ZAGREB, Aug 19, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, of 1,653 tests performed for coronavirus, 219 have returned positive, and currently Croatia has 1,520 active cases, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Wednesday.

Of those active cases, 122 are receiving hospital treatment, including 11 placed on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, there have been two more COVID-related deaths, bringing the death toll to 168.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of the infection was confirmed in the country, a total of 7,074 people have contracted the disease, and of the 5,386 have recovered.

To date, 142,124 people have been tested for the virus.

Currently, 5,459 people are self-isolating.

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Updated on August 20, after the official decision by the Slovenian government was made public: in order to make things easier for their nationals currently vacationing in Croatia, Slovenia has decided to extend the deadline for the return to Slovenia until Monday. Slovenians who own real-estate and boats in Croatia are given an extra 48 hours, so they can take care of their property before leaving Croatia without self-isolating upon return. 

Brdo pri Kranju, 19 August, 2020 - Slovenia plans to put Croatia on red list of countries from which travellers must undergo a 14-day quarantine, reports STA, the Slovenian Press Agency.

Those already in Croatia have until the end of the week to avoid quarantine, those travelling there as of Friday will have to quarantine, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said on Wednesday.

The decision to red-list Croatia will formally be made at Thursday's cabinet session and published in the Official Gazette the same day.

"Fact is that the situation in Croatia is deteriorating dramatically. Data on infections show that the situation is really bad," Kacin said after the government meet epidemiologists to discuss the way forward.

He said Croatia was likely to today exceed 40 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in over a 14-day period, the threshold in Slovenia for putting countries on the red list.

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August 19, 2020 – All weather, all terrain, all year round – meet HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, amazing volunteers who will never let you down

They're never far from the news. For the last two weeks, members of HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service have yet again been on the TV news every night. They're leading the search for a summertime visitor, a Polish hiker missing on Biokovo mountain.

But, watch again this winter and, for sure, they'll be in the headlines once more. Whether, they're scaling mountain ranges in the unbearable heat of high summer, searching underwater caves, flooded rivers or the sea, breaking through wild forest or trudging through metres of snow, they undertake their search and rescue missions over every terrain, in every weather condition, in every month of the year, all across Croatia. And, they all volunteers.

Marc Rowlands meets the head of service for HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and three of its volunteers to find out who they are and what makes them do what they do.


Josip Granić, head of service for HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

My name is Josip Granić. I'm the Head Of Service for HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service. We've had an extremely busy couple of weeks. Being head of service for an organisation like this under such circumstances means you're always on the phone; co-ordinating, talking to outside organisations, members of the press. Communication. It's a 24/7 job, 365 days a year. If people need help, you can't take a holiday. Not at this level of the organisation.

We have around 1000 members. There are 11 paid positions in the main organisation and 25 people we pay to run the administration in each of the teams or stations we have. All of the members who perform the search and rescue are volunteers. We have pilots, surgeons, nurses, students, professors, every part of society.

I'm originally from Kaštela, but my home station is in Karlovac. I've been there for 15 years. I've been Head Of Service for two. Since I assumed the position, I've spent most of my time in the car. I travel all over Croatia.


HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service missions can be hampered by extreme weather conditions © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

To get a certified position as a mountain rescuer in Croatia you all do the same training. It doesn't matter if you come from Slavonia, Dalmatia or Istria, you must have the knowledge and ability to deal with circumstances in any terrain; caves, pits, mountains, on snow, underwater.

Depending on where your station is, the type of call-outs you get could be very different. In Slavonia, 90% are for missing persons - searching forests, rivers, and in floods. We've had a big search on Biokovo mountain for the past 16 days. The stations from Split, Makarska, and Dubrovnik were at first involved, then teams from all over Croatia. It's not the same as Slavonia. The terrain is very different, so you have to be good at a particular set of skills. But, the largest percentage of call-outs is still missing persons. It's 70% of our work nationwide. The other 30% are rescues.


