JAZZBINA CLUBING - 10 Years on the¸Air and Stage

JAZZBINA CLUBING
10 Years on the¸Air and Stage
24.03.2006./Friday
HP Club, Hotel Pula, Pula
22:00
VASIL HADŽIMANOV BAND
www.vhband.com
Vasil Hadžimanov, keyboards
Vlada Samardzic, bass
Bojan Ivković, percussion, scat
Srđan Dunkić-Johnny, drums
and ...

VASIL HADZIMANOV BAND

CV

Vasil’s (born June 23rd, 1973, Belgrade) classical training began at the age of 5,

and included attendance at one of the oldest music high schools in South East Europe,

Stevan Mokranjac in Belgrade (prof. Ljubinka Hadzi-Jovancic). It was his interest in jazz, however, that won him full scholarship to attend the Interlochen Arts Camp for two summers in a row and afforded him the opportunity to study and perform with Milt Jackson, Curtis Fuller, and Bayron Stripling among others.

He moved to Boston in 1992 to study piano and arranging at Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. He graduated in 1995 and his piano teachers were Ray Santisi and Lazslo Gardony.

While at Berklee, he performed with Matt Garrison, Rick Peckham, Leroy Jenkins (in his rap opera “Funky Faust”), George Garzone, Ayib Dieng, and toured nationally with Paskal Bokar’s afro-pop band.

In September 1996 Vasil moved to New York, where he continued his work with some of the best young musicians like: David Gilmore, David Binney, Cris Cheek, Marko Djordjevic, Danny Sadownick, Adam Deutch, Antonio Sanchez, Reuben Rogers, Rodney Holmes, “Ultranate”… At the same time he worked as a music programmer at the “TOMANDANDY” studios (authors of the “Killing Zoe” soundtrack).

Vasil also performed with the following SCG artists: Jovan Maljokovic Balkan Salsa Band (Rothweill Jazz Fest., Montreaux Jazz Fest.), Dusko Gojkovic (European tour), Steve Gut (Segedin Jazz Fest.), Mimo Mitrovic, Bisera Veletanlic, Zafir and Senka Hadzimanov, Rambo Amadeus (ex Yu tour)…

After spending a year in the Big Apple he decided to move back to Yugoslavia and finish what he started with his own:

VASIL HADZIMANOV BAND

His ideas of mixing Balkan traditional, folk rhythms and melodies with the western, modern musical styles (jazz, funk, world music…) in his own music is completely authentic and a new approach to jazz music. For the last 5 years, Vasil and his musicians have continuously played his compositions on concerts and jazz festivals all over Serbia and Montenegro and other countries with big success (Belgrade summertime Jazz Fest - following Joe Zawinul, Novi Sad Jazz Fest., Nis, Smederevo,

Kragujevac, Podgorica, Budva,… Banjaluka, Sarajevo, Mostar, Zelenkovac Jazz Fest (Bosnia), Skopje Soul and Blues Fest., Kumanovo Jazz Fest.(Macedonia), Maribor Lent Fest., Cerkno Jazz Fest. (Slovenia), Opatija Jazz Fest., Promotion concert for the PGP publishing house in Stuttgart, Pula (Croatia), Berlin (benefit concert), Porgy and Bess jazz club in Vienna (Austria), Bratislava Jazz Days “Jazzove dni” (Slovakia)…

In the year of 2001, Vasil Hadzimanov Band released their first CD and tape under the title “11 reasons for…” published by PGP-RTS. Its first edition sold out in three months. Also for their first release, they won the award Beovision 2002 for the Best Debut Album of The Year 2002.

In the summer of 2002 Vasil Hadzimanov Band joined famous director Goran Paskaljevic and his film crew, in making of a documentary about Belgrade, for the ARTE television. Vasil composed the music and the band fronted by their percussionist Bojan Ivkovic, acted and performed music in the movie. Vasil’s music can also be found on “011 Belgrade”, a movie by a young Austrian director Michael Pfeifenberger and a new movie by Rasha Andric "When I Grow Up I Wanna Be A Kangaroo".

In the year of 2003 they released their second CD “Kafanki”, again published by PGP-RTS, which they currently promote across Europe. For this one, they won the award Suncane skale 2003 for the Best Instrumental Album of The Year 2003.

