November 8, 2020 – Although Zagreb has been shrouded in fog on Sunday morning, it has been a sunny autumn day on Sljeme and its forest.

Standing 1000 meters above Zagreb, the highest peak of Mount Medvednica, Sljeme, is the perfect and most favourite weekend excursion site for many Zagreb residents, as well as people from the surrounding area.

Although the fog did not look promising on Sunday morning, many Zagreb recreationists and excursionists still decided to head to the highest peak of Zagreb. And they did not regret it, as the sun appeared just after the first hills. Climbing to an increasing elevation, the fog slowly but surely disappeared, and the late autumn sun shone through the already half-bare branches of the Medvednica forest.

Sljeme (1033m), the highest peak of Medvednica or Zagrebačka Gora, as it is also called, can be reached on foot and by bike on hiking trails, or by road. From 1963 to 2007, the Sljeme cable car was in operation, and a new one is currently under construction, and should have its first test run of only 16 minutes very soon.

The area of Medvednica is also a nature park of the same name, and along the walk or ride through the beautiful forest, it is possible to get to know more than 1000 plant species. You can find your peace on as many as 70 hiking trails, and listen to the murmur of water from 70 streams. Exactly because of that, but also because of the immediate vicinity of the Croatian metropolis, the interest in visiting Medvednica and Sljeme is great throughout the whole year, and mostly on weekends.

Apart from the beautiful untouched nature, there are other tourist attractions in the Medvednica Nature Park, such as the old medieval fortress Medvedgrad. The Veternica Cave, the sixth-largest in Croatia, and the Zrinski Mine, cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia, are also an indispensable part of a visit to the park.

Since 2005, Sljeme has been the host of the Snow Queen Trophy ("Snježna kraljica"), women's slalom race of the World Ski Cup. The original name of the race was the Golden Bear ("Zlatni medvjed"), but it was changed in honor of Janica Kostelić, legendary Croatian skier, without whose sporting success the race would not have been given to Croatia and Zagreb to organize. Apart from that, Sljeme is also well-known for its television tower, visible from every part of Zagreb, and the Restaurant Vidikovac.

After a few hours of climbing, depending on the chosen route, hikers most look forward to eating homemade beans or baked “štrukli” and sweeten with strudels in the famous Mountain Lodge Puntijarka (947m).

The descent, due to fallen brown leaves and swept stones, is as challenging as the ascent to Sljeme, but the pleasure of observing the stems and treetops is even greater.

All photos © Donatella Pauković

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ZAGREB, Nov 8, 2020 - Croatia will continue building the partnership and allied relationswith the United States, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Sunday after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election on Saturday.

"According to the information we have now, I think the result is certain. We have congratulated President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris, and we will continue building the partnership and good allied relations between Croatia and the US. There are a lot of things that connect us and, of course, there is also a wider transatlantic partnership between the US and the EU," Plenkovic told the press after a meeting of the national coronavirus response team.

He said that this election had shown the "unbelievable interest" of American people to turn out for the vote. "Nearly 145 million people participated in the democratic process, which I think is very good," he added.

Asked to comment on the fact that Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa had not yet recognised Biden's victory and found it hard to come to terms with Donald Trump's defeat, Plenkovic said: !You should ask him that."

Jansa had congratulated Trump on re-election on Wednesday after the incumbent rushed to declare an election victory.

Leading US media declared Biden the winner on Saturday after he won the vote in Pennsylvania. Slovenian President Borut Pahor immediately congratulated him on the victory, while Jansa has not yet done so, insisting that the victory was declared by the media and not by an official body.

ZAGREB, Nov 8, 2020 - The President's Office said on Sunday it had not received a letter from the prime minister proposing a National Security Council meeting, claiming that the government was trying to deceive the public.

The Office of the President of the Republic "can only repeat the easily verifiable fact: President Zoran Milanovic did not receive any proposal from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to convene the National Security Council," it said in a press release entitled "The government is deceiving the public, Prime Minister Plenkovic did not send a letter to President Milanovic".

The President's Office said it had checked all the mail that arrived on Friday and the letter from the prime minister was not there.

Government spokesman Marko Milic said on Twitter on Saturday that the President's Office should better check their incoming mail, because the letter was delivered to the President's Office at 7.10 pm on Friday.

November 8, 2020 - The latest on COVID-19 in Croatia, as Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic discusses new measures with the Civil Protection Headquarters. 

Index.hr reports that in the last 24 hours, 2543 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, and the number of active cases in Croatia today is 15,678.

Among them, 1396 patients are in hospital, of which 145 are on a ventilator. Forty-two people died. This is the second day in a row that most deaths have occurred in one day since the beginning of the epidemic.

A meeting, including the Prime Minister and members of the Headquarters, was held today. Among others, Krunoslav Capak, Alemka Markotić, Minister Vili Beroš, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković participated.

Plenković said that new measures were being considered and that talks would be held with the Minister of Education and the Minister of Labor.

