The British Embassy in Zagreb held its traditional annual reception to celebrate the Queen's birthday at the ambassador's residence on June 8, 2017.
It is one of the most fun evenings of the TCN calendar, a chance to dress up and mingle with the important people, and it was a pleasure once more to accept an invitation from the British Ambassador and his wife to attend the birthday celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen. Liberal gin and tonics, British beer and curry aside, the event brings together important political and business figures in Croatia, fellow diplomats and the odd assortment of British nationals who have chosen to make Croatia their home.
As is traditional, the arrival includes a personal welcome from the ambassador and his wife. It was the first time that new British Ambassador Andrew Dalgleish had hosted the event, and he worked the crowd extremely well, seemingly making time for each and every guest throughout the evening.
The reception was held in the delightful grounds of the ambassadorial residence, where the hospitality included a popular beer tent supplied by successful British business, The Garden Brewery in Zagreb, who are celebrating their first year of operation, and a very successful year at that, with the brewery already exporting to other parts of Europe, as well as supplying festivals on the Croatian coast run by the owners.
Ambassador Dalgleish has made a very impressive start in this, his first post as ambassador. Extremely communicative and approachable, he has taken to his task with gusto, and it was great to finally meet him in person, especially with one of my favourite bands, The Cure, playing in the background. I wish I had videod his speech to include in this report, for it was just the kind of tone that this region needs. Delivered in three languages (English, French and Croatian), it focuses on themes of unity, the future and what the two countries have in common, and not division and the past, which are the favoured topics of many politicians here.
The event was sponsored by MACE, and guests wanting to learn more about the exciting Four Seasons Hotel project in Stari Grad on Hvar were treated to a model display of the resort in Brizanica Bay, a luxury 5-star hotel with 60 villas, which will be the top accommodation on the island, moving the quality back to the former capital of Stari Grad and away from Hvar Town, which seems to have decided upon a party tourism route.
