April 27, 2019 - Our favorite time of the year is right around the corner! Sudamja, better known as Sv. Duje, is traditionally held each year on May 7 to celebrate the patron saint of Split. This year, the people of Split and their guests can enjoy a plethora of events from April 26 to May 9. 

Today, we have the full program for you, in English, courtesy of the Split Tourist Board. Mark your calendars!

Sv. Duje 2019

15 March – 5 May 2019:  10 am at Lučica Spinut - Boules Tournament ‘In honour of St. Domnius of Split’ 

26 April 2019:  8 pm on the Riva - Majorettes of Split, Elektrodalmacija Mixed Choir, Trio Sol group Concert

27 April 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Majorettes of Split, Bye, Bye group Concert

28 April 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Klapa Kontra, Pop Art group concert

28 April - 5 May 2019: 7 pm  to 8 pm at th Cathedral of St. Domnius: Novena in honour of St. Domnius: - holy Mass and Sermon - spiritual music concert

29 April 2019: 5 pm at the Bol-Plokite Library - Opening of the exhibition Diocletian's Palace and the Historic town Centre

29 April 2019: 8 pm on the Riva: Filip Dević Folklore Society concert 

29 and 30 April 2019: 10 am at the Croatian Maritime Museum Maritime: Split in the Time of Emperor Diocletian - workshop

29 April – 5 May 2019: Poljud bowling club 2nd International bowling tournament St. Domnius

29 April - 10 May 2019: Banovina atrium - Exhibition of Split kindergarten children's works ‘My Town In My Heart’

30 April - 5 May 2019: All day on the Riva - Domestic Split Festival

30 April 2019: 10 am at the Ravne njive library - Model of the palace ‘The city was born out of the palace’

30 April 2019: 10 am on the Riva - Children's programme ‘Let the waterfront be decked with flowers’

30 April 2019: 4.30 – 9.30 pm on the Riva - Waste is not garbage!

1 - 7 May 2019: Brda Chess Club - Open Chess Tournament Sudamja 2019

1 May 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Brodosplit Folklore Association concert 

2 May 2019: 10 am at the Marulić Department for Children and Youth - The story of the Cityeducative presentation

2 May 2019: 12.00 pm at the Ethnographic Museum Split - Opening of the exhibition HUNCHBACKED MOTHER, BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, FRANTIC GRANDCHILDREN - on VINE, GRAPES AND WINE Authors: Ida Jakšić and Ivana Vuković

2 May 2019: 6 pm at the City Youth Theatre - Promotion of J. Škare's book Druge beside

2 May 2019: 7 pm in Diocletian’s Palace south-eastern tower (Hrvojeva) - The opening of the photo exhibition New Horizons

2 May 2019: 8 pm at the Art Gallery: Inauguration of the sculptor's setting in the museum environment: Slavomir Drinković, Knot, 1987, 1999 Gorki Žuvela, On behalf of myself, 2014 Kosta Bogdanovic, Hephaestos pillar, in 1987

2 May 2019: 8 pm at the Croatian National Theatre Split - Evening of Dalmatian Klapa

2 May 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Providenca group concert 

2 and 3 May 2019: 8.30 pm at Uvodića širina - The Feast of the Holy Cross

3 - 5 May 2019: 9th International Cup of St. Domnius in sport fishing

3 May 2019: 9 am at the Croatian rowing club Gusar - Open Championship of Split-Dalmatia County for Primary and Secondary Schools

3 May 2019: 10 am at the Dioklecijan Gallery - Opening the exhibition Churches in the Historical Core

3 May 2019: 11 am at Matejuška - Inauguration of the sculptor's setting in the natural environment: Slavomir Drinkovic, Let me pass

3 May 2019: 8 pm in the Diocletian Palace substructures - The opening of the Festival of Flowers

3 May 2019: 8 pm at the Medical School Hall - Concert of the Symphony Orchestra of Students at the University of Utrecht, Kingdom of the Netherlands

3 May 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Jedinstvo Folklore Society concert

3 May 2019: 9 pm at the Meštrović Gallery - Opening ceremony of the 18th International Rowing Regatta of St. Domnius

3 and 4 May 2019: 8 pm at the Croatian National Theatre - Operetta Spli'ski akvarel

4 May 2019: 9 am at the Croatian Rowing Club Gusar - International Rowing Regatta of universities

4 May 2019: St. Domnius Regatta 

4 May 2019: 10 am on the Riva - The Srce Association Programme on the National Day of Cerebral Paralysis "Heart on the Waterfront"

