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I've had some weird (but exciting) twists and turns in my career recently and it looks like I will be doing some extensive work in Croatia.  Anyone familiar with this area and can give me some tips about what to expect? I will be mostly in Zagreb and then along the coast in Istria down to Zadar and Split.

I heard it's pretty and has a rising, robust tourism sector.

Anything in particular you want to know? The majority of my friends are first generation Slovenian or Croatian. One of my friend's father went back to visit his family for about 6 months this year and three of them make regular trips.

PM me an email address and I can probably have one of my friends email you if you have specific questions.

I'm just looking for the general vibe of the place. I know it seems to be an up and coming area that is trying to get into the EU. Just looking for random opinions about the place. This was dropped in my lap somewhat suddenly so I'm trying to get my bearings on what to expect.

I think it's a country.

My brother-in-law is of Yugoslavian descent, with family from both Croatia and Serbia. His advice is "don't be Serbian". Apparently the coastal regions you plan to visit are very beautiful.

Got this email back from one of my friends:

Cool.  Thanks for the info. Keep it comin.  :-)

I've heard the food is good.

I only briefly went through Croatia when we were on our way into Bosnia in 1996, but from what I saw in the convoy there was no anti-Americanism.  Huge groups of people all along the side of the road waving at us, smiling, etc.  Coming from Germany and their general ambivalence towards the US stationing troops there, it was nice to see.  Of course, that was 10 years ago, and things may have changed since.

And yeah, it is beautiful country.  Bosnia was prettier in my opinion (more mountainous), but Croatia wasn't bad.

I was there a couple of years ago, it's not a place I would want to really live in. I spent a couple of weeks in one of the coastal towns, can't really remember the name of it. I didn't really like the people, loads of jackasses in the traffic.

I've never had the chance to go there, but I've heard from NATO folks that Rijeka is the best town for most modern conveniences.  Wish I could pass along more.

I did a couple of holidays in Budva, near Dubrovnik when i was younger,  but was pre-war. The food could be better, but the people, sights, weather and coast were lovely. So are the women.

Here's an overview on the Croatian War of Independence:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_War_of_Independence

It should give you a good background on the animosity between Serbs & Croats as well as why Croats are so proud of the land and nationality. The war was in very recent times so would still be VERY fresh in the memories of most of the people there.

Have you ever driven in New Jersey traffic?

lolz

Dont know much about Croatia, but I spent a bit of time in Slovenia, which is the bordering country to the north.  If you get some time free to head up there, fantastic little country - its in the southern corner of the Alps, so has some great mountain country and ski resorts in the winter etc.

Ask Fey.

i am told zagreb is very nice… …i've never been there but i have family there (mostly in macedonia, but some in croatia and serbia too…)

Im familiar with Croatia. Was working in the area about 4 years ago. Very similar to Romania or Bulgaria in terms of standard of living, but generally better than say Albania. In other words in some of the larger cities and coastal towns you will encounter business/mafia types of obscene wealth, where as in other sections (generally more rural, or within the larger city slums) you will encounter incredibly poor people.

Over all the country is beautiful. The people friendly and nice. The women gorgeous. And the food delicious (very reminicent of Italian, especially with the pasta and seafood along the coasts).

Istria is actually a county of the nation and includes the northwestern peninsula sharing a maritime border with Italy.
Where as Split is the 2nd largest city and is in the southern coastal region of the country. While down near Split you MUST take time to see Dubrovnick (a walled city) which is absolutely stunning.

As for Zagreb, the capital, I had feared before travelling there it would be as bad as Skopje, Macedonia or Pristina, Kosovo...fortunately I was wrong and found the city nearly as nice as Bucharest, Romania or Sofia, Bulgaria........and believe it or not actually preferred it greatly to some places I have visited such as Rome.


Overall? I think you are being offered an amazing opportunity and should certainly make the most of it! Also take time to visit some of the other nearby Eastern European countries while living there. (such as Romania or Bulgaria as previously mentioned).

Thanks for the info.

Get to Prague if you can, even if you've been there previously.

Croatian government adopts free software policy (http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33120)

.. uhm, go open source!

Just got back home after travelling in Euro, inculding about 2 weeks in Croatia.

Split is quite beautiful in parts, especially the old Palace in the centre of town, but it's also very touristy and I got bored of it after a week. Zagreb is quite nice in parts, though I was there in Winter and it did have a drab feel. I met many nice people though, and I was only there for a few days.

Hvar island, off the coast of Split, was simply beautiful. It might be that I was there in summer and not winter, but I enjoyed it more than the stunning Dubrovinik (which is down south).

Lots of beautiful people, very friendly, reasonably cheap even in the very touristy areas, lots of beautiful places all over the country and a place I would visit again.

All the guys there are HUGE though. I'm a little under 6 foot and I felt like a midget at times.

Abo, my girlfriend has been there several times with a friend whos family is from there. If you want I can ask her some stuff, what exactually did you want to know?