May 31, 2023 - After years of isolation before the Peljesac Bridge, some Mayor Frankovic provides an update on the Dubrovnik motorway.

Last year, the opening of the Peljesac Bridge, this year more good news for connectivity to and from Dubrovnik. 

"The government has decided: We are going to complete the highway network, the branch to Dubrovnik will be built," writes the mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, on his FB profile.

"After a decade of lack of traffic connectivity, thanks to Andrej Plenković and his Government, the south of Croatia is experiencing a traffic renaissance. With the construction of the Pelješki Bridge and the expressway across Pelješac, a huge step forward was made in traffic connectivity, and now, with the Government's decision, we are going even further. Finally, after so many years of waiting, the highway construction project to Dubrovnik begins. This is great news for all of us in the south of Croatia, the highway will bring us greater prosperity, safety in traffic, faster connections with the whole of Croatia, which will enable the further development of various economic branches with the aim of reducing the influence of the economic monoculture of tourism. This news came only a day before the day of statehood, and it could not have been a better congratulation from the Government of the Republic of Croatia than this one." - wrote Franković.

Agreements have been reached with 10 Croatian banks for refinancing and new loans, which will make 1.35 billion euro available to connect Metković to Dubrovnik, as well as Križišće to Žuta Lokva.

May 17, 2023 - An incredible feat and a water polo first - Jadran Split has beat Jug to become the Croatian Water Polo Champion for the first time in the club's history! 

The decisive fifth match of the Croatian water polo championship finals was held between Jadran and Jug on Wednesday at the Poljud swimming pool in Split. 

All tickets for the final were sold out last week after the fourth final match. All 650 tickets in the stands were sold, and Jadran decided to install prefabricated stands to seat more. One was placed under the scoreboard, on the other side of the main stand, for 175 seats, and two smaller stands behind the goals, with about 100 seats on each side. In total, a maximum of 1,025 people were in attendance tonight. 

Before tonight the finals series was tied at 2-2, with both teams celebrating in their pools so far.

Split Jadran won the fifth, decisive game of the final series 11:8 (4:1, 0:2, 4:2, 3:3) and, in their sixth final, finally secured their first Croatian title!

Jadran has never been the champion of Croatia until now. Today, they created history. This triumph ended the 18-year fast of Split men's clubs in team sports (soccer, basketball, handball, water polo, volleyball). The last Croatian champion was Hajduk back in 2005.  

Jadran opened the match brilliantly and took a 4:0 lead. Jug responded and returned to the game, but in the third quarter, Jadran gained a three-goal advantage again. Finally, four minutes before the end of the game, Jadran secured all doubts of who would be the winner, leading 10:6. The final score was 11:8. 

The final's best player was Rino Burić, who scored four goals for Jadran. Marinić Kragić and Butić scored two each.

On the other side, Joković scored two goals for Jug, while Fatović, Vukojević, Biljaka, Kakaris, Lazić, and Žuvela scored one each.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

May the 1st, 2023 - If you've ever spent any time around Dubrovnik, you'll have no doubt noticed the enormous, now totally abandoned Kupari hotel. The former hotel has been standing like an eyesore on the southern Dalmatian coast for decades, and the saga surrounding it is almost as long.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, on Thursday, the Croatian Government gave its consent to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property to conclude Annex II to the contract on the implementation of the large Kupari project, with the aim of continuing the implementation and defining new deadlines with the investor, Kupari Luxury Hotels.

Interested parties may recalled that back in 2016, the government signed a contract with a group of bidders for the Kupari project, which foresees the construction of two new hotels at the Kupari location, the revitalisation of other buildings and the eventual renovation of the Grand Hotel.

In the meantime, a new investor, Hotel Properties Limited-HPL from distant Singapore, entered the project, and an urban development plan for the Municipality of Zupa Dubrovacka (the Parish of Dubrovnik) was adopted, and in March, an agreement was signed with Hrvatske vode/Croatian waters for the relocation of the watercourse route.

All of this requires a new contract with the state, which contractually obliged Kupari Luxury Hotels to invest with an extremely long 99-year concession. "With this decision, we oblige the investor to submit data for changes to the UPU within sixty days after signing the annex to the contract.