"The basic restrictions that exist will continue to apply from tomorrow at midnight until further notice. The situation is serious," he said.

"The Headquarters has announced that it will extend all existing measures tomorrow, and new measures will be considered," Plenković said, adding that he would first talk to Minister Fuchs.

"Recommendations for working from home will also be considered," the prime minister added and said that the Headquarters would start with regular press conferences, which will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

"Starting tomorrow at 11 am, the Civil Protection Headquarters will return with press conferences on Monday, Wednesday, Friday," he added.

He added that the Dubrava Hospital events were not good, talking about power outages and vandalism, and added that he believed the situation would change with the new hospital management.

"I expect the new management of the hospital, which will take office next week, will put it all together," Plenković said.

He said that Milanović's latest comments are pathetic and miserable. "Maybe someone will write 'Enough' on the covers tomorrow," he added.

"For every insult, they will get an answer; for every lie, they will get an answer. As inappropriate as that is, it's right," he concluded.

To read more about coronavirus in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 8, 2020 - Nedelisce parishioners are seemingly universal in their understanding and forgiveness as their local pastor leaves the priesthood for an altogether different kind of calling

Not every job is undertaken just to pay the bills. The strong urge to take a specific career is often referred to as a calling. Occupations in which you help other people are usually those described in this way - doctors, teachers, nurses, nuns and priests.

Spoken of with admiration, those who receive 'a calling' are presumed to be on a path of life which is their true destiny. Be it supernatural, genetically implanted or influenced by God, it is considered unlikely that anything could turn their heads and make them veer off course. Such considerations are naïve in their ignorance of Cupid's arrow.

Both Vecernji List and 24 Sata this week reported on the recent resignation of popular parish priest Rev. Tihomir Ciglar (30). Although on his path to the priesthood since he attended Archbishop's Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb, Ciglar has recently departed from his chosen course in favour of an altogether different calling - he fell in love.

The parish church in Nedelišće © Župa Presvetog Trojstva - Nedelišće

“He was wonderful.,” one of Ciglar's former Nedelisce parishioners is quoted as saying in 24 Sata. Nedelišće is a small town near Varaždin. “He was mild-mannered, good, everyone's favourite. My whole family loved going to Mass and listening to the sermons because of him. And then what happened, happened. He just fell in love, that's how it was.”

“We don't blame him for anything,” the parishioner continued, her voice apparently representative of locals' general feeling on the affair of the popular priest. She also added that news was circulating about the imminent arrival of the couple's first child. “May God give them many more children!”

Tihomir Ciglar was first presented to Nedelisce parishioners in 2014 as a chaplain, and in 2018 he was appointed pastor of the church. His pull from the pulpit occurred after he met the woman who is now his girlfriend in service of the church – she donated her time in the form of a cook. Further speculation on the development of feelings between the woman and her roamin Catholic partner is perhaps best left for village gossip.

An older image of the church in Nedelišće © TZ Nedelišće

In a heartfelt letter Ciglar penned to his flock, which was read aloud at Mass last Sunday, he asked for their forgiveness. The Nedelisce parishioners seem uniform in their understanding of the situation.

“I wasn't surprised when the letter was read,” one is quoted as saying in 24 Sata. “We'd seen something happen between him and that girl before. That's no small thing with us. Still, we were all kind of rooting for their love story.”

The local diocese is in the process of assigning another young priest to the parish. It is unlikely that the new priest will be similarly tempted from his path, but, you never know. This is not the first time it has happened. A similar case was recorded in Nedelišće forty years ago when a priest left the service out of love for a woman.

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November 08, 2020 - Samobor is a small medieval town of Baroque architecture located only thirty kilometers away from Zagreb. This popular excursion destination situated on the slopes of the Samobor hills is an amazing weekend getaway for all who enjoy the good combination of nature, history and gastronomy.

Although everyone associates Samobor with its most famous tourist attraction, the Samobor Fašnik, this charming town attracts all lovers of cycling, hiking, fishing and even paragliding. This cradle of mountaineering abounds in numerous groomed trails that lead you to beautiful mountain peaks, waterfalls and hidden caves. From there you can reach Japetić, Oštrc or Plešivica or you can just take a chill walk to the old town of Samobor. 

The old town of Samobor was built in the 13th century by the Czech king Otokar, and later numerous noble families, such as Arpadović and Anžuvinac, upgraded and lived there. In addition to being used as a castle to lords, it also served as a location for the filming of Jackie Chan’s movie Armour of God.

Samobor is ideal for sightseeing on foot. Everything is about fifteen minutes away from King Tomislav Square and the Church of St. Anastasia. In the square, each building tells its own story. On the balcony of house number 13, the Illyrian poet Stanko Vraz saw his muse Juliana Cantilly for the first time, and at number 14, the great writer Antun Gustav Matoš spent his days. In the middle of the square, there is an old well with drinking water and a legend that says that whoever drinks water from it always returns to Samobor. If you are lucky, on weekends you can see interesting antiques at the city flea market. 

