To those who love hiking and enjoying beautiful landscapes as well as the numerous ''Lord of the Rings'' fans, the Croatian mountain of Velebit will soon introduce a new offer.

After the first sequel of the popular blockbuster ''Lord of the Rings'' conquered the world, people around the globe simply fell in love with the Hobbit lifestyle. Their round, warm and cosy houses instantly became a hit, whilst many hospitality managers seized this opportunity to enrich their accommodation offer with these facilities.

This trend has finally come to Croatia. The Velebit camp has its own Crobbiton, as owners of the camp call it. Crobbiton consists of five houses decorated in a way that every real Hobbit as well as any other creature from Middle-earth can move in right away.

As far as accommodation is concerned, the camp offers three houses for two persons and two houses for four to six persons. The price for accommodation in small houses is 30 Euros, whilst the price for larger houses is 90 Euros per night. Each of them is furnished with beds and shelves, and soon will be wired for electricity.

The Crobbit houses are actually hand-made small wooden bungalows with only one room that is furnished with beds and shelves and has round doors and windows.

Construction of the houses is interesting; firstly, the big holes were excavated in which the bungalows were built, and then they were covered with soil in order to create the thermal mass effect. This means that during the summer it will be quite fresh inside, whilst in the winter, the bungalow will keep you warm.

In addition, the roofs of the houses are all covered with grass and flowers in order to preserve the green area. The houses are ideal for children, for whom it is very exciting to sleep in a different type of accommodation.

If you were wondering why the streets of Dubrovnik aren't as busy as they normally are at this time of year, it’s a public holiday in Croatia today.

The 15th of August is the Assumption of Mary a Catholic holiday in many countries in the world. In Europe today is not only a public holiday in Croatia but also in Belgium, Austria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.

The Assumption is important to many Catholic and Orthodox Christians as the Virgin Mary's heavenly birthday (the day that Mary was received into heaven).

For a full list of the public holidays in Croatia see this link

The champions of the 2017 Dubrovnik Wild League are Fun H20 from Mlini. In front of a packed and boisterous crowd in the harbour of the Old City of Dubrovnik the 2017 was held between Fun H20 from Mlini and Elite.

And after a tough and tight match Fun H20 won 6:5. Elite were the former holders of the title after winning the final last year against Fun H20. And the two strongest amateur water polo teams in the Dubrovnik region once again fought out the final but this year the team from Mlini came out on top.

The cup was handed to the team on the steps of the St. Blaise Church in the centre of the city and huge crowds turned out to watch.

Congratulations to Fun H20.

Champions for 2017 

The British air carrier Thomas Cook Airlines has announced a new flight from London's Gatwick to Split in 2018.

The new flight in Thomas Cook Airlines summer schedule for 2018 will be operated twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays from the 14th of May to the 4th of October 2018.

The British air carrier also plans to boost this year's new flight Split-Manchester. Apart from two flights a week, on Mondays and Fridays, Thomas Cook Airlines has announced the third additional flight that will be operated on Thursdays. This flight will start operating a week earlier from the 5th of May and end a week later on the 12th of October 2018.

You don’t have to stay inside the City Walls if you want to have fun. Dubrovnik Tourist Board brings summer events for this week on the islands of Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan, as well as in Zaton. Here is the list:

KOLOCEP ISLAND :
Monday, 14 August,
9:30 pm Donje Čelo, on the seaside promenade
TALIRI BAND

LOPUD ISLAND :
Monday, 14 August,
9:00 pm St. Nicolas Church
AIDA I MILO KRILANOVIĆ – mezzosoprano, piano

Tuesday, 15 August,
10:00 pm Šunj beach,
DJ PROGRAM

Wednesday, 16 August,
Grand beach, 9:00 pm
LOPUD NIGHT
VOCAL GROUP KAMPANEL & VOCAL GROUP SUBRENUM

Friday, 18 August,
9:00 pm St. Nicolas Church
PIANO TRIO DUBROVNIK

SIPAN ISLAND :
Thursday, 17 August,
09:30 pm on the Suđurađ seaside promenade
ZATON BRASS BAND – CONCERT AT SEA

ZATON :
Sunday, 20 August,
9:00 pm Zaton Veliki
VOCAL GROUP MALFI

Agjamal – Croatian luxurious swimsuits line found its way to Dubrovnik. Martina Kuntic, a designer from Krizevci, decided to do photo book not only in America, but also in the most beautiful town in the world, with the title “Dubrovnik Agjamal Girl.”

