Lifestyle

March 29, 2023 - The Croatian dream - to live in Croatia and get income from abroad. Meet the locals who are living that dream, and find out how you could, too, in a new TCN series. In the latest in the series, a guest from North Macedonia, who is enjoying life in Zagreb - meet Monika Boshkova. Croatia, great for a 2-week holiday, but a nightmare for full-time living unless you are very rich, so the perceived wisdom goes. The Croatian dream is to live in Croatia with a nice income from abroad, as many foreigners and remote workers…

RUTHERFORD, CA., March 29, 2023 — Grgich Hills Estate is set to host a series of events known as “A Life Full of Miracles” to celebrate the 100th birthday of legendary Napa Valley winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich starting on April 1, 2023. To mark the occasion, Grgich Hills Estate will release two highly collectible Centennial Celebration wines: the 2020 Paris Tasting Commemorative Chardonnay and the 2019 Yountville Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon. The commemorative Chardonnay pays homage to the historic Judgment of Paris blind tasting in 1976 when Miljenko's wine scored the highest among French and California wines, changing the world…

March 28, 2023 - Although the shelves of Croatian shops are full of various chocolates, which come in seemingly countless flavors, there are very few domestic producers of quality and artisan chocolates. Most of them are true enthusiasts, focused on the quality of raw materials, committed to developing the best recipe, and achieving a unique chocolate taste. They make them carefully, in small batches, with quirky toppings, for all those who like to enjoy their chocolate meaningfully and slowly. Luciane Choucate, a Brazilian chocolatier, makes her chocolates right in the heart of Croatia, in Samobor. Luciane Choucate comes from Salvador,…

March 28, 2023 - Two countries devoured by war a generation ago. Learning from excellence is an inspiring thing - 5 things Rwanda does better than Croatia.  It is a strange thing, being an expat. Or an immigrant, as some people prefer me labelled. A country you live in becomes a part of you, will never leave you.  And after over 20 years in Croatia, I have never lived longer anywhere else. And I am very happy here.  But there is one other country I lived in for almost a year that refuses to leave me.  Rwanda. 1994 in Rwanda…

March 26, 2023 - Dubrovnik is portrayed in many different ways around the globe. Meet the latest - in comic form - with Andrew Villone's Dazzle Does Dubrovnik.  Andrew Villone hails from Seattle and lives in Koper. He has his own tour company, branded under Adventures With Sarah, and has spent the last 18 years running boutique tours around Croatia, Slovenia and SE Europe. Last December, he published the first issue of his comic, Dazzle. From tour operator to comic book creator, I’ve heard that one so many times…. I have a great gig running my own tours but coming…

March 23, 2023 - Growing one's own food is a big thing in Croatia, but how to get the fresh produce to other family members all over the country? Meet the fabulous culture of moving vegetables. Premiering tonight at 19:53. Food in Croatia is fantastic. And so, so fresh. With so many families growing their own food, it is not a long journey from the family field to the table. Or is it? Over the years, I have learned that it is not possible to go on a long journey in this region between two cities without a boot full…

March the 22nd, 2023 - The EU Blue Card scheme is a special sort of status given to third country nationals (non-EEA/EU citizens) and British nationals who are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement who are highly qualified. It allows them to live in an EU member state for the purpose of taking up gainful employment there. How does one go about getting a Croatian EU Blue Card? Is there a difference between the Croatian EU Blue Card (plava karta) and a normal residence/stay and work permit? Although they both allow the holder the ability to work and take up…

March 20, 2023 - Swapping life in New Zealand for Croatia brings some changes. We are delighted to welcome Silvia Vidovic to TCN, writing contributor number 188 since we started 8 years ago. If you would like to contribute a piece about the Croatia where you are, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Writing. As a little girl growing up in New Zealand, the one thing I remember most is the taste of freedom. Bare feet, wild, sandy beaches, tramping through lush silver fern forests, driving for kilometres without anything or anyone in sight....and sheep, lots of them! School was a very relaxed…

March the 20th, 2023 - While you will likely have heard of Istrian, or the Istrian dialect, unless you're into linguistics, you may know less about the dialects and subdialects within that scope. Have you ever heard of the southwestern Istrian dialect?  We've explored many of the dialects, subdialects and indeed languages in their own right as some linguists consider them to be which are spoken across modern Croatia. From the Dubrovnik subdialect (Ragusan) in the extreme south of Dalmatia to Northwestern Kajkavian in areas like Zagorje, the ways in which people speak in this country deviate from what we know as standard Croatian…

March 16, 2023 - So what are the ideas to build a better Croatia? An innovative conference in Zagreb on Saturday - the second edition of Dangerous Ideas. This is turning out to be a hugely positive week for me.  Firstly, I welcomed on board my first official partner to try and realise my concept of the Dalmatian 'Olympics' of Traditional Dalmatian Games, an attend to preserve and celebrate the individual heritage of Dalmatian villages before some of these traditions are lost. You can read more about the concept in Introducing the Traditional Dalmatian Games Olympics: Get Involved! Yesterday's fun was…