Croatia Online – Wimbledon And Tennis In Croatia

 

As Andrew Murray treads his, so far, very convincing path into the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championship, it’s sad to see Croatia’s Marin Čilić go out to Germany’s Tommy Haas in the third round, after a very close run contest that went to five sets. Croatia, however, still has Ivo Karlović to support who will play Spain’s Verdasco in the fourth round. If he wins that it seems likely that he will meet favourite Roger Federer in the quarter finals. And amazingly, the weather has been so consistently good that Wimbledon has survived a whole week without having to test its the new roof!

Enthralling though Wimbledon invariably is, perhaps there will never again be the huge excitement that captivated everyone who watched the 2001 Championship when Croatia’s Goran Ivanišević went down in history for being the first (and so far last) player ever to win a Grand Slam title on a wild card entry. His home club, Firule in Split, were in the process of printing a book to celebrate their fiftieth birthday. They took it off the printing presses and watched in anticipation, and some disbelief, as their hero powered his way right though the tournament to win that memorable final and the Championship.

Talk to any Croatian and they will remember Goran’s homecoming (pictured – copyright Fjodor Klerić) as if it was yesterday – his arrival in Bernie Ecclestone’s private jet, Formula 1, a huge flotilla of boats in Kaštela and Split Bays, 150,000 fans waiting on Split’s waterfront Riva, parachutists, fireworks, parties and a striptease from the champion himself. Quiz night enthusiasts may also be interested to know that, according to the Daily Express, Goran Ivanišević is the only Wimbledon champion whose name is a strict alternation of vowels and consonants.

When asked just how Croatia managed to produce so many world class tennis players from such a small population and lack of resources, the Croatian Tennis Federation’s Executive Director, Marina Mihelić came up with a simple answer – “we’re a talented nation in sports with balls.” Handball, football, basketball, water polo and, of course tennis, are just a few of the sports where Croatia punches well above its weight. According to the Split Tourist Board, commenting on the launch of a Sports Hall of Fame in early 2008, Split has the highest number of internationally successful sportsmen and women per capita in the world.

For those that want to incorporate tennis into their Croatian holiday, either as spectators or participators, there are plenty of good facilities, some of which are noted below:

Tournaments

The Croatia Open takes place in Umag each year on clay courts. Dates for 2009 are 27^th July to 2nd Auguast. The players normally stay in the four star Sol Garden Istra but there’s plenty of other accommodation for spectators to choose from.

The PB Zagreb Indoors takes place in Januarry/February each year in the Dom Sportova, Zagreb.

Tennis Camps

JST Travel organise tennis camps in Umag and Poreč and offer a wide variety of other activities as well. The Umag holidays use the Umag tournament courts.

Sunshine World Croatia also offer camps in Umag with options ranging from individual lessons, through fun packages for kids and families, to the “Pro Package Luxury”.

Hotels With Tennis Facilities

Bluesun Hotels Elaphusa take advantage of the Zlatni Rat tennis centre on Bol, Brač, to offer a professional tennis school for adults and, for children, the Tennis Academy Mickey. The Zlatni Rat centre used to host a ladies international (WTA) championship and now stages the Bluesun Bol Ladies open in April each year. The centre has 25 clay courts including a show court accommodating 2000 spectators.

Ilirija Hotels occupy a vast area in Biograd, near Zadar, which includes three hotels, an open air swimming pool and beach bar, and a tennis complex with 14 floodlit clay courts, 6 hard courts, clubhouse, café and a resident professional.

Istraturist have four 4 star hotels in Umag, as well as a three and a two star. From these you can take advantage of the best tennis facilities in Croatia, available from the same courts that stage the annual Croatia Open and several other tournaments.

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Link to Croatia Online - Boat Show Special for a picture of Goran Ivanišević at the Croatia Boat Show in Split

Link to Croatia Cruising Companion - Rowing News for the latest Croatian achievements in nautical sports

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And finally…, we note that the Daily Mirror Survey last week voted Goran Ivanišević the tenth sexiest male player of all time. Croatian readers should try and understand the Mirror’s target audience and editorial policy when analysing the significance of this and how three UK tennis players – Murray, Henman and Rudsedski – made it higher on the list. Dalmatians don’t have the prerogative on sporting nationalism. Croatia Online’s editor would also like to know how Bjorn Borg managed to get a place and Ilie Nastase didn’t!