According to the current plans of the Parish of Dubrovnik, a period of twelve months has been prescribed in which the investor is obliged to obtain a valid building permit, and in a further period of four years to realise the project in Kupari itself,'' explained the Minister of State Property, Branko Bacic.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

April the 10th, 2023 - The Peljesac bridge story was over last summer after the huge structure of strategic importance finally opened after a long wait, but what about the Peljesac bridge-Dubrovnik road?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, from its very opening until today, slightly more than one million and 420 thousand vehicles have crossed the Peljesac bridge, bypassing the need to enter into and then back out of neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina when travelling to/from the extreme south of Dalmatia. There are currently many local guests spending time on the Peljesac peninsula who were brought closer to very south of Croatia by this historic bridge.

The Easter weekend also naturally brings bigger crowds, and on Friday alone about 50 percent more vehicles were registered. Ston, with its imposing walls and famous oysters, is an unavoidable stop for most tourists.

"Regardless of the fact that it isn't yet the tourist season, there are about 10 buses a day that come specifically to Ston for the sake of history, culture and gastronomy," said the head of the Ston Municipality to Dnevnik Nova TV.

For restaurateur Sveti Pejic, the Peljesac bridge opening increased his income: "In Ston, traffic in restaurants increased by 120 to 150 percent. When the Peljesac bridge-Dubrovnik road finally opens, traffic there will lessen, but Ston will continue to gain more and more importance."

At this moment, all traffic from the Peljesac bridge goes through Ston, which creates congestion and pressure during the summer, but that should be over soon. The opening of the Ston bypass was announced for before Easter, but that didn't happen. Nevertheless, HC hopes that everything will be ready for April the 20th this year.

"Works are currently underway to eliminate the observed irregularities, we expect that it should be finished during the next week. The testing out of the safety systems in the tunnels is also now underway. After that, we'll start the procedure for issuing a use permit,'' Ivica Tutman from Hrvatske ceste/Croatian roads told Nova TV.

The opening of the Ston bypass will also mean the end of the road connection project with southern Dalmatia, and the south of Croatia should be ready to welcome the tourist season with more people managing to arrive by other means than plane alone.

For more, check out our news section.

March the 27th, 2023 - Two stunning Croatian destinations have found themselves ranked among 25 of Europe's most beautiful places by Travel+Leisure magazine.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the travel magazine Travel+Leisure recently presented a list of what it considers to be the 25 most beautiful places in Europe, which includes destinations from small towns to secret beaches, writes Klixba.

"Throughout this continent, and sometimes quite nearby to it, there are countless colorful small towns, magnificent castles, Roman ruins, church buildings, medieval castles, sparkling lagoons and secluded beaches," writes Travel+Leisure magazine presenting the list of the 25 most beautiful places in Europe.

"Although it isn't difficult to come across (or look for) a photogenic destination, defining the most beautiful places in all of Europe is a bit more difficult because there are so many of them,'' they added, pointing out that if you want to choose a place with endless photographic potential, they recommend the following destinations.

The first place on the list was taken by Villa Ruffolo in a small town on the Amalfi coast (Italy), and the top three are Egremni beach (Lefkada, Greece), Pena Palace (Sintra, Portugal).

Destinations from Croatia's most immediate neighboyrhood were also on the list, and Gospa od Skrpjela in Montenegro took an impressive fourth place.

When it comes to Croatian destinations, the magazine singles out the country's oldest and largest national park - Plitvice Lakes, and of course, the southern Dalmatian city of Dubrovnik. While rather obvious and sometimes overdone choices when it comes to the enormous offer of jaw-dropping places Croatia boasts, the portal considers both of them to be among the most beautiful in all of Europe.

"The search for the bluest water in the world leads travellers to many photogenic places, including the famous Croatian Plitvice Lakes National Park. Located halfway between Zagreb and Zadar, this natural wonderland delights more than a million visitors every year with its crystal clear lakes, waterfalls, caves and lush forests," writes Travel+Leisure.

For Dubrovnik, Croatia's tourist Mecca, they point out that a mandatory activity on every trip to the pearl of the Adriatic is "a walk along the iconic walls of Dubrovnik", which offers visitors an incomparable perspective of its protective fortifications, bastions and towers, plus its recognisable red roofs, clear blue sea and nearby islands.

While we certainly agree that both Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes National Park are absolutely gorgeous, it might be time to let the abundant offer of stunning Croatian destinations up and down this country take the throne from time to time.

For more, check out our news section.

February 25, 2023 - With the city being one of the main tourist hubs of Croatia, it is to be expected that Dubrovnik traffic might need some adjustment, especially around the old town area.