19th of November 2003 VH Band performed on the “Enter Music Festival“ in Belgrade sharing the stage with the great Joe Zawinul and his Zawinul Syndicate. After hearing the band perform live, Zawinul himself invited Vasil and his mates to perform in his new club in Vienna, called "Joe's Birdland", in the spring of 2005. In the summer of 2005, the band will represent the sounds of the Balkan on Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan.

In June 2004 VH Band were invited by the violin virtuoso Nigel Kennedy to perform with him on his big Belgrade concert. This was quite an experience for both parties involved, as well as for the audience...

Confident that the quality and originality will turn many heads and create new opportunities for them, this young band is eager to expand its audience and a place in your programme.

Vasil Hadzimanov band featuring:

Vladimir Samardzic –el. bass guitar (born in 1970 in Novi Sad, Serbia) As a self-thought guitar player he picks bass guitar at the age of 19 and starts practising and playing in many clubs in Belgrade and Novi Sad with domestic jazz musicians. He meets Vasil Hadzimanov in 1993 and the same year became a member of the Novi Sad Big Band Orchestra. 1995-1997 Vladimir records and performs with the legendary rock band SMAK and studies with the bands leader and one of the most famous guitarists in ˝old˝ Yugoslavia, Radomir Mihajlovic – Tochak. At Berklee College of Music, which he enrolled with the scholraship in 1997, he wins the reward for an Outstanding Achievemnet from Berklee Bass Department, BMG Jazz Award and he gets the scholarship from Studenica Foundation (for talented students from Serbia studing in America). During his studies in the States, he intensively works with Bryan Oliver funk band and latino ensemble named Papa Loves Mambo. He colaborates with great singer Gabrielle Goodman, world known vibist Dave Samules (Spyro Gyra, Caribbean Jazz Project), percusionist Jammey Haddad (Dave Liebeman, Paul Simon), rumenian pan-flute player Damian Dragichi and new york drummer Marko Djordjevic (SVETI). With his own sextet Vladimir performs originals at many clubs in Boston. He graduates with ˝Summa Cum Laude˝ in 1999 under supervision of his mentors Oscar Stagnaro(Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Valentin) and Anthony Vitti. After gradution from Berklee Vladimir comes back to Yugoslavia (2000) and continues playing with Vasil Hadzimanov as a full time member of Vasil's band. He also colaborates with singers Bisera Veletanlic and Hana Vuchicevic (Speed Limit, Just), latino band Mambo Stars, multiinstrumentalist Slobodan Trkulja (Balkanopolis) and Groove Masters band which follows the most popular pop singer in this region Vlado Georgiev. Among taking part on many jazz festivals all over ex–Yugoslavia with Vasil Hadzimanov Band, Vladimir played at the festivals in Austria, Slovakia, Germany and Holland (tour of five World Music festivals 2004 and North See Jazz Festival 2002 with the Balkanopolis ethno project). Since his return from United States he has been active as a private instructor, and music workshops lecturer for bass guitar and harmony. As bass guitarist he was involved in realisation of many domestic music edtions and several independent american editions. Vladimir Samardzic lives with his family in Novi Sad where he works on his first lesson book for modern bass guitar.

Srdjan Dunkic - Johnny - drums (born April 6th, 1976 Belgrade, YU)

After finishing one of the best private drum schools in Belgrade, at the age of 12, he already became an active professional drummer with many Yugoslav bands, playing original and cover material.

From 1997 until 1999 one of the most popular TV channels in the country, broadcasts a music show where Johnny, with his own “Mega Band”, had a chance to perform with the biggest stars in Yugoslav pop/rock music (Bata Kovac, “K2”, “Zana”, Kiki and the “Pilots”…)

Performs with Cosey Powell on his European tour. Collaborates with Djordje David, Dragoljub Djuricic( Germany, Austria…) and “Fuzzbox” band.

On behalf of a great experience he gained in working with the best, he is most wanted as a studio musician.

Bojan Ivkovic - percussion, scat vocal (born October 15th, 1975, Vrsac, YU)

1990 - 1994 performs with local bands. In 1994 he moves to Belgrade and becomes a drummer of one of the best blues groups in Yugoslavia “Hush” with their front man Ana Popovic. After numerous concerts with “Hush” (Summertime Jazz Fest., West Rhythm Fest., Pachs Blues Fest., Senta Blues Fest...), he takes interest in playing percussion as well.