HGSS volunteers are educated to use a wide range of technical equipment. They are trained to operate in all the different kinds of terrain found across Croatia © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

There are usually 800 – 1000 missions a year across the country. We get roughly the same amount of calls in colder months as in warmer months. Only, winter months can be busier. The terrain is more difficult. There are some villages in Croatia – usually where the front line of the fighting was, around Karlovac, Kordun, Lika – and when it snows, it can be almost impossible to reach those places. But, some older people still live there. It can take days to reach them on snowmobiles, then skis, to deliver food or medecine. The other busiest places in winter are the ski resorts - Platak, behind Rijeka, and in Zagreb, on Sljeme. There are teams stationed in those places throughout the snow season.

What's the greatest danger of the job? Almost everything. Nothing in this job is easy. The greatest dangers we face are the same facing those that we rescue - underestimating the environment, nature, the conditions. That's where our training comes in.

In mountain rescue, we separate dangers into subjective, objective and technical. Subjective is the stuff you're guilty of - lack of preparedness, knowledge or equipment. Objective dangers are the ones you can't control, like sudden changes in weather, or avalanche. If you're sensible and informed, there should be no objective danger.


HGSS on a mission, clinging to a steep incline in Paklenica © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service "People need to be aware at all times on the mountains. By the time most people think they may be in trouble, they've usually been in trouble for five or ten minutes already" Josip Granić.

80 – 85% of the people we rescue are Croatian. Only 15 – 20% are guests. People from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, (Austria and Slovenia too) tend to enjoy nature more. They like hiking. That's the reason there are typically more rescues for those nationalities than there are for British, Belgian, French, Italian, America, Canadian or Australian guests. I don't remember the specific year, but sometime between 15 and 20 years ago we had a season where 5 or 6 Czech nationals were being searched for or, sadly, turned up dead. The media covered it and ever since there's been this myth that all the people who get into difficulty are Czech.

The question about expensive helicopter rides - why don't you charge the people you rescue - has been here forever. It's like this - if you're a tourist and you have a car accident in Croatia, the fire service, police and an ambulance will come. You won't get charged. We are a tourist country. According to international agreements, we are obliged to make everything safe for residents and guests alike. We are here, just like the fire service and police, to do our part. The Croatian air force is responsible for the helicopter rides and I have to give credit to them - they are crazy good pilots. Amazing. Even if we did charge everyone we saved - and most of the 85% of Croatians we save would struggle to pay - it still wouldn't be anywhere near the money required to run this service.


The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service used specially trained dogs on their searches © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

In 2007, I got a new search dog. It came from the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue service in North Wales. We cooperate a lot. We were sent out on a job to look for a three-year-old male child who had gone missing near Požega at the beginning of January, wintertime. His grandma was watching him and they were in a house on the edge of the woods. Early in the morning, he was playing with a dog. It suddenly ran into the forest and the boy chased after him. The grandmother didn't see it happen. I found him using my new dog, just after 8 o'clock the next morning. He'd been alone in the freezing forest for almost 20 hours.

Time is really moving fast on a job like that, because it's a kid and because it's so cold. Survival rates in such conditions are not good after 24 hours. When I found him, saw that he was alive, those big eyes looking up at me, it's a crazy feeling. You can't describe it. You can't compare it. A lot of positive emotions.

Every mission is special. We meet them all with the same level of determination and professionalism. But, it's the ones where you know you've really saved someone that stand out in the memory. Not the broken leg, where you transported someone – sure, that's an excellent job. But, when you know you've saved someone's life, that they definitely wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you, that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Jana Mijailović, volunteer for HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

My name is Jana Mijailović, I'm 48 years old and I'm from Zadar. I finished school to be a teacher, but I never did it. My husband and I run a company that does plastic and aluminium windows for houses.

I started to go into the mountains when I was at high school. I never had the ambition to be part of mountain rescue services – people just noticed me on the mountains. They said I'd be good at it and asked me to join. I met my husband on the mountains. We are both volunteers for HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service. I've been doing it for 16 years.

I was a member of the first and second all-female Croatian expeditions to the Himalayas. We first climbed Cho Oyu in 2007, then Mount Everest in 2009. Croatia is the only country in the world that has only one successful male climber of Mount Everest, but four successful female climbers. I sometimes work as a guide too. I guess you could say I'm all about the mountains.

Being a climber, an Alpinist, I know that if I get into trouble, it's only my HGSS colleagues who can help. I feel this instinctively. I cannot be in the house, safe and warm, knowing that maybe someone needs help that only I can provide.


HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service members entering Paklenica under foreboding skies © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

I've really been on so many expeditions with HGSS. My station are on duty in the season at National Park Paklenica and I'm now the coordinator. Climbers from all around the world come and so there are many interventions. None of them are easy because the terrain is incredibly difficult. You really have to be in shape and know the techniques inside out.

I'm very proud of my statistics. Everyone I've rescued, who was alive when I reached them, is still living today. Unfortunately, not everyone we reach is alive when we arrive.

I remember one time, my husband and I were having dinner. We were arguing about the techniques and knots for moving a stretcher down a vertical climb. The training is so intense, you really have to know it well, and I guess that's just the kind of people that we are, that we would be arguing about it in our free time. Ha! He told me, "Why do you care? You'll never have to do that," because usually, it's really strong guys who do that specific job. If you're on a 400-metre-high section of rock, it really takes a lot of muscle.


Ascending from a valley floor or descending from a mountain peak with a stretcher is a technically difficult operation, often hindered by darkness and adverse weather conditions. It requires a lot of training and a lot of muscle © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

In the evening, just two days later, we were called out to rescue an Italian guy who broke his leg on Anića Kuk. It's a really mighty part of the stone. And the leader of the expedition asked me to go on the stretcher. They pull you down on the ropes and you have to push very hard to keep the stretcher, the person you're carrying and yourself away from the rock, while balancing the weight of all three. It was dark, raining and with lots of Bura, the incredibly strong wind that sometimes hits us. That's probably my most memorable rescue.

Petar Prpić, firefighter and volunteer for HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

My name is Petar Prpić, I'm 25 years old and I'm from Hrvatska Kostajnica, just on the Croatian-Bosnian border. My station is in Novska. In my full-time job I'm a professional firefighter. I guess I have two dangerous jobs. Well, one job and one hobby.

I've always been interested in the outdoors – mountaineering, hiking, canoeing. But, that's not why I joined HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service. I just wanted to help people. I don't know, I guess it's just something in me.

We have a lot of rivers in our area. During the times of flood, we get a lot of call-outs. Our part of the country has a high percentage of elderly people in the population. A lot of them live in small villages, on the edge of the forest. We get a lot of call-outs for searches. Especially in the autumn when people go out looking for chestnuts or mushrooms. But, like all the stations in Croatia, we are here year-round if there are any actions in other parts of the country that need us.


In some areas, HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service are frequently called out in response to flooding. This picture shows HGSS members on operation during the 2014 floods. In that year, flooding across the whole region was so bad that HGSS members operated not only in Croatia, but also donated their services to neighbouring Bosnia and Serbia © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

I was just on the search in Biokovo. The head of service called me and asked me to go. I first had to get some free days from my job. I called my boss, Zvonimir Ljubičić, chief of the fire department. He's great, very understanding, and he gave me permission. Two years ago I was called to Rab. Very hard operation, very difficult terrain.

Late last summer, we were called out to look for an older man near Glina. It was around 11 o'clock in the evening. He'd gone to look for mushrooms in the afternoon and never came back. Police were there and they sent for us.

The man had a cell phone on him, but there was no signal. There was no location given off the phone. We were a team of four, split into two teams. We went up into the woods above Glina and concentrated our search on areas where we could see there was no telephone signal on our phones. We were yelling in the dark. After an hour of search, someone answered. He'd been missing since 2pm. We found him at 2am. He was just lying there, uninjured but unwell, unable to move.

The reason it sticks in my mind is that the next day, in the morning, his daughter called me. She was so thankful, so emotional. For sure we saved his life. None of the other emergency services who were present could find him. It was down to us. We finished the operation at about 6am and then all four of us had to go immediately to our regular jobs.

Mario Franolić, physician, ex-commando and volunteer for HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

My name is Mario Franolić and I'm 60 years old. I'm the chief of the mountain rescue service in Istria. I travel throughout Croatia because I'm also an instructor for the medical commission of HGSS. I was born on island Krk. I'm based in Pula although I work in Rijeka. I travel a lot between the two. I've been with HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service for 18 years.

In my day job, I'm a physician. I am a senior mentor at the Institute for Underwater and Hyperbaric Medecine in the Clinical Hospital Rijeka. I'm an expert in my field of emergency medecine. I've been doing it for almost 30 years.