4 May 2019: 11 am at the Old City Hall - Opening of the exhibition Behind the Closed Doors Motives of Split from the holdings of the Art Gallery

4 May 2019: 12 pm at the Croatian National Theatre Split - Celebration on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Association of Craftsmen Split

4 May 2019: 3-7 pm at Matejuška - Gastro offer of Croatian craftsmen

4 May 2019: 8 pm at the Medical School Hall - Concert of Brodosplit and Gladsaxe Folkekor choirs

4 May 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Disco Inferno Magic group concert

4 and 5 May 2019: Poljud Swimming Pool - Swim Contest ‘Grdelini sv. Duje’

4 and 5 May 2019: Regatta Split 1700- class optimist

4 May 2019: 8.30 pm Peristil - Sudamja Fest - concert of spiritual music in honour of St. Domnius

4 May 2019: 9 pm at Gat sv. Nikole - Announcement of the winner of the university rowing racing in Spinut and Lighthouse disco

5 May 2019: 12.30 pm at the City Port -18th St. Domnius International Boat Race of the Legends: OxfordCambridge-Split

5 May 2019: 1.30 pm at Peristil - Announcing the winner of a rowing legends race

5 May 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Flores Aquestic group concert

6 May 2019: 10 pm at the Croatian National Theatre Split - The City Council's solemn session and the city awards ceremony

6 May 2019: 12 pm at Banovina - Anniversary celebration 

6 May 2019: 6 pm at the Cathedral of St. Domnius - Opening of the reliquary of St. Domnius and the festive Evening Mass

6 May 2019: 7 pm at thee Marko Marulić City Library - Opening of watercolor exhibition St. Duje, the star over Split

6 May 2019: 7.30 pm at Peristil - Festival of historical forces and organizations of intangible cultural heritage

6 May 2019: 8 pm on the Riva - Classical Evening: Music Forever and Spalato Quartets

6 May 2019: 9 pm at Peristil-HrvojevaMarmontova-Trg Gaje Bulata - Parade of brass bands, historical forces, and organizations of intangible cultural heritage

6 and 7 May 2019: All day on the Riva - Sudamja (St. Domnius Day) Fair

7 May 2019: 10 am at Peristil - Riva - The ceremonial procession and the holy mass at Riva

7 May 2019: 12.15 pm at Matejuška - Dubrovnik thrombus salvo

7 May 2019: 12.30 pm at the Fish Market - Food and Drink Feast

7 May 2019: 5.30 pm on the Riva - Humanitarian Swimming Marathon from Island Šolta to Split 'Dina for Basketball Players'

7 May 2019: 5.30 pm on the Riva - Concert of Filip Dević Mixed Klapa

7 May 2019: 6.30 pm on the Riva - Traditional Split Tombola

7 May 2019: 8.05 pm on the Riva - Humanitarian Concert for the City Day The Key to Life Fireworks

8 May 2019: 8 pm at the Croatian National Theatre Split - Ivo Tijardović Mala Floramye, operetta

9 May 2019: 9 am at Marjan - Raising the European Flag on the Day of Europe

9 – 13 May 2019: All day on the Riva - Spalatum Expo-Festival Destinations

9 May 2019: 7 pm at the ‘General-Major Ivo Jelić’ House of Croatian Army - The program of the Split's National Minority Folklore: "The home is where the song is"

9 May 2019: 8 pm at the Croatian National Theatre Split - Leo Delibes Coppelia, ballet

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Split has welcomed more than 10 million guests on Booking.com!

The traditional concert for the celebration of Sveti Duje, the patron saint of Split, has a strong note of generosity this year. Namely, for Split’s 'City Day', the Riva will host the first humanitarian concert aiming to collect donations for the Children's Traumatology Department of Physical Medicine, reports Dalmacija Danas on April 26, 2019. 

For the musical and humanitarian spectacle, which is presented under the title ’Key for Life’, some of the biggest names of Split show business have been confirmed, including Neno Belan, Gibonni, Tedi Spalato, Doris Dragović, Goran Karan, Jole, Giuliano & Diktatori Buđenje, Tiho Orlić, Domenica, and Dalmatino.

The concert is, of course, free to all Split citizens and their guests, and donations will be collected through a call center by direct transfer to HTV from 8:05 pm. A unique phone number has been opened for the event (060 9002), and knowing Croatia’s big heart, it will continuously ring throughout the concert. 