1996 -2001 Bojan records and performs with: Pavle Aksentijevic (Bemus fest., Zurich, Bern, St. Gallen, Canada), Sanja Ilic and Balkanika (Maribor Lent Fest, Mexico, Austria…), experimental band “Vroom” (Trn Fest. Slovenia…), neoswing band “Havana Whisper” (Belgrade Jazz Fest., Zelenkovac Jazz fest….) and Vasil Hadzimanov Band.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vasil Hadzimanov Band, other than in a form of a quartet, can also perform with their special guests, some of the best musicians in the Balkan area:

Brankica Vasic - vocal (one of the greatest ethno Balkan voices of our time, performed with Goran Bregovic, Sanja Ilic…)

Teodosii Spasov - kaval (greatest Bulgarian kaval player, recorded and performed with Trilok Gurtu among others)

Antonio Kitanovski - guitar (Berklee graduate, his approach to music is completely new and original, performed with Charlie Mariano, Greg Hopkins…)

Orhan Maslo - percussion (a superb Bosnian percussionist, performed with Mostar Sevdah Reuninon among others)

And others that were guests on our two realeses ("11 reasons for…" and "Kafanki")

ETC.

Aquarium Fort Verudela - Pula

Aquarium Pula opened for the first time on 21 Sep 2002. It is set inside the old Austro-Hungarian Fortress in the heart of the Verudela tourist centre, on the Verudela Peninsula . It is dedicated to raising awareness of the sea, with naturally themed habitats depicting the local marine environment. Visits of all kinds of groups including pre-school, school, clubs, senior citizen and community are educationally focused.

Since 2002, the number of tanks has continuously increased and the old tanks were improved and refurbished. A dazzling variety of marine life in realistic habitats is on display in basins with running seawater .

Experience hundreds of sea creatures in 30 special exhibits, including a touching pool. Touch a dogfish , turtle, urchin, crab or sea squirts in our open basin. Discover fish that have burrowed into the sand and mud as well as inhabitants of overgrown and stony areas. Have a look at tiny zooplankton and phytoplankton under the microscope, find out about the deepest reaches of the Mediterranean Sea , currents, colour of the sea, saltwater composition, etc.

The first floor features various exhibitions, such as old fishermen tools, our protected marine organisms and underwater photography by our famous underwater photographer Eduard Strenja. In addition there is plenty of educational material to explore.

Our new feature is a 40m tunnel, leading to the moat where a freshwater pond is situated. The specimens in the pond are varied and typical of the country's rivers and lakes. Within the tunnel we offer refreshments and snacks to visitors.

Apart from guided tours, Pula Aquarium organises playgroups for children. Children are very welcome and can enjoy themselves on the terrace in front of the aquarium, with lots of complementary games. For inquisitive minds, we offer weekly lectures on marine topics. You are welcome to book an appointment to explore laboratory material. Excursions to the beach and sea in our boat can be organised for groups.

Within Aquarium Pula, the first Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in Croatia was opened in 2002. It is dedicated to the implementation of a tagging program in the northern Adriatic Sea, to provide medical treatment for injured turtles, providing a contact mechanism with local fishermen and to promote education and public awareness programs.

Aquarium Pula in Fort Verudela features a spectacular location overlooking Marina Bay , offshore islands, and open sea where our new picnic area is situated.

Working hours: in summer time 9:00 am to 10:00 pm daily in winter time 10 - 17 h weekends

A guided tour for groups, booked in advance, takes approximately 45-60 min.

For further information and tour bookings please contact:

Dr. Milena Mičić 0915682986
Zoran Mičić 0915282320
Aquarium 00385 (52) 381402

Admission 1€ = 7,3 KN approx.