When I was young, I trained to be a physician in Belgrade. It was then the best medical faculty in Yugoslavia. At the same time, I also started spelunking (cave exploration). I've been doing it since 1978. Later, I was a physician in the military underwater commando unit. I lived in Austria for five years, but when I came to Pula, they were just starting the HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service station here. They asked me for help because they didn't have any medical professional on the team. I accepted. It would be a waste not to use all these skills I have.


Specialist teams from HGSS are trained in underwater rescue from caves. Such caves exist all over Croatia in the karst rock, and also on some islands © HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

Sometimes, our status as volunteers can give us problems. Although we have official duties, we are more like an NGO than something like the police. There can be legal implications. I remember one situation, very acute because a paraglider fell from the sky. None of his colleagues saw him fall. Paragliders go into the air together, but then they each branch off to do their own thing.

We had no idea about the location. We started from the last point of sighting, knowing that it could be very far from the place where he actually fell. But, we had to start somewhere. We had one mobile phone signal direction. But, you need three in order to locate someone. We only had a line on the map.

In the past, HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service sometimes had difficulties because the telephone companies wouldn't give us the information we needed in order to triangulate the position of a missing person. They would only give it to the police. But, it's a race against time. We searched for this man all day and all night. In the morning, some Croatian paragliders made private contact with a guy from the phone company. They begged him to release the information we needed. Although he could lose his job, giving such information to private citizens, he did it.

We found the man about 150 metres from where we were. Sadly, he was already dead. It was very small comfort to see that he had died instantly, on impact. It's unbearable when you reach someone you could have saved if only you had got there quicker, especially in an instance such as this, where we were hindered by a lack of information that was available. I think it moves more quickly now, but still we have to go through the police.


© HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

One of the most emotional operations I went on was around five years ago, the rescue of a young girl - maybe two and a half to three years old – who got lost in the woods in a small place in central Istria. She chased into the forest after some dogs around 10 or 11 in the morning. The family saw immediately that she had disappeared and started to search. About two hours later, we were called out. It was impossible for the family to find her.

About 300 people came – my station, the Rijeka station, hunters, firemen, police and volunteers. In such an operation, the police are the lead service. But, 99% of the time they leave the organisation of the search to HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service. We are the only organisation who is very well educated in organising searches. When other people do searches, they use intuition. But, people all have different intuition. It can be chaotic. We are highly trained for this. There are procedures, recognised internationally, that we follow. We found her early in the morning, at around 7 o'clock. The dogs were lying on each side of her, giving her warmth.

All photos courtesy volunteers and HGSS The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service

August 19, 2020 - After Austria and Italy put Croatia on the "red list", i.e., introduced mandatory COVID-19 testing for anyone returning from Croatia, Falkensteiner reacted proactively and introduced a free coronavirus test (PCR test) for guests inside its facilities two days ago. 

HRTurizam reports that this is a great move that especially benefits foreign tourists, who can now be tested in the safety of their accommodation. This avoids many questions, especially for families with children, such as: Where can I find a testing clinic? How do I get there? Is it safe? Is it crowded?, which is further emphasized in a crisis situation.

“In order to facilitate the return of our guests from those two countries, we decided to donate COVID-19 tests, and in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health, organized daily visits to the resort to take samples on the spot, so guests do not have to go to the Zadar Institute," Falkensteiner pointed out.

For those guests who do not want to be tested in the hotel, i.e., in Croatia, Falkensteiner has provided a discount of 50 EUR per person, so that guests can be tested in their countries, and thus covers the cost of testing. 

Measures in Falkensteiner hotels in four languages

Falkensteiner's reaction to the COVID crisis and the preparations before the hotel opened should also be highlighted. For the needs of the guests, through a video and website (in four languages: Croatian, German, English and Italian), they explained all the procedures, gave answers to key questions and epidemiological measures they took to make guests feel safe. All information can be found HERE.

Falkensteiner should be used as an example for all as an excellent case study of crisis communication, i.e., making crisis decisions in hotel management. If Falkensteiner only looked at the profit, because the cost of testing is certainly an unplanned cost, they might have earned a few thousand euros more this season. However, with this decision, they have definitely profited in the long run. This is not a cost, but an investment and, logically, a human reaction. 