As Index writes, mayor Mato Frankovic presented a draft decision on traffic restrictions in the contact zone of Duborvnik's old town to reduce traffic jams in the heart of Dubrovnik and the negative impact on the monumental heritage. Frankovic emphasized that the draft is based on UNESCO guidelines and the Management Plan for the old town.

"Given that Dubrovnik is the first to issue such a document, I expect business entities and citizens to participate in the public consultation for the next 30 days so that the final decision is as high-quality and realistic as possible and so that we change it as little as possible in the future. This dialogue is extremely important to us," said Frankovic.

"We want to reduce crowds and give priority to the population of Dubrovnik"

He noted that the recent changes to the Road Traffic Safety Act were the prerequisite for drafting the decision. "We want to reduce crowds and give priority to the population of Dubrovnik, with a special emphasis on the residents of the old town," said Frankovic.

The draft defines five categories of vehicles with different rules. Citizens who have had a registered residence in the zone for more than one year, as well as public transport vehicles, mopeds, motorcycles, emergency services, armed forces, and HGSS, will be able to move freely in the zone of the special traffic regime.

Special category

The same will be possible for everyone with a PPK (privileged parking ticket), pre-paid parking, parking lot, or garage space outside the system of public parking lots.

A special category includes operations in transporting people and cargo, while the traffic of tourist buses, 7+1 and 8+1 passenger vehicles, and car sharing can continue under the current conditions. Access to the old town will be prohibited for campers, camper vans, tractors, and similar vehicles.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

February 1, 2023 - Why year-round flights to Belgrade could solve Dubrovnik's huge connectivity problem.

The most important event in the Dubrovnik calendar takes part this year, and - don't tell anyone - this is the very best time of year to visit the Pearl of the Adriatic. The Feast of St Blaise, the much-beloved patron saint of Dubrovnik, is an extraordinary event when the UNESCO World Heritage Site, stripped back to its bare stone with most cafes and restaurants closed, comes to life and is packed once more. But not with tourists, but with locals, emerging from the winter hibernation to celebrate this most important of days. If you have never been, I rate it as one of the top 10 experiences of my 20 years in Croatia - you can read more in Dubrovnik Full of Life as St Blaise Celebrated in Style.

Want to come and enjoy the festivities, or chill in Dubrovnik in the off-season? Good luck, unless you live in Zagreb.

After a week working in Montenegro last week, I got to see the realities of tourism and connectivity in January. 

It was a little sobering when I saw the Dubrovnik timetable, a European tourism champion and iconic city which could - and should - be a 12-month destination.

Above is the timetable for the next few days, including those magical St. Blaise festivities. Apart from one flight to London, Zagreb is petty much the only choice. 

And even those flights to Zagreb are crazy expensive - despite the fact that they are subsidised with the PSO (Public Service Obligation) scheme.

Here are your one-way options from Dubrovnik to Zagreb a week from now, for example.

I have spent the last week on Lustica, the lovely and almost totally unspoiled peninsula south of Tivat in Montenegro. I flew in and out of Dubrovnik, and I was struck by how poorly serviced Dubrovnik is in the winter, and how the rise of Tivat from nothing has made it arguably a more interesting destination in winter - certainly livelier - than the Pearl of the Adriatic itself. Here is what I wrote:

Croatian tourism tragedies in road signs and airport departures. 25 years ago, Tivat was a coastal backwater on the Montenegrin coast. Today, even though it is 3 times smaller than a nearer town to Dubrovnik (Herceg Novi), it has its very own sign as you leave Dubrovnik Airport. Porto Montenegro was supposed to have been built in Croatia, but someone got greedy and Tivat became its home. Today, there are 3 luxury resorts with investment totalling 2.5 billion euro in the Boka region of Montenegro, with many other large developments. By contrast, the largest hotel investment on the Croatian coast in today's money is Haludovo on Krk, a joint venture between Tito and Penthouse in 1971 (and now a ruin for over 30 years) at a paltry 250 million. Not only is the luxury tourism going across the southern border, but so are the locals for entertainment in winter. And flights. Tivat Airport connects to the world 12 months a year, while Dubrovnik is serviced by almost exclusively domestic routes this winter (see timetable in photo). On the positive side in the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism, the sun is shining, and soon the tourists will just come.

Tivat's daily schedule - windows to Belgrade and Istanbul, which are both outstanding destinations in their own right but are also windows to the world with the global network of Turkish Airlines and the rapidly expanding network of Air Serbia. Tivat to the world in 100 different combinations, four times a day. And the world to Boka Bay. 