Aquarium Fort Verudela - Pula

HALLOWIND 2005 (28.10-1.11)– 6th annual extreme sports happening

HALLOWIND 2005 (28.10-1.11)– 6th annual extreme sports happening
Kamp Stupice, Premantura. Summer is long past when this event comes our way. Still, autumn is the peak time for the summer joys of wind surfing, and also partying, in Premantura. The varied sports events include the finals of the European championship in windsurfing free style, everyday competitions in windsurfing formula for Adria Cup and Croatian Cup, as well as competitions in mountain biking, free climbing and skate boarding. As for the music part, the order of events is somewhat different this year. The first night will be a party till early morning with the living legend (or rather daddy:) of the Italian electro scene, Francesco Farfa. The second night will be dedicated to a very interesting event, the Night of Black Wind. The crew will make a fashion show and a free surprise concert to show that they enjoy a good party too. This year's final evening will welcome the great Radikal Dub Kolektiv and the excellent T.B.F.

Friday 28.10.
11:00 skipper's meeting - freestyle competition
20:00 Opening – 6th annual extreme sports happening

Saturday 29.10.
10:00 skipper's meeting, freestyle competition, formula windsurfing, slalom
13:00 mountain bike dual
22:00 party: Francesco Farfa, Italia, Serial Killer Vinyl – Break For Love, Alen Sforzina, Crazy Lemon,Bebeto - End 07,00
Entrance: 70,00 kn till midnight - 80,00 kn after midnight

Sunday 30.10.
10:00 skipper's meeting, freestyle competition, formula windsurfing, slalom
11:00 free climbing - qualfication
17:00 free climbing - final
22:00 Black Wind Night, fashion parade + surprise concert, (Shoe be do, Diesel, Scorpion bay, Americanino, Optika D & A),Entrance: free

Monday 31.10.
10:00 skipper's meeting, freestyle competition, formula windsurfing, slalom
22:00 Concert + announcement of the winners, THE BEAT FLEET, RADIKAL DUB KOLEKTIV, Entrance: 50,00 kn

Tuesday 01.11. - Reserve day

free stlyle windsurfing(finale EFPT.NET)
formula windsurfing (finale adria cupa)
windsurfing slalom (drzavno prvenstvo)
slobodno penjanje
dual mountain bike

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Istria is the region to fall in love with !

The New York Times - About Croatia

The New York Times - About Croatia
In Croatia, A New Riviera Beckons
By STEVE DOUGHERTY

''YOU will cry when you see it. Bring tissues. You will need them.''

We are finishing a marathon meal at Macondo, a seafood restaurant on a nameless back alley in Hvar. My dinner companion, a local painter, writer and actor named Niksa Barisic, was talking about a historic theater built in 1612 during the Dalmatian Renaissance and still in use half a millennium later. But he could just as well have been describing his feelings for Hvar itself, a mountainous, lavender-scented isle set in the blue, sun-blasted Adriatic Sea off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

For centuries, the island has lured visitors and inspired poets. ''I know paradise now, I know Hvar,'' a lyric local saying goes. Now, 10 years after the end of a bloody civil war that devastated much of Croatia, it still struggles as it sees hope for its future in ancient tourist meccas like Hvar, sister islands like Korcula and Mljet, and Dubrovnik -- Croatia's, and, arguably, Europe's, most beautiful city.

Recently rediscovered as an off-the-radar haven by the international celebrity set and their media-camp followers, Dubrovnik and Dalmatia's many romantic islands and hidden coves provided backdrops for lavish photo layouts in magazines like GQ, which this year proclaimed the Croatia ''the Next Riviera, '' and Sports Illustrated. In May, Croatia, a scythe-shaped country that sits astride the star-crossed, blood-drenched Balkans, was named the world's hottest travel destination in the new edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Croatia, which cited its ''rich diversity of attractions,'' accessibility and ''relative affordability'' (its currency, the kuna, is far friendlier to the dollar than the euro is) as well as its ''stunning beaches and islands'' and ''magnificent food.''

That's a surprising turnaround for a country that saw its most fabled city, Dubrovnik, nearly destroyed by artillery bombardments during a months-long siege in the 1991-95 war. With eight million visitors expected in Croatia this summer, the government-run national tourist board has begun a campaign to restore tourism to its prewar levels, when upward of 10 million visitors annually flocked to the beaches of Dalmatia and Istria, the neighboring coastal province to the north. Back then, the tourist industry accounted for a full third of Croatia's national income. Tourism officials say that the number of visitors has grown 6 to 10 percent in each of the past several years.