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August 19, 2020 - If you thought that the entire Croatian coast is about easy-going life, with antique remnants and hot-blooded people who sing all the time under the olive oil tree - you haven’t seen Kvarner Gulf. Kvarner Gulf is also a Mediterranean region in the Adriatic sea and is somewhat similar to Dalmatia, but its culture is totally different. Think the Mediterranean with Austro-Hungarian moderation, diligence, and attention to details.

Kvarner Gulf is bordered by Tuscan-style Istria in the north, a petite arcadia of vineyards, lovely woods with truffles, pleasant coastal towns, beaches, and charming hamlets on the rolling hills. In the south, Kvarner Gulf borders Dalmatia, a region where natural beauties and amazing cultural heritage co-exist with architectural atrocities, traffic mess, and a dose of chaos here and there.

Between rustic Istria and hot-blooded Dalmatia, Kvarner lives its quaint, diligent, and neat life with tourism that was conceived in the glory days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In Dalmatia - there are ancient houses and entire towns made of stone and marble. In Kvarner, you will see narrow houses with colorful facades, villas from the belle epoque built as summer residences of a European aristocracy, and lovely houses of Kvarner’s captains with palms and exotic plants they brought from all over the world.

Dalmatia is pretty - for the most part. Yet, its turbulent history heavily influenced by the Ottoman Empire created a culture that sometimes misses keeping all things pretty, neat, and organized. This part of the Mediterranean inclines toward loud emotions that can slightly fog rational thinking, creating a charming dose of chaos and slothfulness (google: fjaka). And that’s why we love it.

Dalmatian chaos gave birth to amazing arts - klapa singing is beyond beautiful and the legendary Malo Misto TV series can stand side-by-side with Jirzi Menzel’s and Fellini’s depictions of small-town life.

But, if you want to experience another kind of Mediterranean - less dramatic and loud, visit Kvarner. The history of Kvarner was somewhat different than Dalmatian history - while Dalmatia was dealing with the attacks of the Ottoman empire, more civil rule of the Venice and Austria defined the largest part of Kvarner area, leaving good infrastructure and carefully tended gardens in front of the lovely houses lining the orderly streets of the neat colorful towns.

Colorful facades of Kvarner vs stone houses of Dalmatia

Opatija

The city of Opatija is pretty similar to Montreux - big fancy, belle epoque houses with lush gardens, parks, and promenades were built as summer residences of European aristocracy. Instead of the Geneva lake, there is an Adriatic sea and lots of palms, but the experience is quite alike. Fancy hotels and restaurants serve the high-class clientele that loves the buzz of luxury and style. Both boast nostalgic scenery of the Charleston age.

Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Rijeka

Rijeka used to be a Habsburg and Hungarian port from the late 17th century, competing with Austria’s imperial port of Trieste.

And you know ports - they tend to be open-minded, mild-tempered, liberal and outgoing - especially if we are talking about Habsburg ports at the peak of the Empire’s power and ambition. 

Rijeka’s historical buildings remind a bit of Vienna or Graz, and its heritage doesn’t have so much to do with the Romans, battles with Ottomans, fortifications, and towers like in Split, as with the industrial revolution, transportation made in the 19th century and the efforts of Austrian and Hungarian empires to spread their influence from Rijeka to the rest of the world.

When you compare the mindset of Rijeka and the big Dalmatian port of Split, you will notice a more conservative, right-wing way of thinking in Split and a more left, open-minded atmosphere in Rijeka. If you are a young woman looking to find a partner to support you in your career, you might want to look for a guy from Rijeka. And if you'd like to find a tall, dark, handsome and macho man, definitely head towards Split. But, don’t expect him to cook for you or do laundry. In Split, they take good care not to risk masculinity as it, as they believe, dissipates when in touch with kitchen utensils, the vacuum cleaner or laundry detergent.

Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Lošinj Island

Lošinj is incredibly beautiful - and not only for its lovely nature and historic heritage from the 19th and 20th century - it is as neat and tidy as if some Swiss people come regularly to tidy it up. All the houses have colorful facades, neat gardens and clean streets - unlike Dalmatia, Lošinj and Kvarner love it orderly.

