Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe

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Croatia 1994-1995

By John Stienen


the first trip (March 1994)

After visiting AEGEE's Presidents' Meeting in Eger, Hungary, and after meeting the delegation from Zagreb there, Frank and I decided to visit Zagreb, because we still had some days left before we were expected home. For Frank it was the second trip, he had been there in summer 1993, during the Blue Danube Summer University. In other words, he knew where to go...


Tkalciceva (in winter)

...except for visiting pubs, we also went sightseeing:


The Croatian National Theatre

During the first trip also the sister antennae contract between Eindhoven and Zagreb was signed, and I promised to visit Zagreb again...

the second trip (August 1994)

In summer 1994, I first went to Summer University Presov (Slovakia). Because I generally keep my promises, the next destination was Zagreb, to learn hrvatski. There were not many people at the SU, but the ones who were there, were nice:


The main square in Zagreb: Trg Bana Jelacica

Of course visiting pubs was on the programme again, and guess where we went?


Tkalceciva (in summer)

Because Stephan and Michiel also came to Zagreb, we had a car, and one week of holidays left. What to do? We started to ask around what we should visit. Everybody told us to go to Dubrovnik, though a week might proof not to be enough for such a nice town, well it wasn't... The trip was quite long, because we could not use the Highway, but had to use the road via Karlovac to Senj and then along the coast. Finally we convinced Vesna to join us and to show us the way....


en route to Dalmatia: seeing the sun set in the Adria at Senj

...because night was falling and we didn't want to continue, Vesna had arranged a 'room' for us in Senj. We could stay at Snjezana's uncle's place. Late at night we reached Tijesno, where we soon wen't to sleep...


waking up in Tijesno

From Tijesno to Dubrovnik was not too long. The sun was shining (of course) and we had a nice trip. In the afternoon Dubrovnik was at our feet...


the harbour of Dubrovnik

We started looking for a Youth Hostel. Stephan remembered where it should be, he had slept there in 1991. We went there. Molim vas, ima Hotel Mladost? we asked ne, nema, ovo je policija was the answer. Stephan's youth hostel had turned into a police station...


Stephan, the old town (Grad) and Lokrum

Finally we found lodging in Grad, the oldest part of the town. That was quite comfortable, everything was near. The absence of tourists was almost annoying. People seemed to avoid going to Dubrovnik that time. We only met a handful of non-Croats, even on the ancient city-walls we were almost alone...


i sad? sad ima Ozujsko! (...finally)

Still we had a great time, swimming, going out, sleeping, sightseeing, meeting people. I promised to go there again. Guess what? I never break promises, so some day I will go there....