Nowhere is the tourist board's touted ''Magical Croatia'' brand more fitting than on Hvar, where they give names to the wind but not the streets, where children are said to fly and the richest man in the world has to wait for his latte during fjaka, when the island tucks in for its afternoon siesta.

Holding court at Macondo, Mr. Barisic, a burly, bearded cross between Jerry Garcia and Zorba the Greek, is quick to cackle at his own stories and eager to share his knowledge and love for Hvar and its bounty. ''You must be careful,'' he cautioned as he poured me a glass of the rich local red, strong as it is delicious. ''One glass you won't feel; have two, you won't feel a thing.''

Describing Hvar (awkward in English, it's pronounced hwahr) as a ''hideaway for the creative poor and the very rich,'' Mr. Barisic said, ''Celebrities like to come here because they're left alone. Bill Gates sails in on his yacht and no one pays any attention. No one cares. There are no paparazzi, no fans, no autographs. I was in a cafe with my daughter and a lady sat down at the next table. My daughter said, 'Dad, that's the lady from ''Shakespeare in Love.'''''

Gwyneth Paltrow is among the many red-carpet faces seen blending in with the crowds in recent summers. ''It gets to be like 42nd Street around here in July and August,'' Mr. Barisic said the next afternoon as he sipped a whiskey-laced coffee in one of Hvar's outdoor cafes. ''No one sleeps during the season. Everyone is jumping around, singing and roaming the streets until dawn.''

The scene is hard to imagine during a visit in late March, when the sun-drenched square, a wide piazza from the 13th century paved with polished white stone mined on Hvar and its sister island, Brac (the same stone was used in Split to build the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian and, 16 centuries later, the White House) is deserted during fjaka.

Toddlers chase pigeons across the square, squealing with delight. Elderly men smoke in the cool shadows cast by the bell tower of the 16th-century Cathedral of St. Stephen, which forms the picturesque west face of the square.

A three-legged dog, a red scarf tied at its neck, trots as best it can behind its master who, like most dog owners here, carries a leash but seldom has use for it. Dogs here are a well-trained lot who obey voice commands and stroll in and out of the open-air cafes as they please. Their owners don't bother scooping up after them. That work is left to professionals, street cleaners who do an excellent job keeping tourists' Manolo sandals unsoiled during the raucous high season.

My friend Buga Novak, a Hvar-born translator and interpreter who lives in Zagreb, took me on a walking tour of Hvar town. Strolling the riva, the long waterfront promenade that winds around the harbor, she pointed out a hilltop fortress and the remains of city walls that were built in the 13th century to defend against Turkish pirates. Far above, another fortress, built by Napoleon, one in a long list of invaders, today bristles not with cannon but with instruments to record seismological and meteorological data.

On summer nights, when the fortifications above are illuminated and fishing boats bob at anchor in the harbor, films are shown in an open-air theater where audiences sit at tables, drinks are served and, Ms. Novak says, the chatter and action off screen can be as entertaining as the film.

In front of the Hotel Palace, children play at the base of the Pillar of Shame, where in the Middle Ages sinners were tied up for display, jeered at and spat upon. Nearby, water taxis line up along the riva to ferry summer hordes of beer-cooler toting ''naturists'' -- the guidebook euphemism for those who like to perform their sun worshiping naked -- to the island's highly popular offshore nudist beaches.

''The ancient Greeks and the Romans were growing grapes and producing wine on Hvar 300 years before Christ,'' said Andro Tomic, a local vintner, as he toured his vineyards high on the windward face of the near vertical mountain ridge that runs the length of Hvar. Mr. Tomic was one of only a handful of Croatians I met who did not speak English.

With Ms. Novak translating, Mr. Tomic said that Hvar's abundance of sun and strong winds -- which he called ''ideal conditions for producing the highest quality grapes'' -- had kept the vineyards insect and disease free. Those same winds blow with such force off the Adriatic that workers tending the vines have to be tethered by ropes to prevent them from being swept from the mountainside and cast out to sea, Mr. Tomic said.

