Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for November, 2008

Zagreb is all ready to welcome Sting who will wind up his 2009 tour on February 11 in the Croatian capital. Does that seem strange? It shouldn’t. Sting will be touring with Croatian lute player Edin Karamazov who is, brace yourselves, Sting’s lute teacher. Together the duo have been exploring the works of 16th-century English lute composer, John Dowland. Sting has promised to display his lute-playing skills during the course of the tour and in Zagreb.

The concert will be held at Zagreb’s Vatroslav Lisinki hall. Tickets will soon be available for online purchase.

Varazdin has long been famed for its baroque architecture but now it appears that this thriving town in the north of Croatia can teach a lesson or two about how to run a local economy. A recent article in the Financial Times noted admiringly that this former Croatian capital has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the region–4.5%.

The town’s dynamic mayor created an “industrial zone” in 2000 sparking an economic renaissance that is the envy of Croatia. Ten factories set up shop within four years including the textile and fashion company, Varteks, which employs 3300 workers. The largest domestic financial group, Fima, is another Varazdin production, managing €500 million in assets.

Now Varazdin finds itself in the enviable position of having an actual labor shortage, to add to its notorious tourist shortage. It’s not on the way to the Croatian coast so Varazdin gets far fewer visitors than it deserves. The revenue the town generates has gone a long way toward restoring an exquisite town centre, replete with impeccably crafted baroque buildings in a multitude of colors. Varazdin is an easy day trip from Zagreb so, please, head north for a spell before zooming south.

See more about Varazdin.

Yes you can eat well in Zadar but who knew you could eat so much? On 22 November, you can pig out on a giant apple strudel cooked up by  Renato Kraljev, chef of Kornat, one of Zadar’s best restaurants. This 900-metre-long pastry will stretch the length of central Kalelarga street from St Simeon’s Church to the Church of Our Lady of Health. With one thousand kilograms of apples and 300 kilograms of strudel pastry, there should be enough for even the most avid appetites. Local groups will provide a musical accompaniment to the strudel-fest.

Dubrovnik nightlife can get a little slow in the winter as many of the clubs that open during the season for tourists are simply too expensive for locals. Also, the town needs a dance club with a more contemporary feel.

The opening of “Factory Club” this past weekend should fill the bill.  Located in a former factory on Put Republike between the Old Town and Gruz harbour, Factory Club kicked off with and an appearance by  DJ Darren Emerson formerly of the band Underworld and now a celebrate DJ on Ibiza. The ex member of the band Underworld, he became famous for his hit Born Slippy from the film Trainspotting. Future programs promise to mix guest DJs with star disk-spinners from around Croatia plus special events and promotions. Stay tuned.

See more on Dubrovnik Nightlife.