And the prices aren't bad compared to those singles with Croatia Airlines (flights February 8-13 - a return not single):

I asked legendary tourism consultant, Mario Seric, for his opinion. The first sentence shows the benefits of being connected to Belgrade, as well as Zagreb, whose connectivity pales by comparison.

Air Serbia will be offering direct flights to 93 cities /destinations worldwide, of which 62 are direct, scheduled, and year-round, 16 direct scheduled seasonal, and 15 direct charter seasonal!

This is impressive compared to the poor connections being offered by Croatia Airlines from Zagreb with direct flights to only 21 destinations (16 year-round and 5 seasonal).

So these connections with Belgrade can also be great to access other destinations as well, especially those that are far away because Belgrade has direct flights to New York, and as of this year also to Chicago and Tianjin...

Air Serbia is currently also considering the introduction of direct flights to Toronto, Miami, Bangkok, and Beijing.

And the good thing in this is that all these flights can be operated by smaller airlines that do not consume a lot of fuel. Turboprop airlines are perfect for intraregional connectivity, and you have a lot of great examples in Europe for this.

Thanks, Mario. And to connect all that network to one of Europe's top destinations, so that tourists could enjoy it out of season, as well as allowing locals to travel with ease, would it really be so hard to connect Belgrade to Dubrovnik 12 months a year? After all, if it is clearly working for tiny Tivat next door, surely it would work for a tourism giant like Dubrovnik. Worth the small investment to try?

Of course, I can understand that there might be some objections in certain quarters given recent history of the connection between Belgrade and Dubrovnik, but the Croatian tourism chiefs decided to move on from the recent past in 2011 by being the main tourism sponsor at the regionally significant Belgrade Tourism Fair back in 2011. 

Dubrovnik to the world, 12 months a year. It could - and should - be closer and more realisable than one might think. 

****

What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.

Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to the Paul Bradbury Croatia & Balkan Expert YouTube channel.

Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners is now available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.

December the 6th, 2022 - The 6th of December 1991 is a date which has burned itself into the eternal memory of the City of Dubrovnik and has become as much a part of its long history as Saint Blaise or Marin Drzic.

What do you think of when you think about the 90's? Maybe you think of the then mobile phone giant Nokia and the phones that could break concrete if dropped, or Haddaway's eternal question about what love is. For many it was a happy time, a time of good music, technological advancement and anticipation of the turn of a brand new century. For others, it was a time of fear, death, oppression and destruction, and for those of us who come from Europe, it was shocking to see such a thing occurring on our doorstep - once again.

The Serbs and their hangers on, the Montenegrins, pressed on with their imperialistic style regime through unfathomable attempts at mass murder, butchering innocent civilians in Srebrenica, in Vukovar, in Skabrnja. Children killed, women raped, men slaughtered and buried in pits, given no more dignity than diseased livestock. Europe had not seen such bloodshed and brutality since Adolf Hitler and his army of black-shirts had reigned. For most people from outside of the former Yugoslavia, the reasons for Serbian aggression were shrouded in mystery, for many, they still are.

It's known to most that both Croatia and neighbouring Slovenia declared their independence from Yugoslavia (SFRJ) in 1991 following numerous attempts at gaining political distance and finally through a referendum. The formerly Socialist Republic of Croatia became the Republic of Croatia, an independent state of its very own after what seemed to many like an eternity under a cruel and unyielding Yugoslav thumb. That was about as much as those lucky enough not to be involved knew about the situation which led to the above.

On the 6th December 1991, Dubrovnik was viciously attacked by the JNA (Yugoslav Peoples Army), it was the culmination of a siege which sought to raze the globally adored UNESCO World Heritage Site to the ground. A similar and unfortunately successful action was seen much more recently in Palmyra at the hands of ISIS. The horrific bombardment of Dubrovnik resulted in international condemnation of the JNA and rightly became a public relations disaster for Serbia and Montenegro, contributing to and furthering their diplomatic and economic isolation and winning them powerful enemies across Europe and the rest of the world. It was a shot in the foot from which the still-estranged Serbia has hardly ever recovered in the eyes of the international community, and rightly so.

To go into it a little more deeply, the JNA was composed primarily of Serbian nationals, and it was no accident that they targeted a location which had been totally demilitarised back in the 1970's to try to prevent it from ever becoming a war casualty. The JNA's barbaric attack on the beloved UNESCO city of Dubrovnik was met with international condemnation and political outcry, resulting in the aforementioned isolation of Serbia. Threats to Serbia from numerous powerful European politicians echoed around the globe, the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher famously stood defiantly by Croatia, claiming publicly that had it been up to her, she would have bombed Belgrade immediately.

