Croatia could become regional energy hub - senior U.S. official
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/12/croatia-energy-idUKL6N0PN04L20140712
(Reuters) - Croatia can play a vital role in ensuring regional energy security by diversifying supply options for European countries and allowing them to reduce their dependence on Russian gas, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said.
A prolonged price row between Russia and Ukraine has wider energy implications for Europe, which gets a third of its gas needs from Russia, and almost half of these supplies via Ukraine. Central and southeast Europe could face higher gas prices and potential shortages this winter.
Nuland said the price dispute, Moscow's annexation of Crimea and fighting in eastern Ukraine underlined the energy security threat facing Europe.
"Now, more than ever, we have to work to secure Europe's energy security, by ensuring diversity of supply, building up diverse flow capabilities and capacities and building up deeper networks throughout the continent," she said at the Croatia Forum diplomatic conference in Dubrovnik late on Friday.
"Croatia has an essential role to play, as an energy security hub for the 21st century... You (Croatia) have spectacular assets to do that so long you as you make smart choices as you are going forward," Nuland said.
Croatia, which joined the European Union last year, in April published a tender for gas and oil exploration off the Adriatic coast and will next week invite bidders to express interest for on-shore exploration of potential fields in the country's north.
It recently got a location permit that will allow a long-delayed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project in the northern Adriatic to move ahead.
Croatia: International Conference on Sustainable Tourism
http://www.eturbonews.com/47903/croatia-international-conference-sustainable-tourism
The 6th International Conference on Sustainable Tourism was held in Opatija, Croatia, July 8th to 10th by the Wessex Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the Complutense University of Madrid and the Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia. The conference convened 32 scientists and experts to personally present their research and was broken into: tourism and protected areas, rural and heritage tourism, sustainable tourism development and strategies.
The Sustainable Tourism conferences offer a forum to discuss the varied components of tourism phenomena, ranging from biophysics, to socio economic and cultural aspects, as well as field studies and academic research on the entrepreneurial and institutional side of the industry.
The presentations were on topics with both vast geographical and subject diversity such as the effects of climate change on Alpine Winter tourism to the impact on Ghost crab populations on South Africa’s recreational beaches and on to the hiking journey along the Abraham Trail (Masar Ibrahim) in Palestine.
Amongst the cutting-edge subjects presented was the keynote address by Professor Ulrike Probstl-Haider ‘Green meetings: Eco certification of sustainable events in conference and business tourism’
- Api-tourism: Transforming Slovenia’s honey traditions into a unique travel experience
- Ecotourism: sustainable indigenous policies and its effects in the Mayan communities of Southern Mexico
- The cultural landscape as a cross cutting resource for tourism products in low density rural territories of North West Portugal
- Portscape tourism in Japan from night boat tours to view the magical lights of Kawasaki port to scientific ice study tourism in Mombetsu
- The influence of park governance on tourism development in Kinabalu Park, Malaysia Borneo
- The perception of gastronomic events within the framework of sustainable tourism development
- From mystification to ‘cultural openness’: Gearing local communities for ‘tangible-intangible’ rural tourism development in North-East Nigeria
These diverse presentations serve to underline that tourism is an effective developmental tool because
“Through interpretation is understanding, through understanding is appreciation and through appreciation comes the desire to protect”
The papers were reviewed and accepted by the International Scientific Advisory Committee and other colleagues, thus ensuring the quality of this information.
All the papers published since the first meeting on Sustainable Tourism in 2004 are part of the WIT Transactions in Ecology and the Environment and archived in the Wessex Institute’s eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com ) where they are permanently and easily available to the community and also available in book form.
Croatia: Keep calm and carry on up Istria's
http://www.independent.ie/life/travel/europe/croatia-keep-calm-and-carry-on-up-istrias-coastline-30419695.html
To those who have been to Croatia, the mere mention of the 'C' word is enough to invoke dewy-eyed affection and wails of nostalgia. Many have long known that Croatia – only three hours away from Dublin by plane – is a divine marriage of Mediterranean influence and exotic Balkan charm.