Tomislav Mrduljaš, the organizer of the 'Key of Life' concert, revealed that the idea was born at the initiative of Dr. Dinko Pivalica, head of the Institute for Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Rheumatology at KBC Split. Hospitals are a necessary means, and through conversations, in cooperation with the City, they came to the idea to organize a humanitarian concert for Sv. Duje. The name of the valuable action 'Key to Life' is more than symbolic. Namely, the ‘key to life' is most often in the hands of good people; those that are ready to provide their hands when needed.

"The performers did not doubt playing the event for a moment; they were happy to respond as they are always willing to give their contribution when needed. The musicians will perform for free, and all donations from the call center will go directly to the Children's Traumatology Department of Physical Medicine,” Mrduljaš said.

The phone number will be open already from Saturday, April 27, for those interested in donating. 

Mrduljaš believes there will be a great response to the concert and that phone calls will be received from all over Croatia.

"I'm sure the concert will be spectacular because it's the biggest humanitarian event this year," concluded Mrduljaš.

For more news about Sv. Duje events, stay tuned! 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

TNT Split is the first conference in Split fully oriented to the latest technologies and digital trends in tourism. The conference is a meeting place for professionals from tourism and information technology to create new jobs, present new products and technologies on the market, and educate all participants of the conference by eminent experts and speakers. The second TNT Split conference will be held on April 29 and 30 at the Radisson Blu Resort. 

New towels and bedsheets have been purchased, the walls are freshly painted, and the weeds in the garden have been picked. In short, pre-season preparation in family accommodation has begun in Split. The situation in Greece and Turkey has stabilized, the mentioned destinations have again jumped on the list of priority countries for summer holidays, and we are often left wondering if Croatia is still a European hotspot, if the summer will be a hit for Split renters, or if we'll be wishing for better times.

In the City of Split, there are currently 22,421 beds in family accommodation alone, and 5,726 private renters, as officially confirmed by the Split Tourist Board. We also know that according to the current status of registered beds for rent, the number is smaller than it was last season. However, it should be emphasized that these are the current statistics, and we must remember that the office continues to come up with solutions for categorization and the number of renters grows every day, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on April 25, 2019. 

“The number of beds is at the same level, and even less than the summer of 2018. However, this data does not show a realistic situation because solutions on categorization are ongoing and the number of registered facilities for this year is still unknown,” said the Split Tourist Board. 

Among the so far reported family accommodation units, most have three gold stars plastered on their front door.

“In family accommodation, there are mostly objects with three-stars, however, given that it is only the first half of the year, the comparison is not realistic,” added the Split Tourist Board. 

Martina Nimac Kalcina, president of the Family Tourism Community Section at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, commented on the status of bookings and what renters of family accommodation should expect this season.

“The comments of renters are good. They say that bookings are good and they are not worse, as it was described recently. I would say that the deficit is worse at the level of the whole country, and on the city level of Split and the whole County, it is the same as last year, if not better. From communication with some of my colleagues, I even heard that in Split-Dalmatia County this summer, there would be a double-digit percentage increase in bookings in all forms of tourism and capacities compared to the last tourist season. For family accommodation in the area of Split, so far only positive comments have been made to me about reservations,” says Martina Nimac Kalcina, who adds that there are always exceptions and it is already clear that there will be a lot of last minute bookings.

"If you do not do enough work in service, have poor reviews, do not offer a special location or facilities or are new renters who do not yet have comments and ratings, it is, of course, more difficult to be fully booked than those who have made an effort to be evaluated, provide additional services, and are in a good location,” concluded the president of the Community of Family Tourism at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, stressing that Split is still a different tourist hub than Croatia as a whole.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

April 25, 2019 - Putting Croatian adventure tourism on the map, with the biggest welcome in the world. Day 33 of this incredible 2011 adrenaline trip covering 2,500 km along the Croatian coast. 

The World's Biggest Welcome, an ambitious adventure tourism project in 2011 in Croatia enters Day 33 of this 2019 appreciation of one of the finest tourism promotion projects ever in Croatia.  

The plan? To showcase the diversity and fabulous offer of adventure tourism in Croatia by following a GPS route the length of the Croatian coast in the shape of the word 'Welcome' - thereby creating the biggest welcome in the world from a hospitable tourism country. 

After an off day in Šibenik for Day 32, Day 33 explored Split for the Sv. Duje celebration. 