The attack lasted seven long months, the heaviest attack took place on this day, the 6th of December (now celebrated as the Day of the Defenders in Dubrovnik), killing 19 people and wounding another 60. Artillery attacks on Dubrovnik damaged 56% of its buildings, and the Old City was the innocent victim of 650 shells. Neighbouring Montenegro grew ever hostile, led by President Momir Bulatovic and Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic who rose to power following the popular anti-bureaucratic revolution, the nation was allied to the fanatical Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia. It was declared that Dubrovnik would not remain in Croatia, with both of these nations who have since failed miserably in comparison to Croatia falsely claiming that it had never been a part of Croatia at all. The war ended with Croatian victory, earned with blood, with the siege lifted in May 1992. The Croatian Army liberated Dubrovnik and its surroundings, but the danger of sudden attacks from the internationally villified JNA remained a threat for a further three years.

The cruel and unjustified siege and naval blockade by the JNA and the Yugoslav Navy resulted in the direct deaths of between 82 and 88 civilians and 194 Croatian military personnel. By the end of the bloody year of 1992, when the entire region was recaptured by the HV, 417 Croatian Army (HV) troops were dead. Approximately 19,000 refugees were displaced. 11,425 buildings suffered varying degrees of damage, numerous homes, businesses, and public buildings were torched and property was looted by the JNA and their Montenegrin counterparts. In 2000, Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic apologised for his country's part in this utterly devastating attack, prompting anger from his political rivals and feelings of betrayal from the still very much isolated and globally condemned, small nation of Serbia.

Today, Dubrovnik is known across the world as an enviably successful tourism giant which has to do very little but lie on its laurels. A far cry now from a war zone without running water and electricity, outside of the summer months, the Pearl of the Adriatic sits relatively silenty in its peace, with only mere calls of seagulls and anchors of ships cutting through that hard-earned silence. It has won many titles since that awful day, and gained many nicknames, from the fictional Kings Landing and Naboo, to the non-fictional Pearl of the Adriatic. A lifetime has passed since those dark says, and the costly mask the city so perfectly wears would never reveal its wounds, its pain or its suffering to the untrained and naive eye.

Following the war, damage was repaired adhering to UNESCO guidelines between 1995 and 1999. The ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) issued indictments for the JNA Generals and officers involved in the disgraceful siege of Dubrovnik, with the architect of the attack, General Pavle Strugar sentenced for his role. Strugar passed away in 2018, and while one shouldn't speak ill of the dead, it doesn't seem appropriate to hope his rest is a peaceful one.

For more on Croatian history, keep up with our dedicated lifestyle section.

October 24, 2022 - After successfully helping a Dutchman find his Dubrovnik father after 55 years, the TCN inbox receives a new challenge. Can you help Lee find his Dad? 

A few weeks ago, a Dutchman contacted TCN trying to find his Dubrovnik father after 55 years. All he had as clues was an approximate name, a grainy photo of a Dubrovnik waiter who was the holiday romance of his Dutch mother, and the name of the hotel where he worked. Thanks entirely to the efforts of Laura Siprak from 24 Sata, father and son were united a few weeks later and hugged for the first time. You can read more in Dutchman Finds Dubrovnik Father after 55 Years.  

That success had led to another email and a man looking for his Dubrovnik father after a holiday romance over 50 years ago. Can anyone help Lee? Any leads, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Dubrovnik Father.

Hi Paul,

I’ve seen your piece on the Dutchman Stefan Brouwers, and it shows just how many things are possible.

While I’m not expecting you or Laura to directly help, I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction to find my father after 53 years.

In short, my mum had a relationship with a Yugoslavian man from Dubrovnik or Dubravka. They sent postcards to each other back in the 1970s, which I just found after my mum passed away suddenly and has taken every piece of this history with her to the grave. It appears no one at all in the family or the UK knew of this romance.

I have a colour photograph of who I expect will be my father and various postcards and other cards. He gave two addresses which still exist.

I know there will be somebody alive today that will have the answers, even if they are sad answers.

My DNA confirms my paternal heritage is Croatian, and I’m using several sites and Facebook groups to help me find my father. It’s really slow, and I’m not sure I’m getting anywhere.

I have these two addresses, and I’m informed that one of them is a sleepy village of Dunarve in the region of Konavle near Dubrovnik.

My heritage confirms I’m linked to Great, Great, Grandparents with the name Arbanas or Arbanasin.