Split and Dubrovnik have proved fashionable for holidaymakers, but the northern peninsula of Istria still remains a well-kept secret. Istria is certainly tourist friendly, but here's the good news: the chips-with-everything brigade has yet to get their grubby hands on the place.
For those tiring of careworn hotspots in Spain and Italy, the unspoilt and serrated coastline of Istria is a delightful discovery. Landing into the tiny airport at Pula (one of Aer Lingus' newest routes for summer 2014), the experience already gets off to a promising and easy start.
Within 19 minutes of the aircraft wheels hitting the tarmac – and trust me, I timed it – we're already through baggage claim and careening through the Croatian countryside, disturbing the endless stretches of balmy calm and marvelling at how azure-blue the sea is.
"The Mediterranean as it once was," says the Croatian National Tourist Board motto, and this certainly holds weight in Istria. The Med influence is present and correct, from the Venetian-style architecture and rolling hills reminiscent of Tuscany, to its vibrant winemaking and olive oil scenes.
Yet eclipsed by its Adriatic neighbour on the culinary front, Croatia's own gastro-culture has remained largely off-radar to the rest of the world. I certainly wasn't expecting to enjoy some of the freshest seafood and best wine I'd ever tasted here, but it seems the idea of Croatia as a global gastro-hub could easily gain traction. Its passionate but unpretentious scene of restaurateurs, producers and winemakers is small, but perfectly formed.
Olive oil production is big noise in Istria, making up a notable portion of the local economy. It's a bit galling to realise that the olive oils I've been enjoying at home are tantamount to using Frytex, but a tasting at Chiavalon Olive Oil in Vodnjan (Ulica Vladimir Nazor 16, Vodnjan) – a small, family-run setup – is a real eye-opener. Bursting with earthiness, fruit and with a nicely bitter aftertaste, this home-made olive oil makes everything taste better (locals even pour it on ice-cream).
Like most Irish people, I could give or take truffles (far from them I was reared and all that). Yet I can say with certainty that the truffle-doused breakfast I had at the Karlic Estate in Paladini (Buzelt 52420, Paladini 14) was so eye-wateringly divine that it will doubtless flash before my eyes in my final hours on earth.
Our hostess, Radmila Karlic, explained that white truffles can cost up to €5,000 a kilo, while black truffles sell at around €300 a kilo. Initially, I baulked when I saw 'truffle hunting in the woods' on my Istrian itinerary (I'm not normally one to forage for breakfast). Yet gallivanting about a sun-soaked forest with our guide Ivan, and a clever hunting dog who can sniff out and unearth pricey breakfast treats buried in the earth, turned out to be surprisingly, endlessly gratifying.
Things turned out to be just as delightful and down-at-heel at the Istrian wineries we visited. It's only a matter of time before some hipster restaurateur in Hackney or Williamsburg decrees Croatian wine to be the next big thing, but for now, many hidden wineries are still waiting to be discovered. At the Trapan winery (Giordano Dobran 63, 52204, Sisan), Bruno Trapan explained how he had started making wines as an enterprising youngster (he's still in his 30s). Running a modern and innovative winery, Trapan's enthusiasm and love for his work is immediate: some of his wines are named after his daughters and wife.
Better still, the winery is slowly but surely garnering attention beyond the borders of Croatia ('Decanter' magazine recently gave Trapan its seal of approval).
At the Degrassi winery in Savudrija (Basanija bb, 52475 Savudrija, Croatia) a feast of Istrian prosciutto, pecorino cheese and olive oils were the perfect accompaniment to their fruity and lively wines, each one better than the last.
Honey is perhaps a little less famous in the region, but our guide Aleksandar had hinted that over at Medea Honey Products (Livade, Istarska), a group of Paris-based Chanel representatives had been so impressed with their honey-based face products that they cleaned the place out. Naturally, we followed suit ... but not before stocking up on lemon – and chocolate-infused honey, too.
Suffice to say that with this bounty of local delights on offer, the peninsula is something of a feast for the senses. And, despite a lack of sandy white beaches, the rugged coastline is a feast for the eyes, too.