Mythologized by islanders' ancestors, the winds are known by name throughout Dalmatia, explained Ms. Novak, who swears her Hvar-born mother ''flew'' as a child, lifted off her feet by a gust and blown the length of her family's backyard. ''Bura, the good north wind, blows clouds and bad weather away,'' she said. ''It is said that the evil south wind, Jugo, awakens the existing demons within you.''

From the Iron Age to the Iron Curtain and beyond, war has been a fact of life in a country that sits at the bloody crossroads between Europe and Asia Minor. Ten years after fighting ceased in the latest installment -- the five-year civil war that left more than 10,000 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, caused more than $20 billion in damages and left much of the country in ruin -- the scars are not often visible, but the effects remain profoundly felt.

In the Dalmatian port city of Split, physical damage suffered during the war has long since been repaired. But the city, with its terraced homes and its Lido-like riva of outdoor cafes, is awash in unemployment, drugs and crime that arose in the aftermath of the war. Good hotels are few. Many more are in disrepair, having only recently been vacated by thousands of homeless war refugees who were given temporary housing in the city. One such is run by a skeleton staff and is embarked on a dubious campaign to attract tourists by hyping its casino and American Go Go Club, featuring 36 dancers and a ''Lesbian Sex Show.''

Split is home to the enormous, fortresslike marble palace where the Emperor Diocletian, known for his persecution of Christians, retired in the early fourth century. The place still teems with life; residents live in its apartments, and many restaurants and pubs allow visitors to dance, at least figuratively, on the emperor's grave.

With a 1,700-year-old interactive theme park like that in its midst, Split may well regain its standing as a leading tourist destination. Now, however, the city serves primarily as a jumping-off place for tourists catching ferries to the offshore islands or heading south on the Adriatic Highway, the spectacular, 150-mile coast road to Dubrovnik that offers a drive every bit as eye-popping as California's Highway 1, only without the fog shrouding the view.

Well-paved if serpentine and heavily trafficked, the highway hugs the mountainous coastline, offering vertigo-inducing views of the Adriatic at every turn. As it winds along the Makarska Riviera, the roadway is carved from the limestone cliff face of a snowcapped mountain ridge. Small towns with their clusters of orange-tile-roofed homes nestle around coves far below. The spires of churches and cypress trees reach heavenward, toward us.

South of Makarska, the highway crosses a wide, fertile flood plain, where farmers at roadside stands sell oranges and honey and tall, slender bottles of olive or lavender oils.

In unsettling counterpoint to that peaceful scene, an ugly black scrawl of graffiti is spray-painted on a billboard in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the highway passes through a 10-mile-wide strip in Dalmatia that gives Croatia's neighbor access to the sea), with the words ''I Love '' in English followed by a swastika. The graffiti markings are a chilling reminder that old hatreds die hard in the Balkans. So are the dozens of white ribbons of cloth tied to roadside bushes and fence posts we see when we take a long detour across the mountains and into Krajina.

Most guidebooks warn visitors away from Krajina, a former Serbian enclave that was the scene of bloody sectarian violence during the war. The cloth strips, Ms. Novak said, were tied to mark the location of land mines planted during the war and yet to be removed by the Croatian military.

Around a bend, we see a large color photo poster of a fugitive Croatian army general, Ante Gotovina, wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal. The general, like some Serbian counterparts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia's primary foe in the 1991-95 war, stands accused of committing atrocities during that conflict.

Most Croatians I spoke with say they are looking west in the hope of gaining admission to the European Union, which they believe would bring security to the volatile, war-torn Balkan region, reduce trade restrictions and enable the country's ancient wine and olive industries to flourish anew. The general, whose whereabouts are unknown, is the focus of new debate. During my visit it was announced that Croatia's invitation to join the union was contingent in part upon his arrest or surrender, actions strongly opposed by the country's loud rightist minority. Beneath the poster's portrait of the warrior in uniform, his supporters wrote the words ''Hero, Not Criminal.''

War and its terrors are not readily conjured today in Dubrovnik, the Croatian city hardest hit in the war. The long-prosperous and proudly neutral city state that survived for centuries as a beacon of international cooperation while mightier powers arrayed around it battled and bled, Dubrovnik is a walled seaside town of orange tiled roofs, marble streets and lyrically placed turrets and towers that make it look like a sculpture, exquisite from any angle.