No saddening and confusing architectural atrocities that attack the idyllic Mediterranean towns and bays in Dalmatia. People of Lošinj protect its cultural and natural heritage by their architectural choices, keeping in mind that prosperous tourism is not about quantity, but foremost - quality.

A bit of smart strategic planning executed by top brand destination managers, based on a long tradition of Lošinj health tourism, and a bit of ratio driven thinking resulted in sustainable tourism that is equally attractive to inhabitants and tourists. Lošinj people find it a bit funny when their Dalmatian neighbours build a zillion clubs, attract all the partygoers of Europe and then whine because drunk, pissing and vomiting youth wander across amazingly nice Renaissance streets. I mean, duh?! What was the plan - open all those clubs and then organize baroque music festivals for the rich European aristocracy in them?

Lošinj is branded as an “Island of Vitality” - and this well-throughout tourism direction prevented mass and party-oriented tourism. It is that simple. Have a strategy, derive a plan from it and then stick to it as much as possible. No clubs, no club-goers. It's not quite rocket science, right?

High-end tourists are happy - they come to enjoy a great climate and recover in fancy wellness programs, truly untouched nature, top hotels and restaurants, and inhabitants are reasonably happy, since this type of tourism doesn’t interfere with the values and a tranquil lifestyle of inhabitants.

Of course, there are always people who are not happy with this or that, but they do not express their opinions by uncontrollable usage of concrete or undermining the overall developmental strategy - no Dalmatian-style “dišpet” (resistance with passionate attitude) here. A bit of nagging and some fine-developed art of gossiping, that’s all.

Is Lošinj an example of a series of fortunate events? I wouldn’t say so - it is about mindset, shaped by the Italian and Austrian influences that cooled the Mediterranean blood to more moderate temperatures and weeded out instant gratification of fjaka by offering some more sophisticated ways to be.

Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Cres

Cres is something special - experts would say it is touristically underdeveloped, but that is exactly the reason to visit it. It has several tourist hubs (Martinščica, Cres, Punta Križa) - but the rest of it is beautifully left alone. It is an island of stunning hamlets with perfect beaches down the hill, dramatic cliffs and minimalistic type of Mediterranean vegetation - large areas are covered only by aromatic plants and a shrub here and there.

It is a place to enjoy meditative walks, soak up the beauty of the Adriatic looking at it from above and visit the villages that look like they did when your great-grandma first noticed your great grandfather.

Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Krk

Is it still an island if it has a bridge? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but thanks to the bridge, Krk is way more easily reachable and therefore a bit busier than Lošinj and Cres islands. Still, it is not crowded and besides historic towns with many restaurants and touristy buzzes, such as Krk or Malinska, it offers numerous quaint villages and secluded bays to rest and enjoy.

Here you can enjoy the best of tourism, some nice history, great food and lots of tranquility and untouched beauty.

Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Rab

Rab is a beautiful and diverse island, one of those fairly well-developed tourist destinations, that have everything you dream about when you plan your vacation. There are long sandy beaches with many things to do, tasteful restaurants, great facilities, and fun event Rapska fjera that brings you back to Rab’s Middle Ages.

But, Rab is not a victim of overtourism, no chaotic crowds, or devastation of nature. Rab is a moderate and smart destination, just like the rest of the Kvarner. With long sandy beaches and deep shades of pine trees, the southern part of the island is a picture-perfect family destination. Laid back, yet tidy and very comfortable.

In the middle of the island, protected from the winds and the cold, is a peasant paradise, a large area rich with fertile soil. Ripe tomatoes, delicious peppers, figs, grapes, sage, and rosemary grow in the heart of the heart-shaped island Rab.

Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

And the bonus - one of a kind Susak island and arcadia of Unije

Besides two nice towns and four big islands, Kvarner also boasts more than a few islets. Many of them are just incredibly beautiful places to anchor your yacht and enjoy absolute privacy of the intact nature, but Susak and Unije are more than that.

Susak is a geological mystery - an island with fine white sands looks as if it was accidentally misplaced somewhere from Africa to a stony Kvarner. Nothing here looks like the rest of the Kvarner. Long beaches with shallow waters are a thrill for kids and beachgoers enjoy lazing around.