Mustache Champions Big Mustache Master

Mustache Champions Big Mustache Master

The Extreme Hail Attack

When nature decides to shoot it all to smithereens it uses giant ice bullets. Extreme hail is probably the most dangerous and life-threating weather event for those unlucky enough to be in the open. It leaves fist-sized dents in the sheet metal, destroys windshields and comes down with a force that some compare with hand grenades, or an artillery attack.

Airplanes are significantly damaged by hailstorms sometimes, as well. Here is an EasyJet Boeing 737-300:

The growing ice-crystals are fusing together, which results in irregular shape for the giant hail:
Larger hailstones (bigger than 4 inches) usually have rings, which are visible if you split them in the middle

Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2009

Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2009 video highlights from filmed on Monday 25 May 2009. Every year daring competitors throw themselves down a death-defyingly steep hill in G...

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Croatia Online – Cost Of Living Update

The Eurasian Griffon Vulture, pictured,  has his own cost of living equation, no doubt. Lucky for him that the Protection Centre in Cres has given him a few more options in recent years. For us humans, the cost of living is traditionally measured in monetary terms.

We’ve reported quite regularly on the cost of living in Croatia and our last detailed posting on this -  Croatia Online Cost Of Living Update - July 2007 – seems remarkably up to date on everything except exchange rates.

Whilst in July 2007, £1 sterling was worth about 10.4 kunas, now it’s about 8.6 kunas and that’s had a serious impact for those relying on GBP earnings to finance their holidays or life in Croatia. It’s not entirely surprising to see that the Euro exchange rate for kunas has hardly wavered through the global economic storms. Those, including occasionally ourselves,  promoting the myth that Croatia is outside the Euro Zone, would do well to study Croatian economic policy in this respect and the actuality of how closely the kuna follows the Euro. Yes, Croatia is theoretically outside the Euro Zone, but it has long had the sense to link its currency to another one more “stable”  than our pound.

For American  citizens, $1 (one dollar) is worth about 5.2 Croatian kunas so $2 will buy just over a half pint of beer (mala piva) or a cappuccino.

Macro economics aside, the cost of living in Croatia continues to be competitive, what ever that means in current global speak!.

Croatia Online – Peka or Dalmatian Sunday Roast Dinner

When Dalmatian mothers discovered their city cousins using ovens, cooking “ispod peke” became the country version of baking meat, and the successor to boiling food or roasting it on the spit. The age of electricity came relatively late to rural Croatia, but still the popularity of this cooking method survives. In winter, traditionally, the wood fire would be prepared on a stone slab in the most multifunctional area of the house – the place to get warm over a chat – and above the fire would be an array of meats in the course of being smoked. Chickens and turkeys were early peka favourites but, with the advent of refrigeration and the first butchers, small cuts of lamb and veal were added to the repertoire. Cooking “ispod peke” is also credited as being the first appetising Dalmatian way of cooking octopus.

Polite but knowing smiles will greet you when you ask for the secret of a good peka – everyone has their own tips and special ingredients. Know thy peka also applies to the dome under which the meat is cooked. The fragile clay pekas were eventually replaced, in the early 20^th century, with more robust iron ones, and no two produce quite the same result. The distinctive succulent meat, delicious potatoes and all round juicy flavours are unique to this type of cooking and every bit as special as our English Sunday Roast dinners.

Once the wood has turned into burning ashes on the hot stone slab, the iron bell is covered with the ashes and the contents start cooking at a temperature of around 230 degrees centigrade, “cooling” to about 170 degrees when cooked. There are endless discussions about whether to turn the meat and when. The practicalities are that, with so many factors having an input into the cooking temperature, you can never be sure exactly when it will be perfect. Having a peak inside the peka about 20 minutes before time gives the opportunity to reassess the situation and perhaps turn the meat at the same time.

Peka dishes are a feature in many restaurants throughout Croatia but generally only available if pre ordered, and for at least 4 people.

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Thanks to Etnoland (see previous posting) for today’s photo and helping us out with some little known facts.

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Peka and Peke? – an example of Croatian grammar. Ispod means under and is followed by a noun in the genitive case. Peka is feminine and the genitive ending of a feminine noun is e.

Pekas? - an English translation abomination; the “true” Croatian plural is peke!

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As a PS to this blog, we’ve since noticed  a very interesting article on Secret Dalmatia’s blog about the peka cooking utensil itself and the traditions of blacksmiths in Croatia – follow this link to find out more  Secret Dalmatia - Blacksmith and Peka Traditions

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World's Most Strangest Smallest Computer

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