stražarima, spremnima na paljbu. Već smo pomalo i zaboravili kako je izgledao Zadar s onim nebrojenim kasarnama, kapijama s vojnicima na straži i stotinama ljudi u vojnim odorama na ulicama u svako doba dana, vojnim avionima koji nas nadlijeću također u svako doba dana. Među nama ima već itekako radno sposobnih koji te prizore nikada nisu niti vidjeli. Ili su barem bili toliko mali da ih ne pamte. Samo su im pričali o tome. Ali ima zato puno nas koji to itekako pamtimo. Pogotovo nas koji smo stasali u turizmu. Nebrojeno puta su nas gosti pitali zašto su vojni avioni u zraku. Vjerujem kako će se svatko složiti kako baš nije najugodnije čovjeku koji objašnjava najznačajnije očuvano iz naše povijesti (a time i sadašnjosti) dok ga prelijeće jato jastrebova ili galebova u niskom letu i svojom bukom i neopravdanom nazočnošću svu pažnju svraća na sebe. Nije ugodno niti kada na običnom transferu do ili od hotela prolazite kraj visoke ograde iza koje stoje uniformirani ljudi s dugim cijevima na ramenu. Razloge za taj osjećaj neugode nije baš teško shvatiti. Koliko god uniforme bile više manje slične, postoje velike razlike. Svaka odora mora zadovoljiti određene uvjete, a jedan od glavnih je uvijek praktičnost. Zato i jesu sve vrlo slične. Razlike su uvijek u našoj glavi. Pa tako, policijska odora budi osjećaj sigurnosti. Pogotovo kada oni koji ih nose onako ležerno, s noge na nogu, prolaze ulicama s izrazom lica koji sugerira da se baš ništa značajno ne događa. Naprotiv, vojna odora na ulici, u civilnom okruženju, izaziva nesigurnost i napetost. Policijski helikopter na nebu kontrolira i obuzdava promet. U svakom slučaju radi nešto za opće dobro. Vojne letjelice izazivaju uznemirenost i slutnju kako se nešto gadno iza brda valja. Policiji i policijskim vježbama je mjesto u civilnom okruženju. Vojsci i vojnim vježbama ne, nikako ne i još jednom ne.

Zato me i razveselilo kada sam pročitao da je vojska napustila Šepurine, ali me niti malo nije razveselilo da Zemunik ostaje vojna baza, pa još kao dio NATO mreže, pa makar i kao rezervna. Bila ona stalno aktivna ili rezervna kad tad će biti poprište nekakve vojne vježbe. Nekakvog treninga koji će za pretpostavku imati idealne ljetne vremenske uvjete. Vježbati će letenje, vježbati će koordinaciju zrakoplovstva i mornarice, zrakoplovstva i prašinara ili svih skupa zajedno. Nema nikakve veze što će to oni vježbati, ali nas u svakom slučaju, po svemu sudeći, čekaju vojne vježbe usred turističke sezone. Neke buduće i ne tako daleke.

Zato se bunim unaprijed, poučen starim iskustvima. Vojsci u građanskom, civilnom okruženju nema mjesta. Koliko god bio svjestan da moraju postojati, znam isto tako kako je jedino ispravno da ostanu neprimjetni. U svim zapadnim zemljama vojne baze su udaljene, jako udaljene, od gradskih središta. Ako Hrvatska nije dovoljna velika za to, to samo može značiti da joj ne trebaju velike vojne baze. Svjestan sam da se ljudska inteligencija ovdje sukobljava s vojnom, ali ne hajem pretjerano za to. A imam i dokaz koji ilustrira da znam što govorim.

Zamislite sljedeće. Usred duge i hladne kontinentalne zime kratite vrijeme listajući kataloge ili okrećući stranice portala turističkih agencija. Pogled vam privuku prelijepe valice naših otoka. Zeleno do samog mora, malko bjeličasto u kratkom plićaku, pa zatim sve plavije i plavije. Uz mul neka barčica, nekoliko kuća uz more i u njima apartman koji čeka samo na vas. Gledate, zovete svoje, zajedno gledate, vadite karticu i mjesecima unaprijed rezervirate svoje mjesto u raju.