This small isolated island basically invented mini skirts which are a part of their idiosyncratic folk costume. They had no problems with showing women’s legs Urbi et Orbi centuries ago, unlike the rest of Europe. Vibrant red and pink colors of multilayered mini-skirt, worn with equally colorful pink or red socks really surprise you, posing a question - how on Earth did this folk costume develop? Maybe it fell from another Universe, just like the island itself. Older ladies wear these mini-skirts too but in black. And even in the present days, it is not unusual to see granny walking around in her lovely multilayered mini-skirt.

Unije island is a paradise in the middle of nowhere - its village attracted some cool people from all over Europe who bought summer houses there to enjoy mini-paradise away from everything. Unije are sort of arcadia - Kvarner life at its best. Cultured oasis of people who just want to enjoy the best of life, without unstable sinusoidal emotions of pisma (singing), dišpet or fjaka, trademarks of Dalmatian mentality. More like a dream come true of Italian renaissance poets.

Some people will say that in terms of nature and the sea Dalmatia is more beautiful than Kvarner. Although it is only maybe partially true, Kvarner is like that neighbor that is always kind, polite, does no harm, ready to help, light-spirited, and friendly. Dalmatia is like that charming, tall, dark guy that awes and charms, but is not maybe the most polite and reliable guy in the neighborhood.

So, take time to experience both sides of the Croatian coast, Kvarner Yin and Dalmatian yang.

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ZAGREB, Aug 19, 2020 - Defence Minister Mario Banozic said on Wednesday that he had demanded a renewed report on the cases involving faulty helicopters and their overhaul.

Coming to Government House in Zagreb for an inner cabinet meeting, Banozic was asked by the press about the faults found on Croatian Air Force helicopters, and explained that two faults had been found and that Croatia had demanded the removal of those faults by those who had already performed the overhaul and this would be done at their expense.

He recalled that the overhauled helicopters had registered over 1,000 flight hours in a year.

The minister dismissed as tendentious, media reports that one of the faulty helicopters had intentionally been put at the disposal of the president, which was why he (Zoran Milanovic) was prevented from flying.

Asked about the priorities facing the ministry's organisation in the autumn, Banozic announced the reduction of the number of employees in his department.

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ZAGREB, Aug 19, 2020 - About 6,500 children in Zagreb will not be able to return to their own schools once the school year starts on September 7 because of the damage caused to school buildings by the March 22 earthquake, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Wednesday.

Damage caused by the quake was identified on 175 school and kindergarten buildings with 91 buildings being repaired to date.

Works are continuing on an additional 82 buildings and 69 of these should be ready for the new school year. Twelve schools, however -- five elementary and seven secondary schools -- were seriously damaged in the quake and are not safe for use hence students from those schools will have to be relocated to other schools which until now had lessons in only one shift.

Another school that was being reconstructed in any case brings the number of schools that will be relocated to thirteen.

Some elementary school pupils will have to attend schools in other suburbs and the city authorities have organised transport for 1,923 pupils, however, a decision has not been delivered on seating arrangements in school buses, considering the epidemiological situation, the Jutranji List reported.

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August 19, 2020 - Dinamo Zagreb released a statement Wednesday morning that one player tested positive for coronavirus, but did not reveal the identity of the player.

We have transmitted the club's press release in its entirety below:

"We hereby inform the public that one player from the GNK Dinamo system is positive for COVID-19. Pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act (GDPR), we cannot disclose the identity of a person positive for the coronavirus.

The player who had symptoms immediately informed the GNK Dinamo medical service about his condition, which informed the competent epidemiological service about the situation in accordance with all prescribed measures. Today, the player received a positive result and was given a measure of strict self-isolation, in accordance with the recommendations of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and the working group of the Croatian Football Federation.

According to the assessment of the medical service of the club and the epidemiological service at this time, there is no need for self-isolation of other players or members of the professional staff, given that the infected player was not in close contact with other people indoors, within the confines of the stadium.

Clubs participating in the UEFA competition are required to perform COVID-19 tests before each match in accordance with all prescribed measures, twice before the match. All members of the first team will be tested on COVID-19 on Thursday, August 20, and a few days later, the second test will be done.

GNK Dinamo will carry out intensified supervision in the coming days and will closely monitor the situation within the club in order to protect the players, the professional staff and all employees."

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