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sibenik times
THE
ISSUE 34 | SatUrday, jUly 25
th
2009 | yEar II
POWErEd By
šibenskilist
Terracottaroofs againsta lue sea
Sometimes ou ae to tae a ird’s ee iew to truleerience te eaut of te Croatian coastline. Tisanorama sows te cannel tat searates te islandof Murter from te mainland at Tisno.
 
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 sibenik times 
saturdayjuly 25
th
2009.
Welcome to our beautiful city and to thesixteenth edition of the second seasonof “The Sibenik Times”. I think this recentheat wave has gone to my head; I’m crazyfrom the heat. I can’t seem to concentrateon anything and the only respite is drivingaround in the car with the air-conditioningon full blast, which is probably about as he-althy as swine flu. The humidity has beenso high recently that just the action of bre-athing leaves you dripping in sweat. As thetemperatures hit the mid to high thirtiesyou can almost hear the polar icecap crac-king away and melting. Always at aroundthis time of the year my mind plays tricksone me and I have a few ideas. I call theseideas “summer silliness” because most ofthese are impractical or impossible. Firstly Ialways get a desire to buy a small boat andsail around the nearby islands. Actually thiscraving normally lasts for a couple of daysbefore I come to my senses. Apart from thefact that I know absolutely nothing aboutboats, sailing or in fact the sea, the sheerfact that I get seasick gives me plenty of re-asons not to buy a boat. And the financialburden, it’s like a bottomless well. I was on-ce told by a local that a man is truly happytwice in his life. Firstly when he buys his firstboat and secondly when he sells the sameboat. I can see the logic in that. Funnily eno-ugh my desire to have a boat quickly disa-ppears in the winter. Another of my “sum-mer silliness” is to grow grapes and producemy own wine. I worked in the wine industryin London for many years and my love offine wines and their production remainsstrong. Maybe this idea is not so mad afterall, but the simple fact that I don’t have anyland would probably prohibit this plan. Andeven if I filled my entire garden with vinesI’d probably only have enough to producehalf a bottle of wine, another impracticalidea, and another one that fades throughthe cold winter when I think about all thework involved to look after a vineyard.My summer madness continues with ayearning to sleep. Whether it’s the heatdraining my energy or the simple fact thatit just feels like the right thing to do in theafternoon I’m not sure. It’s said that ErnestHemingway spent most of his days sleepingduring his twenty year stay on the island ofCuba. And that he wrote “Old man and thesea” and “For who the bell tolls” though thenight, I’m guessing it was cooler and he co-uld think. Either that or he was so drunk oncocktails through the day that all he coulddo was sleep. Yet again, during the shorterwinter days this ache goes away.
FROM THE EDITOR
Mark thOMaSm.oms@sibeni-imes.com
MINISTER OF TOURISM CLAIMS TOURISMSEASON IS OFF TO A GOOD START
 
GERMANS ATTRACTED TO CROATIA vACATIONS
 
CROATIA hOLIDAy ‘CAN SAvE TRAvELLERS MONEy’
 
CROATIA hOLIDAyMAkERS ‘ShOULDExpLORE COAST by bOAT’
 
GIORGIO ARMANI vISITS CROATIA
Minister of Tourism Damir Bajs said last week the number of tourist overnights had declined by six per cent in June compared to the same monthin 2008. Bajs added that the number of domestictourists’ overnights had increased by one per centin June compared to the same period in 2008. Bajsbelieves the start of the summer tourist seasonhas been unexpectedly good, Tportal website hasreported. Bajs said: “The most-important tourismmonths are ahead of us. Looking at the numbers, we can be less concerned than our competition.We can cure our problems with an aspirin, honey and tea, whereas other tourism countries needto go in for a serious examination.” In the firstsix months of 2009, the number of foreign-tou-rist overnights declined by seven percent, whilethe total number of overnights dropped by threeper cent.Going on holiday to Croatia can save travellers money, according to Jonathan Mitc-ham, principle researcher for Which? Holiday. The consumer campaign group represen-tative said that Britons can find good vacation deals in this country and other nationsthat do not use the euro currency, due to the current exchange rate. Offering advice onhow to secure good-priced holiday deals to places such as Croatia, Mr Mitcham advisedpeople to avoid peak travel seasons like the school-holiday periods. Taking flights atunsociable hours or midweek can also reduce the cost of a trip, he added. “Either book early - especially if booking as a family - or take a gamble and try a last-minute bookingif you’re flexible about the type of accommodation you may get,” the expert explained.Croatia’s tourism minister Damir Bajs has suggested this year that late bookings will becrucial to the success of his country’s tourism season in 2009, although he indicated toReuters that people are staying for longer on their Croatia holidays.Croatia is one of the holiday destinati-ons that is proving more of an attractionto German vacationers than Tenerife, it hasbeen suggested. According to the tourismcouncillor at the Spanish island’s popular Arona region, Angel David Herrera, this ishaving an effect on one of Tenerife’s mainmarkets. Turkey, Egypt and the Caribbeanhave also proved to be attractive holiday options for people from Germany, the travelexpert explained to the Fortnightly TenerifeNews. Croatia’s attractiveness for Germantourists was increased recently when it wasannounced that police officers from Ger-many will be helping local officials patrolthe popular Istria region in July and Au-gust. The Earth Times reported that theirpresence will help visitors who run into di-fficulty during their stay. Anyone staying inIstria accommodation between September1st and November 30th may also be ableto enjoy one of many Truffle Days, whichhave been organised to celebrate the localdelicacy of the area.Well-known Italian fashion de-signer Giorgio Armani arrived lastSunday in Split. Armani came fromMilan in a Net-Jets Air plane. Thefirm caters to wealthy people in the world of fashion. Armani is repor-tedly planning to cruise along theDalmatian coast for a few days. Thedaily 24 sata has reported he saidhe had always wanted to visit Split. Armani added: “For a long time, Ihave wanted to see this part of the Adriatic because I have heard somany wonderful stories about it. I just want to enjoy cruising and hopeI will also get some new inspirationfor my autumn collection.” Armani isplanning to visit the islands of Brac,Hvar and Korcula and the cities of Dubrovnik and Cavtat in southernCroatia on his 70-metre-long yacht. After that, he will rest in Sardinia inone of his houses.People enjoying a villa holiday in Croatia may enjoy travelling by boat to the country’s seasidetowns and islands during their stay. Luxury travelblog Paradizo suggested that the “charming porttown” of Split is worth a visit, as holidaymakers canexplore its “labyrinthine network of cobblestonestreets” and Roman walls. The beaches of Korcula,meanwhile, were described as “dreamy”, while the“sparkling island” of Cres is also worth taking in.Last month, Independent writer Frank Partridge wrote that people staying on Cres during their Cro-atia holiday may be able to sport a griffon vulture,as a colony of endangered birds is being protectedon the island. He added that “adventurous” holi-daymakers could have a “field day” on a visit to theisland, as it has a large freshwater lake and plenty of trails for hikers and bird-watching enthusiasts.
 