Lacko and his crew spent Day 32 of the journey with a much-needed day of rest.

And what better place than Šibenik?

Lacko even walked the tightrope!

Lacko & Co. made it to Split just time to celebrate Split's patron saint - Sv. Duje. But first, they had to hit Bačvice for a game of picigin.

And then the Sv. Duje celebrations began. Ivica Matkovic climbing on the church of Sv. Duje.

Lacko abseiling down Sv. Duje.

The 'Welcome' flag even made its mark on the famous cathedral! 

The day continued with pints. 

Hajduk.

And Sv. Duje games. 

A key part of the project was promoting tourism, and the official website has details of the key places visited during the day. 

Split.

You can see the entire project on the Welcome website, as well as much more of Luka Tambaca's stunning photography on the Welcome Facebook page. 

Tune in tomorrow for Day 34, as Lacko moves from Sinj to Dinara.

To follow the whole project from the start, follow the dedicated TCN page. 

April 24, 2019 - Split has certainly welcomed the spring season, and as the temperatures get warmer, there is no better way to enjoy the outdoors than, well, by eating. Now, we know Split has a world of options for curious locals and hungry tourists, but Chops Grill has something no one else in Split can boast - their famed #Chopsylicious menu. 

While the new, three-course menu was first introduced on March 8, or International Women’s Day, the special offer from Split’s best steakhouse is nearing its end. Thus, this is us telling you to get to Chops Grill by Sunday, April 28, to enjoy the final week of Chopsylicious!

By now you might be wondering what this special menu is all about, and don't fret - we are here to save the day.

By ordering from the Chopsylicious menu, guests can choose from an appetizer of cream of pea soup, smoked duck breast, beef tagliata in reduced balsamic vinegar, or salmon cubes with sesame and soy to start. 

For the entrees, guests can choose between the T-bone steak, white fish filet, grilled rump steak, striploin steak, pork ribs or pasta with shrimp and spinach. And, of course, there will be plenty of sides. 

And for dessert? A creme brûlée, upside-down cheesecake, or semifreddo. 

The Chopylicious offer is valid at Chops Grill until April 28. 

Reservations and inquiries can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., via the official FB page or by telephone at +385 91 365 0000

PS: The price of the entire menu depends on the choice of the main course - you can see it in the photo above!

And if you don't feel like three-courses? Feel free to order anything else you'd like off of Chops standard menu. Chops is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

To read more about Split, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Just how close are we to a real digital Croatia? The answer is unclear and as varied as ever, but some Croatian cities have shown promise with some rather impressive and encouraging results.

As Novac/Gradonacelnik.hr writes on the 23rd of April, 2019, although more and more cities are gradually digitising their business and investing in smart city solutions, and some of the most advanced have almost completely switched to doing solely digital business, generally speaking, Croatian cities are only in the very early stages of the much needed digital transition, just as Croatia is, as a country, at the very bottom in Europe in terms of the digital readiness of general society and the economy.

As the methodology for ranking cities in terms of digital readiness is only at its very beginning even at the European level, stories and analysis of the "smart city" concept development here in Croatia are still very much based on individual experiences, examples and projects.

That is why, in order to gain a real elementary insight into the digitalisation of Croatia's services and the communication of the country's many city administrations with citizens, experts from Apsolon, a consulting company specialising in digital business development, has undertaken the very first major study of the ''digital readiness'' of twenty of the largest cities across Croatia. This study, according to project manager and smart management director at Apsolon, Ivana Novoselec, is the basis for the further development of research tools and methodology that will track the development and progress of Croatia's cities on an annual basis.

In its study, Apsolon divided the cities into three categories - large (Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek), middle (Zadar, Velika Gorica, Slavonski Brod, Pula and Karlovac) and smaller cities (Sisak, Varaždin, Šibenik, Dubrovnik, Bjelovar, Kaštela, Samobor, Vinkovci, Koprivnica, Đakovo, Vukovar.)

The digital readiness index at Apsolon was set based on several criteria - the availability of e-services (the number of administrative services and their digitalisation rate in Croatia), the availability of site service information and the development of unified services for making payments in the city, then came the availability of city data, the level of citizen participation in decision making and communication channels between the city administration and citizens, ie, the availability of data and time in which citizens receive answers to their various questions. At this stage, Apsolon hasn't entered into the internal processes in Croatia's city administrations, but rather focused on what services are offered to the city's citizens and how long such things typically take.

