Mark Thomas - The editor and big chief of The Dubrovnik Times. Born in the UK he has been living and working in Dubrovnik since 1998, yes he is one of the rare “old hands.” A unique insight into both British and Croatian life and culture, Mark is often known as just “Englez” or Englishman. He is a traveller, a current affairs freak and a huge AFC Wimbledon fan.
Email: mark.thomas@dubrovnik-times.com
If you were thinking of sightseeing the historic Old City of Dubrovnik today you might want to think again. Heavy crowds have made just entering the Old City a nightmare today and queues have formed just to cross over the stone bridge on Pile.
Even though we are into October the tourist season in Dubrovnik is still in full swing and with cruise ships in the Port of Dubrovnik bringing with them thousands of passengers the Old City is packed. The lines of people just waiting to get back on their buses to return to their cruise ships caused more problems.
Our photographer was on the scene this morning and caught these images.
National Geographic Channel has started broadcasting the gastronomic travel documentary Croatia's Finest, hosted by the Masterchef winner Dhruv Baker.
From the 1st of October the first and only Croatian gastronomic travel documentary in English is being broadcasted on the Asian markets of China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and even in some parts of Africa.
Within the next three years more than half a billion people from 90 countries will be able to get to know Croatia better, its rich cultural heritage, natural beauties and supreme gastronomic offer which will be the biggest tourist promotion of Croatia and its products in the world so far.
The Croatia's Finest gastronomic documentary includes 20 half-hour episodes which were filmed on some of the most beautiful locations throughout Croatia. On each of all those locations Baker cooked in the open where no one has ever cooked before such as by the Sea organ on the Zadar waterfront. Baker's culinary creations, made of fresh local groceries, were inspired by original Croatian dishes.
‘’We worked hard and we did a great job, but all that wouldn’t be possible without recognizing the importance of the project by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, the National Tourist Board as well as by the Croatian president Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic’’, said Tadija Kolovrat, the executive producer of the documentary Croatia’s Finest.
Croatia's Finest is also being broadcasted by Holiday & Cruise TV - Sky Channel 356 in Great Britain and it is soon to be shown in Russia as well.
Tomorrow the iconic Old City Walls of Dubrovnik will reach a significant landmark, the millionth visitor this year. According to information from the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities, the organisation that controls and cares for this important Dubrovnik landmark, the millionth ticket is expected to be sold between 12.30pm and 1pm tomorrow.
The secretary of the society, Denis Orlic, will mark this occasion by presenting the millionth visitor with gifts in the main ticket office of the society on Siroka Street in the Old City.
In 2015 the Dubrovnik City Walls were visited by 994,000 guests, meaning that this year the walls are in for a record year, and with two and a half months of remaining the number of visitors will be significantly more than 1 million.
This is an example of what not to do on the historic Dubrovnik city walls. A tourist determined to get the perfect photo, well Selfie, risked his life as he climbed along the walls near the Bokar Fortress directly over the main entrance to the Old City of Dubrovnik.
Eyewitnesses said that he spent at least ten minutes scrambling along the walls, which after the recent rain were presumably quite slippery, taking photos of the surroundings and himself.
Even though there are clear and numerous warnings placed along the walls not to climb up and not to move out of the clearly marked areas this tourist was obviously willing to risk everything to get the perfect shot, he was around 20 metres from the ground whilst these photos were taken.
From the 10th to the 11th of October the city of Split hosted a thematic meeting and demonstration of protection of the European sea borders titled ''Securing Europe’s External Borders: European Border and Coast Guard''.
The event was organized on the initiative of the Croatian Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and with the participation and co-organization of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).
Representatives of the Croatian Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defence as well as representatives of the Frontex member countries and neighbouring coastal countries attended the meeting and a three-hour exercise of the Croatian military and police forces which was held in the naval port Lora in Split.
The first simulation exercise demonstrated the handling of a vessel transporting illegal migrants, whilst the second one showed how to prevent a terrorist takeover of a merchant ship.
Both exercises involved 140 members of the naval police, special police and the Coast Guard who used vessels and helicopters.
Fabrice Leggeri, the executive director of the newly established European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) who also attended the event described the exercise as very impressive.
Bobby doesn’t let a little arthritis slow him down; he is determined to see the world. This German tourist caught our eye today on the streets of Dubrovnik pushing his beloved “best friend” in a pram.
Bobby, the cute little white terrier, is fifteen years old and has problems walking due to arthritis but thanks to his owner's determination and imagination he is travelling and sightseeing. Welcome to Dubrovnik Bobby!
Mayor of Dubrovnik Andro Vlahusic and councilor for administration for the mayor's office Igor Deranja met with the director and executive producer of the film "Robin Hood: Origins" Otto Bathurst and E. Bennett Walsh, as we have written last week. Jutarnji list brings more details about the meeting.
Apparently, Vlahusic has told a legend to Bathrust and Walsh that connects Dubrovnik and Robin Hood, or more precisely, king Richard I. According to that legend, when Richard the Lionheart was coming back from Jerusalem, his ship got into a terrible storm. Richard prayed to God and made vow that if he survives, he'll make a cathedral at the first calm harbour. Even though that happened on Lokrum, clever people from Dubrovnik made him build it in the Old City. Because of the ransom and the Crusades Richard was broke and the legend says that Robin Hood helped him, so the people from Dubrovnik should actually have to thank him for the cathedral.
- They liked this story so much that the director offered me to help them with the script. I told them that I would rather act and we made a deal that I'll appear in the movie – said Vlahusic.
In that case the mayor will join the cast made of big celebrities: Jamie Foxx, Taron Egerton, Eve Hewson (daughter of Bono Vox) and possibly even Jamie Dornan, known as Mr. Grey from Fifty shades of Grey.
So far confirmed filming locations include a part of Stradun, City Port, the street of St. Dominic and the area under the bridge at Ploce. Setting the set design will begin in December, and the shooting will take place during three weeks in February and March.
Six months ago in the small city of Solin near Split a small recycling plant was opened under the title ''Corporate responsibility for the clean world''.
This is the first such project in Europe that was launched by the Hotel Park from Split for recycling used hotel soaps and by thorough processing making them brand new for further usage.
Interestingly, all this work has been modestly done by 46 educated persons with disabilities in a unique model of working centre for recycling soaps.
Few people could have guessed that this project would have such an impact on the world of tourism business which put its initiators on the prestigious list for the tourism reward ''The Worldwide Hospitality Awards 2016'' which will be awarded this November in Paris.
This award is recognition of the world tourism industry whose 40 renowned managers and experts in marketing from all over the world select those who will find themselves on a pedestal as representatives of the tourism profession that nurture exemplary achievements in the field of care for the environment and people.