saturdayjuly 25
th
2009.
 sibenik times 
3
 
ChILDREN’S FESTIvAL ‘pUTS SIbENIk ON ThE MAp’
 
LIbRARy ShIp MAkING ThIRD CONSECUTIvE SUMMER
The library ship is sailing along Croatia’s Adriatic coast from 18to 31 July, stopping in 14 ports. It is the library ship’s third annu-al summer trip. The ship is carrying 2,000 books weighing seventonnes in the Croatian and some foreign languages. The ship is acultural-tourism project, the aim of which is to promote a cultureof reading and writing, as well as Croatian books and writers. Morethan 50 writers are on the ship to promote their work. This year, theship’s godmother is prominent Croatian cook Ana Ugarkovic. Thebooks are on sale at a discount, and ship visitors have a chance tomeet their favourite writers. The library ship is considered one of the best cultural-tourism projects in the Adriatic area. Beside bo-oks and writers, the ship will offer special shows, including music,traditional dancing and other performances, at the ports it stopsat. The library ship is stopping at Krk, Rabac Cres, Mali Losinj, Rab,Novalja, Povljana , Sali, Sv. Filip, Jakov, Zlarin, Sibenik, Jelsa, Ma-karska and Supetar.
DID YOU KNOW?
•Dolphinscanbeoftenseeinopen,buteveninnarrowlocalwatersofSibenik.•ThemostwellknownDalma
-
tianandSibenikspecialitiesarefishstew(brodet)andsmokedham(pršut)•DuringtheruleoftheCroatianKingZvonimirKninbecameame
-
tropolisoftheancientCroatian
se.
•AntunVrančić,borninŠibenikin1504,travelledasadiplomattoEnglandtothecourtofKingHenryVIII.•AsculpturebythesculptorIvanMeštrović,awoodenreliefentitled“TheDescentfromtheCross”,canbefoundintheTateGalleryinLondon.HeisburiedinOtaviceasmallvillageapproxi
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mately35kmawayfromthecityofŠibenik.•SculptorIvanMeštrovićismen
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tionedinD.H.Lawrence’sbookWomeninLove.•WilliamShakespearesethiscomedyTwelfthNightinIllyria,bywhichheprobablymeantCroatia.•Thebook101DalmatianswaswrittenbyBritishauthorDodieSmithandpublishedin1956.•TheBritishforceshelpedtosupplypaperforanewnewspapersetupduringthewar-SlobodnaDalmacija.(FreeDalmatia)
 A children’s festival held annually in June and July in Sibenik,Croatia has helped to put the city on the map, according to itsmayor. While the 49th annual Sibenik International Children’sFestival concluded earlier this month, mayor Ante Zupanovic com-mented that the event is a “great thing for the city” and he wouldlike to see it last longer than two weeks each year “I’d prefer havingit for two or three months,” he told south-eastern European newssite SE Times. People planning ahead for a holiday in Croatia nextyear may wish to consider attending the festival, which this yearsaw 1,100 participants represent 21 countries over 14 days. Festivalperformers hailed from as far away as the US, Canada, Austria, Argentina, Macedonia, Serbia and Russia, as well as from Croatia.Sibenik is located in northern Dalmatia and has a population of 41,012.
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