After this type of indexing and ranking, the title of the ''digitisation champion'' among the Croatian cities was awarded to the City of Rijeka, thus confirming its status as the best city in the Smart City category which it won last year. Apsolon pointed out that the City of Rijeka has achieved the greatest advances in the systematic raising of the quality of its services, but also the opening of data and communication channels to citizens.

"Rijeka as the most advanced city in Croatia in terms of digitisation and is characterised in particular by the emphasis on openness and communication with its citizens. Its administration is oriented towards clear communication (a very clear centralised e-services approach with well-organised access to all automated services and available forms), openness and participatory management," said project manager Ivana Novoselac.

In many categories, especially those relating to the functional aspects of digitisation (advanced digital services, e-citizen connectivity, etc.), Rijeka is followed closely by the City of Zagreb.

The city of Pula is the most advanced middle-size city in Croatia, which also presents its services and available information to its citizens in a systematic and very detailed way, raising standards in terms of transparency and interaction with citizens, and is certainly a champion among cities with between 50.000 and 100.000 inhabitants.

In relation to the criteria relating to specific functional and technological solutions, Karlovac, Velika Gorica and Zadar follow. For the City of Karlovac the large number of available administrative procedures on its website and responses to citizens' inquiries are generally quick made it stand out from the crowd.

Among the small cities in Croatia, there is no distinctly dominant digital champion, but according to research findings in different aspects of digitisation, Dubrovnik, Samobor, Sisak, Koprivnica and Varaždin appear to be the most successful ones, according to this research. Among the prominent representatives of this category, Dubrovnik is strategically trying to profile as Smart City and has a high quality City Card, e-Visitor platform, is very active on social networks and it continuing to develop innovative application solutions. When it comes to the number of digitally available services, Koprivnica ranks above all.

Samobor, which is particularly active on social networks and is the category winner for social networking, has a very comprehensive and interactive website which separates the site accordingly and has adjusted all of the information for citizens and for visitors, as well as separating foreign visitors from domestic ones.

It should also be noted that Bjelovar is extremely proactive in the field of the digitalisation of its administration, it is working on applicative transparency solutions as well as on internal digitalisation processes. What is particularly commendable is Bjelovar's focus on the digitalisation of its internal processes.

Make sure to follow our dedciated lifestyle page for much more.

Click here for the original article by Novac/Jutarnji/Gradonacelnik.hr

As Merien Ilic/Novac writes on the 23rd of April, 2019, while some can't wait for the Croatian tourist season to arrive, others see it approaching with tears in their eyes and with gritted teeth. The latter are, of course, Split's many tenants who in recent years, somewhere around this time of year, have begun to be afraid that they will be kicked out of the apartments they're renting and have to settle all of their bills, after having signed a contract (and one can only guess how much weight that really holds legally) and despite there having been no objections whatsoever to their behaviour as tenants.

Practice has shown that the euros which line the pockets of tourists are worth more than the kuna of Croatia's actual residents, so during the summer, beginning as early as the Easter holidays, numerous apartments are rented to foreign tourists who think nothing of paying multiple times what your regular Croatian tenant can pay for one month's rent.

Apartment ads which are in the "long-term" rent category are a real attraction indeed, and each and every genuine such ad is quickly snapped up, disappearing from the internet.

''I have more than 200 inquiries in my inbox and I've had about thirty calls in record time, so I apologise to anyone I didn't manage to get back to. I've just agreed to rent out my apartment. I wish you all luck in finding an apartment!'' stated one landlord in a group for the long-term rent of apartments in Split and its surrounding areas. The apartment in question was located in Sućidar, it looks tidy, has two bedrooms and was rented for 3000 kuna per month, plus the electricity and water supply. Realistically speaking, this was a real gem because such apartments, especially those that have been done up nicely, are very rare for such a price.

Those who are looking for a flat have drastically different experiences from the field.

''I'm giving up on searching in Split. We're a family of five and we have to move out of our rented apartment because the owners want to rent it to tourists, and the search for a new one is impossible. The price are sky high, and they look at us as a family of five with appehension. You can't find a respectable apartment under 500 euros,'' this was the unsettling experience of a tenant who was searching for a place Split's surroundings, and eventually found an advertisement for a nicely decorated apartment in Vranjic for 400 euros per month long term.

Social networking sites such as Facebook are full of common experiences of people who have come across apartments being rented at sky high prices by landlords, and which appear to not have even seen a paintbrush or some new wallpaper for the last few decades.