Dođete na odredište, prosvirali ste autoputem i jedva osjetili vožnju. Sve oko vas je toliko lijepo i tako zove na opuštanje da ste već davno zaboravili kako vas je nadrkani slovenski državni službenik zajebavao s kupovinom vinjeta. Niste pravo shvatili što hoće, osim da traži harač za prolaz preko teritorija. Zbunjeno ste platili i dalje ne shvaćajući kako se to najmanji teritorij na vašem putovanju pretvorio u najskuplji. Ali nema veze. Vala iz snova je tu i vi u njoj. Djeca odmah skaču u kristalno čisto more. Domaćini vam diskretnu skreću pažnju da budete štedljivi s vodom. Smještate se u sobu. I lancuni mirišu po moru i čistoći. Zaspete od umora sanjajući sljedeći dan. E, sad dolazi ono pravo. Negdje pred zoru se prenete jer mislite kao je netko, tik kraj vašeg uha, na škabelinu, punom brzinom uključio multipraktik pun orašastih plodova. Avioni vam naravno, u prvi mah, ne padaju na pamet. Ali, baš to se ovog ljeta dogodilo. Pilotići Lufthansine škole letenja su iznad zapadnog zadarskog otočja pred samu zoru počinjali sa svojom obukom. Nisu baš vojska, ali njihov režim života i ciljeva se od onih drugih baš i ne razlikuju. Ponirali su, uzdizali se, vrtili po zraku i trovali zore i jutra svima ispod sebe. Sumnjam, jako sumnjam, kako bi i vojnom pilotu na odmoru krmelji sami ispali iz oka dok razdragano gleda u vedro jutarnje nebo po kojem se živahno koprcaju neki njegovi nasljednici. I kada sam vidio da i one odlaze obradovao sam se još jednom.

Jedino što me na tu temu brine je to što je Zemunik tako blizu.

Ik ben dol op de gezellige pleintjes, met de diverse terrasjes, bankjes en terracottapotjes met plantjes en besluit tussen de middag op een bankje mijn inkoopverslag bij te werken op mijn laptop.
Eigenlijk is het siëstatijd, dus doodstil op straat. ´Lekker om te werken´ denk ik.
Maar om vijf uur breekt de hel los. De siësta is voorbij; muziek wordt op volle sterkte gezet, tv stemmen en reclame schallen door de straten, opgevoerde brommertjes schieten knetterend door de steegjes.
Het is wel duidelijk, ik ben weer even in Kroatië, waar de bevolking luidt met elkaar spreken terwijl wij denken dat ze hevig met elkaar ruzie staan te maken. En om nadruk te leggen op de uitingen worden armen en handen ook bij het gesprek betrokken.
Ach, lawaai hoort bij de Kroaten zoals bij vele volkeren uit de mediterranae.
Zij blijken zich er zelf niet aan te storen, dit uitbundige vrolijke volk. Geluidsoverlast staat niet in het Kroatisch woordenboek, en ach, je went er heel snel aan.
Het is grappig dat deze eigenaardigheid na verloop van tijd niet meer opvalt, enkel als een kennis of familielid dat met je meegaat je er op wijst.
Een andere eigenaardigheid die wel op blijft vallen is het rijgedrag van de Kroaten en dat willen ze zelfs zo nu en dan ook beamen.
Te hard rijden is standaard, het liefst met de mobiele telefoon aan het oor. En een paar borreltjes met het zogenaamde “medicin” bij het ontbijt of een paar glazen wijn bij de lunch is deel van de cultuur. Of heftig met elkaar discussiëren, ik bedoel praten, met de handen druk gebarend los van het stuur. Maar gelukkig heeft de staat een aantal zeer strenge regels ingesteld aangaande deelname aan het verkeer. Dus het ´Macho´gedrag wordt tegenwoordig duur betaald. En de gevolgen zijn er ook.
Kijk, zelf doe ik soms ook een beetje mee aan de Kroatische gemakzucht in het verkeer.
Verkeersgordel om als ik naar het dorp rijd? Vergeet het maar. Knipperlicht aan als ik moet afslaan? Kom nou! En bij slecht weer mijn lampen aan? Is toch niet verplicht? Rij je zelfs voor gek, want de Kroaten knipperen soms hevig terug omdat ze denken dat je ze vergeten bent uit te doen. Een kapotte uitlaat? Nou vooruit…morgen even naar laten kijken….
Ik geef toe, aan die kapotte uitlaten erger ik mij wel, en vooral die van die rottige brommertjes terwijl je bijna omver gereden wordt in die smalle straatjes. Of het geronk van enorme motoren en quads door het dal zodat je niet eens even mobiel kunt telefoneren met je familie in Nederland vanaf je terras…..
Op het pleintje waar ik zit te werken bevindt zich een restaurantje waar veel mensen zitten te lunchen. Daar zitten ook twee indrukwekkend, in het donkerblauw geklede politieagenten. Blijkbaar hebben ze zich de lunch goed laten smaken en schenken het laatste beetje van een fles Malvazija uit in hun glazen. Nog even rust en nog even genieten….. voordat zij in hun jeep met opschrift “Policija” stappen en hun gewichtige taak weer gaan voortzetten. De geplande verkeerscontroles en drankcontroles voor vandaag mogen namelijk niet worden onderschat!