The photo shoot lasted for three days in various locations: the Trsteno Arboretum, Pasjaca in Konavle, on the mountain of Srd, ACI marina and on a yacht in front of the Old City.
The model was Ana Kurtovic from Orebic and photos were taken by photographer Slavko Svagelj.

 - Dubrovnik is a beautiful city and has amazing locations for photo shootings. We enjoyed those three days and it was wonderful. We will be happy to come again, we have a lot of inquires and are ready for new business adventures – commented the photographer.

When it comes to Agjamal, each bathing suit and dress is designed with love and carefully handmade. As a fashion designer, Martina Kuntic caters to women's tastes for elegance by creating unique glamorous evening dresses and luxury beach party swimsuits.

According to the latest information from Jadrolinija, the concept of a new ship for better connection of the outer Croatian islands with the mainland has been completed.

The largest Croatian passenger and car transport company Jadrolinija engaged the Polish company ''Remontowa Marine Design&Consulting'' to make a draft of the project documentation following a public tender. Thus, the Polish engineers designed a 120-metre long ferry with a payload of 10,000 tonnes, whilst this new investment is estimated at 50 million Euros.

The new ship with a capacity for 1,500 passengers and 220 vehicles will the most powerful ferry in the current Jadrolinija's white fleet. The ferry with four diesel engines and the top speed of 19 knots will also have two saloons for passengers and three sun lounges, as well as a children's playroom.

''The exterior appearance of the ferry is characterized by modern lines and traditional colours of Jadrolinija. The concept represents the latest achievements of technology and modern passenger comfort. The main goal is to make this ferry capable to sail in the harsh conditions on the open sea and to connect destinations where sailing would last five to six hours with several embarks and disembarks of passengers'', stated the national shipping company.

Every week The Dubrovnik Times goes to new levels for your pleasure. This time it’s all about culinary pleasure. We have scoured the menus of Dubrovnik to bring you our favourites. And not only did we just research the menus we have gone that extra step and tasted the food in advance for you...its hard work but someone has to do it. This week I visited a relatively new restaurant in a rather unique location – Konoba BoGo.

Through the height of the summer season the cobbled streets of Dubrovnik are loaded down with the slap of flip-flops. You just want to get away from the maddening crowds and have some peace and tranquillity. Konoba BoGo is a fresh break from the normal hustle and bustle of eateries in the city.

Located on the waterfront and with the cool Ombla River meandering by BoGo is truly a breath of fresh air. “It’s like nature’s own air-conditioning,” I commented to the owner when I arrived. This is good honest, traditional cuisine served with style and care. “We like to call the menu rustic,” smiled the owner. Adding that respect is paid to the home-grown produce and time-honoured recipes. For a starter we would heavily recommend the smoked ham (or prsut) from Drnis. This is really what prsut should taste like and Drnis is the premier location for the best smoked ham in the country. This dish really sums up the restaurant – tasty, rustic and fresh. If you fancy a warm starter as well then the selection of risottos is stunning – I went for the veal risotto and is was perfect.

For the main course why not try something from the grill. There is a wide selection of fresh fish as well as four types of steak. I went to see the grill area and it is probably one of the largest and best equipped in the city, although more than a little warm so stay close to the river. Also the lamb and veal under the bell (although you will have to order 12 hours in advance) is delicious. Quite clearly the relaxing river setting has an influence on the staff. In the Old City the waiters can be snappy and short as the heat rises, at Konoba BoGo there is none of that, it is laid back yet smart and quick. Oh and by the way, if you were wondering what Konoba meant it’s a Croatian word for tavern – and yes BoGo feels just like a tavern.

For dessert (some would say the most important course) I plumped for the semifreddo and I wasn’t disappointed. With live music on Thursdays and Sundays and an interesting wine and beer list Konoba BoGo should be on your radar whilst in Dubrovnik. There is plenty of parking, or grab a taxi and really enjoy the wine list. I would also recommend the red wine liquor. It is made from an old recipe from the times of the Dubrovnik Republic, yes we told you that BoGo respected traditions.

Contact
Gorava ul. 41, 20236, Nova Mokošica
+385 (0)95 333 5335
Open from 17.30 to midnight (weekdays)
Weekends – 7.30 to midnight

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