People describe being met with 40 year old rugs and carpets, furniture from the socialist era and landlords seeing no issue whatsoever with still wanting 400 euros plus bills for month for such apartments.

A social networking user detailed his personal experience:

''There was a flat for rent in Brda, "long term", in a private eighty square metre building. We went to look at it, everything was great, the woman seemed alright, and we were also alright. There were two of us and two other guys. The owner said she'd get back in touch with us because someone else was still coming look at the apartment too. I called her at noon today and she says to me, "I'm still thinking about it, we're a serious family, I'd prefer someone younger if we end up deciding that they need to move out earlier. It's easier to get younger people out of the apartment than it is with a family."

The second stated that tenants are unprotected and usually without a contract. Many landlords don't even register people renting, they don't pay taxes, and life tends to be the most difficult of all for students in the area searching for long-term accommodation during their studies at local universities.

As the situation in and around Split worsens all the more for would-be long term residents, a similar situation can be found in almost all of Croatia's tourist gems, with particular emphasis on Dubrovnik, a city which lives and breathes tourism and has continually put it far above any of the often very basic needs of its burdened residents for many years now.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Click here for the original article by Merien Ilic for Novac/Jutarnji

It’s no surprise that more and more young people are leaving Croatia in search of a better life, while on the other hand, more and more foreigners are coming to live in Croatia. Today, we bring you the story of one foreigner who left the ‘American dream’ to live in Split, reports Novi List on April 22, 2019. 

How did a 30-year-old who studied and worked in Los Angeles decide to work and live in Croatia, and precisely Split? How do foreigners increasingly choose Croatia as a place to live in the middle of the great wave of youth emigration to Ireland and other countries around the world?

Meet Balki, born in India who left to study and work in Los Angeles. In the 'City of Angels', he worked in the IT sector in the video game industry and wore the title of a Games User Experience Researcher and Technical Analyst. Despite a good job in Los Angeles, four years ago, Balki decided to make a significant change in his life and move to Split. However, he did not plan on staying in Split long, but only for a short time before returning to America.

Balki had heard about Croatia and its history. He knew Croatia was a developing country. And he saw it as a personal challenge after which he would return to America.

However, while working in Los Angeles., an opportunity from Balki's company opened to work at a branch in Split. Balki, determined and open to new ideas, wanted to take advantage of the offer and experience what it was like to live somewhere in Europe. After scrolling through pictures of the Dalmatian capital and making several video calls with the employees in Split, Balki decided to give Split a chance.

“I have to admit, my first reason for coming to Split was more logistic, it was easier to get a work permit in Croatia,” Balki said honestly.

But as the conversation continued, Balki spoke about the people he met who became friends for life. Balki quickly accepted the way of life in Croatia and how day-to-day living is far more enjoyable than in Los Angeles. Furthermore, Balki found a new job in Split and is employed by the international IT company Typeqast. Balki said he is delighted to work with clients from all over the world and with his talented colleagues.

"Although L.A. is a city full of fun, Split has something that calls you to stay, and it has become more difficult to think about returning to L.A."

This successful 30-year-old lived on the coast of Chennai, where he grew up before moving to L.A. and Split where he lives today. 

"I love life on the coast and everywhere is beautiful, but I have to admit that no one likes their coast and sea as much as the Dalmatians do. Every day I am thrilled with the beauty of the Croatian coast.

As far as work differences are concerned, I can say that in the companies I've worked for so far, everything runs at a high level and it is not too different from America. It's great to work in international companies because there are no language barriers for working with foreign clients and all communication takes place in English, so it's not important whether you live in Croatia or anywhere in America. But one everyday thing I was surprised and thrilled about was the 'coffee break'. Although it sounds like a waste of time, Croatians actually use them very wisely, and because of them, you can be more efficient at work. It’s fascinating. At the moment I am so pleased with my job and the support we have from the leadership of the firm that I no longer think about when I will return to L.A.”

How is the emigration of young people from Croatia seen by someone who came from L.A.?

"I think in most cases the emigration of the youth has almost become a normal thing and young people are trying to test their limits. This ‘brain drain’ is more seen as a result of youthful curiosity than bad conditions in the state. On the other hand, there is, of course, a state that in my opinion does not give enough support to young people."

While a good job and working conditions are essential to the quality of life, those who work in Croatia also have its natural beauty, pleasant climate and at any moment someone, someone to drink coffee with. Balki is yet another example of a foreigner who came for work and stayed for the Croatian way of life. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.