Amanece en Dalmacia central. La humedad del otoño perfora los muros. El silencio ocupa los espacios mientras me levanto. El pasillo me lleva hasta el pequeño salón, mientras ella permanece dormida en la cama. La ventana mira hacia un pequeño jardín. Una breve brisa recorre la estancia. Las cortinas sonríen al sentir el cosquilleo del aire húmedo. Cereales, melocotón y zumo de naranja. La voz del locutor de la noche sale a borbotes del portátil. Es domingo. Pienso en salir a correr junto al mar o en coger mi bicicleta y recorrer la pequeña ciudad. La paz respira el día. Ella ha despertado, me pregunta qué deseo comer. Como siempre, respondo que me da igual. Lo importante es sentir la felicidad, la tranquilidad de espíritu.
De repente, despierto. Todo ha sido un sueño. Los tiempos mejores ya pasaron. Ahora la gran urbe ahoga mi espíritu. La contaminación se posa sobre mis aspiraciones, que languidecen. Esperanza marchita ¿Tenia la felicidad en mis manos y la dejé escapar? Aquella ventana, aquel mar, aquella mujer…quizás todo fue en verdad un sueño…¿o es la nostalgia?
Aquella ventana…

I got off the bus an hour to midnight. Waving goodbye to Bapsi through the glass, a chapter felt finished. Cycling into town the moonlight shone over a sign that read “Zadar”. The temperature was perfect, a warm summers day had left a heat in the air.
I peddled around for an hour or so, looking for Charlie, but enjoying the friday’s festive atmosphere too. Meandering down the coastal boulevard, I could hear the sea organs, a musical sculpture which hums and bellows as the waves lap at the land. Past the streams of tourists, up against the park wall, lay two loaded tourers, asleep. Still no Charlie and ready for some slumber myself, I join the line and lean my bicycle beside theirs.
At 3 am the sprinklers wake us with a cold wet welcome, but allow me the chance to meet these two wanderers. We spend the early hours swapping maps and stories in excitement. They had travelled from Barcelona to Croatia then onto Athens and I was about to set off on the same journey, in reverse. We whispered until 6, the darkness hushing our voices. At dawn the two left on a ferry, and I finally got some shut-eye, a couple of friends richer.
By 5 that afternoon I had met up with Charlie. A sparkling smile under his still rough beard, but a shorter haircut… he looked more beautiful than ever. We shakely held eachother under the clock tower in the mainsquare. His smell the same, his hug the same, his voice a well-known tune. A close heart, on a long road, home felt nearer just by his presence. Two months of history untold, we set straight to story-telling, our adventures recounted over beer at a local cafe. A swin in the sun, a dry in the shade, our eyes continued their discourse as we cycled on towards our host Iva’s house.

No one around, we nestled into the couch and carried on our tales, the beer adding to our giddyness. We remembered. How close we could be, how much love there was, how fun flowed when together. It’s a hard thing to say no to, and indeed, we couldn’t. Our bikes would find company in eachother on the road to Barcelona.

Ein musikalischer Beitrag zur Überwindung von Grenzen in jeglicher Hinsicht.

Dalmatia still hides numerous secrets and fascinating places and monuments. One of the often overlooked, standing by the main road from Zagreb to Zadar, is the green oak in Islam Latinski some 20 Km north of Zadar. Not exactly a mystery since the botanists studied (and continue to) this magnificent tree for decades. It is called GREEN since it does not loose leaves in fall like normal oaks. It was then confirmed that this single specimen green oak is a unique hybrid of Quercus cerris and Quercus suber oak species.

Zeleni hrast

Another name connected to this oak was Wolf’s Oak since it was believed to be magical but also as it was visible from distances and used as a border in the ancient divisions and conflicts. This region has seen numerous battles between the Venice and Turks that ruled this area at the time! Although this tree is about 250 years old, it is known, from the documents, that another oak of the same species existed on the same spot in different periods in the past! It has become a symbol of Croatian existence in this troubled area…

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