Further up the coast from Pula lies the picture-perfect fishing town of Rovinj. Laid-back and serene, the town is a hive of art galleries, whitewashed buildings and cliffside bars and eateries. At the Puntulina restaurant (Sv. Kriza 38, Rovinj), the vibe was deliciously relaxed (indeed, we went straight from the sea to the table, practically still in our bathers). Yet this chilled-out atmosphere belied a refined menu, packed with seafood delights like tuna, squid, anchovies and seabass. Nearby, at the stylish Valentino (Via Santa Croce 28, Rovinj) – a bar effectively carved into the cliff face – couples, holidaAs day trips go, a trip to the idyllic island of Brijuni (brijuni.hr) takes some beating. A 20-minute boat ride from Pula, the island's myriad delights – from the safari park to the museum exhibition dedicated to Yugoslavian president Josip Tito – have been untouched by time. As Tito's summer residence, the island has had its fair share of venerable visitors, from Fidel Castro and Che Guevara to Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor.
Visitors happen upon the Neptune Hotel right off the boat, and this art-deco wonder is a flashback from the soviet '70s. Take a golf buggy or bike, and it's easy to shake off the crowds and cover much of the island in a morning. At the island's safari park (the island became a national park in 1984, after Tito's death in 1980), you'll encounter not only zebras and llamas, but Lanka the elephant, a state gift bequeathed to Tito by Indira Ghandi.
Speaking of visitors, James Joyce was another notable short-term resident of the region, albeit not strictly by choice. The way local legend tells it, Joyce was so bored in the town – he was posted there for six months as a teacher, along with his new wife Nora Barnacle – that he began to write to while away the time, eventually putting together 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'. He described the town as 'a back-of-God-speed place', and 'a naval Siberia' ... yet while there appeared to be no love lost on Joyce's part, the town celebrates their onetime inhabitant. It's possible to enjoy a drink in Uliks ('Ulysses' in Croatian, Trg Portarata, 52100, Pula), which is situated in the apartment block, which once housed Joyce's school.
Families looking to sidestep history, olive oil tasting, wineries and cliffside bars needn't be left out of the fun, either ... the Istralandia water park (istralandia.hr, at the Istrian Ypsilon highway, Nova Vas exit) is box-fresh after a June 21 opening. Boating over 20,000 square metres of water surfaces and 20 slides and chutes, this €10m development has a capacity for 6000 daily visitors. Water fans can also enjoy a pool with artificial waves, foam parties, diving lessons and synchronised swimming.
The opening of a project as sizeable as Istralandia hints that this part of Croatia is bracing itself for an influx of holidaymakers from near and far. Whether its original maxim – 'the Mediterranean as it once was' – will stand firm amid these changes remains to be seen. Still, the smart money says that whatever the future fortunes of the region, time-honoured local traditions will win out in the end.
Gastro Highlights...
Restaurant Milan (Stoja 4, Pula, beccaccia.hr, +385 52 300 200) Traditional fare, including sea bass and local bean soup. Be sure to ask for a table outside.
Alla Beccaccia (Valbandon Pineta 25, Fazana, +385 52 520 753) A restaurant complete with plenty of garden and a cooling outdoor pool. Quail, Istrian beef and game are the specialty dishes.
Villa Meneghetti (Stancija Meneghetti 1, 52211, Bale, meneghetti.info croatia.hr, +385 91 245 1600) Hire the villa's private chef as you stay in this sumptuous villa complete with kingsize bath, indoor pool and four-poster beds in the garden.Couples' packages start at €280 per night for two people including dinner and champagne. La Puntulina (Sv Kriz 38, Rovinj, +385 52 813 186) Breathtaking sea views, a chilled atmosphere and a bounty of local seafood prepared traditionally.
Konoba Buscina (Sveta Maria Na Krasu, Umag 52470, konoba-buscina.hr, +385 52 732 088) Don't let the traditional décor fool you – the food here is cutting edge and top-notch ... and reasonably priced to boot.
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