Like many of Dubrovnik's architectural treasures, the elegant Hotel Imperial, severely damaged and in flames after an artillery bombardment in 1991, has been painstakingly restored to its prewar glory. Painted a bright Hapsburg yellow, with filigreed wrought-iron balconies adorning its facade, the hotel reopened in spring under its new owners, the Hilton Hotel chain, one of many United States and European companies and private individuals who see gold in this beautiful but tragedy-stalked city and country.

Just as foreign investors, who have been buying seaside homes and condominiums in Dalmatia, are betting on a lasting peace, some Croatians I talked with are wary.

''Every generation has its war,'' said Ms. Novak's 85-year-old grandfather, Bozidar Novak, who as a teenage partisan leader during World War II fought Fascists in the mountains of Hvar. His son, Srdjan, now a professor of physics at the University of Zagreb, nodded in agreement. ''It isn't something you think about,'' said Srdjan, a civil war veteran, ''when it's your home you're fighting for.''

Even Mr. Barisic, the self-described ''free artist'' of Hvar whom everyone calls Art, found himself joining the battle. ''All my life I hated uniforms,'' he said. ''I am Art, not war. But when war happens, you live it. It is not something you fear or avoid.

''Now,'' however, Mr. Barisic said, ''I am finished with war. That's the last one. It's over. Ours is the last generation to fight in a war.''

''I would be drunk with happiness if it was so,'' said Zdravko Bazdan, a University of Dubrovnik economics professor who survived near daily bombardments during the siege of the city. ''But this being the Balkans,'' he said, ''you never know.''

Along the dalmatian coast, many spots worth a visit

The Croatian National Tourist Office, (800) 829-4416, www.croatia.hr, is a useful source for information.

GETTING THERE

Though there are no direct flights from the United States, connecting flights from the New York area to Dubrovnik can be booked through most major European cities. Croatia Travel, (800) 662-7628, croatiatravel.com, arranges connections through Croatia Airlines, www.croatiaairlines.hr, on a number of airlines. In early July, a round-trip American Airlines flight from New York to Dubrovnik in late August (transferring in Manchester, England, to British Airways) was $1,065.

While regular rail service to Croatia is available from most Western European countries, the going can be slow and even slower within Croatia. Bus service is more reliable, with daily service from Germany, Italy and Austria (www.eurolines.com) and an extensive network of domestic routes (www.akz.hr).

Car ferries operate daily during the summer (less frequently off season) between Italy and the Dalmatian coast, crossing the Adriatic from Ancona to Hvar, in 10 hours (berths from $40, cars $70, at $1.22 to the euro) on Croatia's largest ferry company, Jadrolinija, www.jadrolinija.hr.

WHERE TO STAY

With hotel rooms at a premium along the coast during July and August, enterprising locals rent space in their homes by posting signs in town or on line. Private accommodations can be found on the Web at sites like www.findcroatia.com and www.hvar.hr. Hotel prices here are for high season, and include breakfast.

Hvar Hotel Amfora, (385-21) 741-202; www.suncanihvar.hr. If the private beach is too crowded, try the big pool (scuba and snorkeling lessons available) or enjoy the view of the small cove and winding riva from the balcony of the spacious fourth-floor lobby. Double rooms start at about $100, at 6.3 kuna to the dollar.

Hotel Palace, (385-21) 741-966; www.suncanihvar.hr. Facing Hvar's small but active harbor, the century-old hotel was built on the site of a Venetian palace that once housed the local parliament. Doubles from $180.

Dubrovnik Hotel Excelsior, Frana Supila 12,;(385-20) 353-353; www.hotel-excelsior.hr. A recently renovated luxury hotel offering five-star accommodation and service. The view from the Excelsior's terraces and balconies as the sun sets behind Dubrovnik is unsurpassed. Doubles from $255.

Pucic Palace, Od Puca, (385-20) 326-222; www.thepucicpalace.com. In the heart of Dubrovnik's walled old town, the four-story stone Palace, once a nobleman's opulent home, catered to visiting merchants, aristocrats and dignitaries during Dubrovnik's days as an international trading center. Today's guests enjoy in-room DVD players and art treasures on loan from the city's leading museums. Doubles from $584.

