CROATIA
About the size of West Virginia.
4.3 million live here and almost as many abroad, counting through the last 3 generations (most live in Germany, Canada and US)...greatest emigration rate in the world, after Ireland. 86.28% are Catholic- Churches are usually full (4.44% Orthodox).- with 30% attending weekly.
It is a parliamentary republic since 1990 (partial) and in 2000 full parliamentary. Zoran Milanovic is the current Prime Minister- official residence in Zagreb-the capital. There are 220 political parties! What! I guess they are making up for the 1 party commie party that ruled them for 70 years. A member of the EU as of last year (2013)...it was a 10 year process to qualify. Proudly flying the EU flag, Croatia is the 2nd former Yugoslav republic to join the EU. How are they keeping those 28 countries together? Big bureaucracy? Bible has 500 pages, EU declaration of cabbage production has 4000 pages.
19% unemployment rate. wow! What is the main source of the economy?? Here in eastern Croatia it is agriculture and in the north it is the service industry, not much mfg...of course on the coast it is tourism. Relying on tourism as your main "industry" can be dicey- remember the Greeks of recent melt downs.
Tax
VAT tax is 25%
no property tax today but will come in 2015-joy.
One of my best friends in college was an engineering student from Zagreb...part of the brain drain during those commie decades. To this day he remains in Brussels. Your country needs you Mijhilo!
Dalmatian Dog- originating in Croatia? Dalmatian coast?
Yes, most of you know Croatia from visiting it's absolutely gorge Adriatic Sea and refurbed medeviel city, Dubrovnik. Woof Woof!
It is the biggest river port in Croatia at the confluence of the Vuka and Danube rivers. Slavic tribes settled in this area in the 6th century and part of the Bulgarian Empire did the same in the 11th-12th century. It was part of the Kingdom of Croatia and from the 13-20th centuries then it was part of the Hungarian Kingdom. You know those Habsburgs- of the philosophy if I see it and like it I grab it-they got around this part of Europe as well. Since 1918, Vukovar was part of the newly formed Kingdom of SERBS, Croats, and Slovenes- later known as Yugoslavia- those pesky socialists round'em up.
Recent...During the Croatian War of Independence -Pleep asked "hey, is that like Florida seceding from the USA?" Kinda, sorta said Bubs. Vukovar was completely devastated. While Croatia was still in its embryonic stage (as an independent country-breaking off from the former Yugoslavia) they became engaged in fighting with the Serbs. Imagine that. 2000 Vukovars were killed etc. Notorious for the devastation it suffered, some say, the worst in Europe since WWII. The water tower was heavily damaged in the battle and it stands as a symbol of the town's suffering...amongst other signs.
We see left overs from the war..
It looks like most of the homes have been cleaned up and/or reconstructed. We visited a family house in an outlying village..lovely countryside....
Nothing like a shot of "schlivovitz" (similar to rocket fuel) and a homemade donut to get you going...Bubs wonders if they know he is married to a Serb?????
Pleep saw the sign making it clear NO SERBIAN MONKEYS ALLOWED.
And where did that monkey go to? Bubs checks out the community wood pile?
The city remains very divided as a deeper sense of reconciliation has failed to take root. And Pleep still doesn't get it about those Serbs and Croats...
as the great American Rodney King said, "why can't we just get along?"
NOVI SAD, Serbia....no NOVI GLAD
the Ms. Treasure stopped in Novi Sad for a quick visit. And my cousins surprised us by greeting us at the dock...more to follow as we will be visiting with them in a couple of weeks Serbian style!