If you are not a fan of sports and recreation, Samobor offers a rich and varied gourmet offer, but the trademark of this city is certainly - kremšnite! This world-famous puff pastry and cream cake can be reason enough to visit Samobor, believe me.

All photos © Sara Alduk

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November the 8th, 2020 - Istrian tourism is continuing to shine bright in the otherwise concerning world of not only Croatian tourism but global travel. The Istrian peninsula has been praised on multiple occasions throughout the duration of the ongoing pandemic for its handling of not only the spread of the infection but the way it has coped in a broader economic sense.

As Morski writes, this weekend in Rovinj, three large hotels are open and functioning: Grand Park, Lone and Eden. Maistra is too meticulous of a company financially to keep three big hotels open if it isn't paying off. In fact, there is a great demand for rooms.

''We booked the Lone hotel through Booking.com. On Thursday night, the page read that there were only two rooms left,'' writes plavakamenica.hr.

Two weeks ago, the luxury wine hotel Franca Cattunara in Nova Vas was also full to the very last room, as was the famous San Rocco in neighbouring Brtonigla. Restaurants in Istria are also solidly full on weekends, which was revealed this morning in Rovinj's Rio, which, at this time of year, also serves breakfast in precisely the same way as it does during the very height of the summer tourist season.

The phenomenon of stability during the second wave of the coronavirus crisis is obviously happening for Istrian tourism. Despite the virtually closed borders and the very small number of people infected with the new coronavirus, a solid number of guests still continue visit this gorgeous part of the country and boost Istrian tourism each and every weekend. These visitors are mostly from Zagreb, which was confirmed fifteen days ago by the owner of San Rocca, Tulio Fernetich; The ''weekend invasion'' of guests from Zagreb to Istria was visible this morning as well, according to numerous Zagreb registrations on cars parked in front of Rovinj hotels.

Istrian tourism, or at least some parts of Istria, are doing relatively well given the truly extraordinary circumstances that govern Croatia at this moment in time. Therefore, any lockdown measures for Istrian tourism and the local Istrian economy would be quite catastrophic indeed.

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As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes on the 7th of November, 2020, the development of the online platform Go Global - Go Virtual for B2B meetings presented itself as a decent occasion in which to talk with Ivan Barbaric, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce for International Affairs and the EU. During the conversation, Ivan Barbaric didn't comment on anything outside the scope of his own work, except on the measures of the Croatian Government in order to try to help the economy during the coronavirus crisis within the framework of EU policies and perspectives.

Have the international activities of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in this period been hindered due to the fact that fairs aren't being held and economic delegations aren't being organised?

Circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic stopped regular activities and established practices, but improved communication and accelerated the application of digital platforms. At the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, we quickly adapted to these new circumstances and saw the opportunity in online connection, as such, we created an online platform for B2B meetings Go Global - Go Virtual.

How does the HGK Go Global - Go Virtual platform work?

With the support of the European Entrepreneurship Network, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce launched a platform for online B2B meetings on the markets for which Croatian businessmen have shown the greatest interest. In the first survey, we defined the markets of Slovenia, Russia, Austria, Germany and the countries of the Visegrad Group as key ones. The goal is to sustain foreign activity and accelerate the recovery of the Croatian economy. The platform enables foreign customers to find qualified Croatian suppliers, meet potential partners, and discover new products and services. Each edition begins with invitations to Croatian companies that bring their profiles, activities and interests for cooperation to the platform.

Can you tell us what activities you held thanks to that platform, as well as some of your plans?

We held meetings with Slovenia, Russia and the countries of the Visegrad Group. When we analyse the profiles of companies, imports, exports or distributors, we can see that this platform is by far the most interesting to exporters, in the case of Slovenia, almost 90 percent of the companies in the forum were interested in exporting. At times, it's important that they reach their potential partners through a platform backed by institutions, Croatian ones and those belonging to foreign chambers. We're now preparing for Austria, Germany and Israel, with the proviso that in 2021 we'll be able to identify additional markets in agreement with our companies.

Are there any concrete results?

I'll single out the most successful example of this approach. In the midst of the lockdown, we connected Vuplast with a French hospital that was looking for a supplier of soluble bags for biohazardous items. Recently, at the conference of the European Entrepreneurship Network, which operates within the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, they were named the best entrepreneurial story in all of Europe. They also reached out to their new Swiss partners through EEN. This is an example of how the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, through its strong international network and contacts, helps out with exports. This innovative company recognised the opportunity, designed the product, and we opened the international door for it.

You say that there has been great response from Croatian enterprises when it comes to using HGK Go Global - Go Virtual. How many of them participate in the meetings?

Most of them were interested in meetings with the countries which make up the Visegrad Group, 171 registered Croatian companies and 144 companies from the Visegrad Group, and more than 500 virtual meetings were held. Regarding online meetings with Russia, there were more than 250 registered companies and more than 400 meetings held, while more than 90 companies participated in B2B meetings with Slovenia.

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