One suggestion is, as his initials are MK and various Croatian group members state his name would be either Milo, Miko, Miho from the way in which he signed his letters and cards, the name Miho Kutasic was mentioned. When I look at a picture of this person, there are very similar facial features I share, with the shape of the mouth, the nose, and the size of the years. I totally accept, however that this is looking to make matters fit.

I hope you don’t mind me contacting you. The story was amazing for Stefan, and I just hope that maybe you might point me in the right direction to get help in locating my father.

Kindest regards

Lee 

Any information gratefully received. Please note (I learned this from the last case), for anyone looking for money in exchange for information, the budget available is zero. If you would like to help a son find his father, wonderful. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Dubrovnik Father.

October 14, 2022 - Some 55 years after a holiday romance that brought him into the world, a Dutchman comes to Dubrovnik to search for his father... and finds him!

It has been quite a 3 weeks since I published the appeal of a Dutchman trying to locate his biological father, with just a grainy old photograph of a Dubrovnik waiter, a name which was probably not correct, and a few details of a holiday romance on the Adriatic back in 1967 - Looking for My Dad, a 1967 Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik Waiter.

My inbox was flooded with offers of help - paid and unpaid - and leads to the father in no less than 5 countries. Cometh the hour, cometh the legendica. I asked for help from my partner-in-crime, Laura Siprak from 24Sata, from last year's story identifying the mystery woman on Krk who had lost her memory. 

Laura took over the story completely, and all credit for finding Stefan's father and uniting them is 100% hers. Here is her story, published earlier in Croatian on 24Sata.

Stefan found his father! 'I found peace and a piece of family. After a whole 55 years, I hugged my dad!'

It all started with an email that Stefan Brouwers sent to Paul Bradbury on the Total News Croatia portal. He was looking for a father he had never met, and his mother was not comfortable talking about it. He had one blurry picture, the name of the Hotel Bellevue and his name: Gojko Smiljanić.

Bradbury published his email and contacted 24sata reporters to help, based on previous good cooperation. And we helped. After a video call with Stefan and his wife, the two of them packed up and set off from the Netherlands on a 1,500-kilometer journey to Dubrovnik.

At the same time, Bradbury was getting information from people from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, and we set about checking directories, asking former hotel drivers who are still alive, looking into old school and military archives, even the first director of the Dubrovnik - Neretva tourist board, Anto Štrbić - Fulina. In his youth, he was a baker in Dubrovnik, and even today he runs a restaurant in Ploče, so he knows most of the restaurateurs from that area. But the number of people named Gojko Smiljanić is higher than expected, so the elimination process took a few days.

In the end, the friend of Gojko we were looking for called and, after the initial uncertainty and cancellation, Stefan managed to find his father.

- I have to thank everyone who called, you who did an excellent job with Paul, and my father's friend who acted as a mediator and helped us meet. The people in Croatia are truly wonderful, we could not have imagined such a turn of events. It was emotionally draining, but also beautiful. The mediator drove us to the restaurant where we met, introduced us and left after 15 minutes. My father is a warm and gentle person with a great sense of humor. We were both a little nervous at first, but he had a relaxed 'it happened' attitude, so it was easier. We spent several hours together, exchanged numbers and will try to stay in touch. We didn't do a DNA test, but it's him, the story matches and we look very similar physically - says Stefan.

He is not his only child and after the summer romance with Nettie, Gojko met his wife and built a family, so he will leave the remnants of the meeting and photos for himself. This is a shock to everyone, which is why the meeting was arranged in five days, but the most important thing is that they found each other.

- Emotions were everywhere. For most of my life, I was interested in who my father was. I've been looking for him for over 20 years, ever since I had my son, and my mother gave me that blurry photo and told me the basic information. This was my last attempt, to find him where he and my mom met. A month ago, I did not believe that I would find him. When we arrived two weeks ago, I was excited and nervous because it looked like you found it. And it is! At that moment, I could not even imagine that I would meet him. I am glad that he is understanding and accepted me from the moment we met. There were a lot of emotions in me, but happiness is the strongest one. Now I can say that I have found peace and that part of my family that I have been missing all my life - concludes Stefan.

And besides his father, he also got a large family. Life is unusual, so it turned out that some relatives live scattered around the world, some of them very close to Stefan. The unusual search, fortunately, ended in the best way: two families have expanded, and Stefan now knows what interests every person - where we come from. 

****

What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.

Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.

Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners is now available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.