News

January 9, 2023 - The famous Irish low-budget flight operator, Ryanair leaves passengers stranded. Several Ryanair passengers missed their flight last week after being locked in a windowless airport corridor. The flight from London's Stansted to Zagreb took off, leaving 23 passengers behind after both sides of the aisle were locked, trapping the passengers inside. "The children were crying; it became claustrophobic." As Index / The Evening Standard / Business Insider write, a Ryanair spokesperson commented that there was a "human error," which meant passengers could not "exit the pre-boarding door" and unfortunately missed their flight. Devina Raval, one of the…

January 9, 2023 - As countless stories of increased prices in Croatia circulate with the adoption of the euro, meet a lucky black cat cafe in Zagreb, where things just got a little cheaper - Crni Macak.  Along with many other people who had a longer association with Culture Club Mesnicka, I was very saddened when the owner announced suddenly that the iconic cafe and alternative music venue, which also happened to be my local for the previous year, announced that it was closing, as previously reported on TCN.  Wonderful people, great events, perfect vibe. And I had only been…

January 9, 2023 - The Croatia men's handball team beat Israel 37:23 on Sunday in Poreč to win the Croatia Cup 2023, their final preparation before the Handball World Championships begin this week! The Croatia men's handball team defeated Israel in the 3rd round of the Croatia Cup 2023 (37:23) to win the tournament! It was Croatia's last test before the Handball World Championships, which starts this week in Sweden and Poland. Croatia plays in Group G against Egypt, the USA, and Morocco. Compared to Croatia's first match against North Macedonia at the start of the tournament, coach Hrvoje Horvat…

January the 9th, 2023 - The Bosnian language, or Bošnjački jezik, if you want to say it in the local way, is a tongue belonging to the western subgroup of the wider south Slavic language family. It's worth mentioning straight away that it is rather ambiguous for many people here in Croatia, and has attracted many a dispute from linguists and other experts. 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…

January 8, 2023 - More good news for Croatia's attempts to attract the remote work sector, as the Sunday Times promotes Hvar in its top three WFA (Work from Anywhere) destinations.  It seems so long ago, May 2019. That was when I met a Russian and Ukrainian couple wanting to rent our apartment for 3 months the following year, from April 1 - June 30. They were doing something called remote work 10 months a year, with two in the office in Munich. Three months each year in Jelsa, then to Italy, then to Spain, then to Portugal at home. …

January 8, 2023 - As anger at the price differences between Croatia and Slovenia continues with the introduction of the euro, a statement from the Croatian Tax Office, reports Index.hr. IN THE LAST days, one of the main topics in the public eye is the prices in Croatia and Slovenia. After the introduction of the euro in Croatia, it is easy to compare prices with those in Slovenia, where the euro was introduced back in 2007. The Tax Office actually reacted to the statement of economist Damir Novotny. "For the purpose of truthfully and fully informing the public about the…

January 8, 2023 - Did you know that a whole different world awaits you a short distance from Zagreb, a world which is as far removed from the bustling centre in every possible way? And a world which is accessible in just 15 minutes via the recently opened Zagreb Cable Car. Zagreb is one of the few European cities that has quality skiing on its doorstep, and now even closer thanks to the cable car ride up the mountain to Sljeme. On a gorgeous December day, I made my way to the base station, determined to overcome my fear of…

January 8, 2023 - Advent in Zagreb 2022 has come to an end. How was it for you? A video snapshot.  And you thought Croatian tourism was all about the coast in the summer? Come visit the Croatian capital of Zagreb in December, as hundreds of thousands of others do, to experience one of the best Christmas markets in Europe (and voted the best three years in a row from 2016-18). It is a remarkable story of a small event which was first branded as Advent in Zagreb in 2010, at a time of year when tourism in Croatia was…

January 8, 2023 - Thinking of moving to Croatia? Looking for a little advice from a foreigner who has been here for 20 years? Five things I advise new arrivals coming to live in Croatia. Croatia is a wonderful place to live, although it is certainly not easy. Having lived here for 20 years, I have made all the mistakes possible - and more - and have been very frustrated by a number of things. In order to lessen the pain for those coming after more with plans of living in Croatia, here are 5 things I advise people to…

January 7, 2023 - FIFA has given Robert Ljubičić the green light to change his football citizenship. The 23-year-old Dinamo Zagreb midfielder can now play for the Croatia national team! In November 2022, Robert Ljubičić decided that he wanted to represent the national team of Croatia in the future, after which the process began with FIFA to change his football citizenship from Austrian to Croatian. After months-long efforts, Ljubičić can play for Croatia!  Ljubičić started his senior career at St. Pölten, after which he played for Rapid Wein and came to Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2022. "We are happy…