Mark Thomas
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
Gale force winds cause havoc in Dubrovnik
The northerly winds that have been battering Dubrovnik for the past week hit new highs last night.
Bitterly cold gale force winds swept down over the mountains and wiped up the Adriatic Sea.
This boat in the Port of Dubrovnik fell victim to the high seas and slowly sunk. The owner was greeted this morning with a half submerged boat.
Naked in Dubrovnik – “butt” he left his hat on
Some people just lose their heads (and their trousers) in excitement when they arrive in Dubrovnik. This revealing photo appeared on social media yesterday of a tourist getting carried away with the view, and offering a rather different view of his own. And as the cold north wind is blowing we can only presume that the view he offered wasn’t very generous!
This naked photography has taken off, no pun intended, over the past few years and more and more people are stripping down to their birthday suits for a holiday album snap. Several photos of naked tourists from the top of the Srd Mounatin overlooking Dubrovnik have been posted on social media this year.
This latest “skin feast” was taken from the Lovrijenac Fortress, which was a location for the popular Game of Thrones series.
After the Davis Cup final Croatia has jumped in the world tennis rankings to third in the world. Croatia were defeated by Argentina in the 2016 Davis Cup Finals in Zagreb last week 3 – 2 but with the points they earned for playing in the finals they have climbed from fifth to third in the ITF Davis Cup rankings.
On the top of the list after winning their first Davis Cup is Argentina and in second place is Great Britain. In fact Argentina leapfrogged Great Britain into first place after their dramatic win last weekend.
Croatia’s next opponents in the 2017 Davis Cup are Spain and this tough match will take place in February next year.
December is here with a festive atmosphere
On the first day of December starts the program of vocal group performances at Stradun around the festive stands, as a part of the Dubrovnik Winter Festival. The magic of Dubrovnik's Advent with traditional songs and Christmas tunes on the most beautiful stage in the world will start at 8 pm. Dubrovnik vocal groups will perform through December on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
For children on Friday, 2 December at 6 o'clock in the cinema 'Sloboda' there will be an interective theatre play "Audition for Santa Claus", produced by the theater company Travelling Theatre. Tomislav Bralic and Intrade vocal group in the evening, in front of St. Blaise from 8 and 30 pm, are another musical gift from the Dubrovnik Winter Festival to their fellow citizens.
Hair-raising style in Dubrovnik
The strong northerly winds that are battering Dubrovnik have made it tricky to keep warm. But this tourist to the Old City was having a rather different problem today, how to keep his long hair under control.
As he walked to enter the St. Blaise Church in the heart of the Old City the pun “hairway to heaven” came to mind. We wonder if he flew to Dubrovnik with “British Hairways,” enough of our “cutting remarks.”
Dubrovnik top attraction under construction
One of the most popular attractions in Dubrovnik, the Rector's Palace, will be closed from the 1st of December. The closure of this iconic building is due to the second phase of reconstruction that was started earlier this year.
According to a report from the Dubrovnik Museums the Rector's Palace will be closed from tomorrow however they added that the Museum Shop will remain open whils the works are going on.
The works will be supervised by the Dubrovnik Institute of restoration and are scheduled to be completed by the 31st of May 2017.
Ever since Croatia became a full member of the European Union as the 28th state on the 1st of July 2013 there have alarm bells raised that many of the country’s most talented young professionals would leave to seek employment in another member state. Ireland and Sweden have been the most attractive destinations for Croatians looking to further their careers abroad. And a new survey shows that Croatia is facing an uphill battle to keep its talented workers from migrating.
According to a statement from the National Competitiveness Council (NVK) Croatia has placed as the 53rd among 61 countries on the Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Talent Ranking 2016 list.
The list was published by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) from Lausanne, Switzerland and showed that Croatia made a slight improvement in comparison to last year when it ranked as the 58th.
The IMD evaluates a country's potential to develop, attract and keep talented people in order to create a base of talents necessary for companies to operate in their fields. The ranking is based on more than 30 indicators which are divided into three main groups – investment and development, attracting talent and a country’s readiness.
In the first group of indicators which refers to improvement of the quality of education system Croatia placed as the 38th, whilst in the second group which estimates a country’s capability to keep talented people and its capacity to attract new ones Croatia placed as the 58th. On the other hand, Croatia placed as the 57th in the third group of indicators which estimate readiness of a country to meet the labour market needs.
‘’The latest report indicates the necessary implementation of the reform of the education system and encouraging lifelong learning as a precondition for creating a more competitive society and economy," said the NVK president Ivica Mudrinic emphasizing the importance of creating new jobs and opening up opportunities for professional affirmation in Croatia.
The Voice of Dubrovnik