WHERE TO EAT

Hvar A cozy, candlelight-and-artwork-filled seafood restaurant located in a narrow, nameless alleyway a few stone steps from the town square, Macondo, (385-21) 742-850 (named after the town in ''One Hundred Years of Solitude''), offers fresh seafood and shellfish and wonderful local wines (the white Bogdanusa -- ''God's given grape'' -- and the red Ploski Plovac, 14 percent alcohol, are superb). Dinner for two, with wine, about $90.

Mali Ston This tiny town was built with 14th-century walls and fortifications on the Peljesac Peninsula, some of which still stand. Mali Ston, in southern Dalmatia, and its sister town, Ston, are renowned for the fresh oysters and mussels harvested from shellfish farms in the waters of the surrounding fjords. Kapetanova Kuca, (385-20) 754-264, a patio restaurant, with an array of pastas and succulent shellfish, is a popular stop for travelers on the Dalmatian highway. Oysters, an entree and wine cost about $80 for two
Dubrovnik Lora Rudnjak, the owner of Ragusa 2, Prijeko 30, (385-20) 321-203, a seafood restaurant and sidewalk cafe in the old town, took the name in turn from the original Ragusa (the name of Dubrovnik when it was an independent city-state), which her family started in Dubrovnik in 1929. Featured along with seafood, pastas and risotto are large platters of Croatian cheeses, thinly sliced Dalmatian smoked ham, octopus salad, oysters, mussels and clams. Dinner for two with wine, about $55.
(STEVE DOUGHERTY)

Eia eko art center

Eia eko art center
The goal of our project is to RETURN TO NATURE, to create environment of love in which we can act natural, spontaneous, creative and fulfilled.

We live in pure nature beside the magical forest, we build eco houses, cultivate land by the permaculturel laws (in harmony with nature), use solar energy, collect rain-water, use wood for heating, eat healthy food, have different kinds of pets and around us there are thousands of wild animals (that we have respect for).

We practice different kinds of activities as (courses for): photography, composition, painting, massages, natural health; we conduct anti-stress program that includes lots of laughter, relaxation, games, creativity. As well, we organize workshops of sound exploration, dance, communications with nature and disengagement of hidden potentials. Our main focus is (harmonious) human relations.

We guide trekking in the most beautiful (not tourist) parts of Istria and EIA center surrounding.
We organize shaman dances and Indian saunas (sweat lodge) and eco art camps for youth.
We rent out Indian (and regular) tents and trailers for the real nature experience. We have unlimited space for your tents. In Bale (place 15 km from Pula) we have private apartments and in the bay small wooden- rock house for experience called “Robinson”.

EIA center is situated 10 km from the beautiful sea, 3 km from Bale, 16 km from Rovinj, 23 km from Pula, 10 km from Lim bay. When driving from Bale towards Krmed (direction Smoljanci, Savićenta), 300 m from the crossing for Krmed (road Pula- Lim bay) there is array EIA where needs to be turned right and another 300m through the forest (until the end).

The manager of the center is Igor Drandić, the man that has been traveling for years throughout the world and been collecting rich life experience that he uses now in practice. Beside lots of “human schools” the most can be learnt from Mother Nature that has unlimited reservoir of wisdom and beauty.
He speaks several languages, and in profession he is medical clerk- masseus, holistic therapist, and as well practices photography (www.inet.hr/~idrandic/). He is the president for ecology and culture in EIA center(www.eia.hr).

Info:
Tel: Igor- 00385 (0)98 9160650
e-mail: eia@pu.htnet.hr
mailing address: San Zuian 13, 52211 Bale, Istra

Travel insurance Croatia

Travel health insurance is intended for the people who are not the citizens of the Republic of Croatia during their staying in Croatia.
The policy includes the cover in case of emergency needed for the illness of the insured or as a consequence of an accident, including the hospitalization, transport to the hospital or whereabouts;

• Out-patient medical treatment
• Medicines, bandages, medical aids and necessary walking aids prescribed by a physician
• Radiotherapy, thermotherapy, X-rays diagnosis
• Hospitalization and the expenses of the emergency transport to the nearest hospital
• Surgeries and related costs
• Dental treatment in case of acute toothache
• Costs of medically necessary and prescribed transport of the insured accompanied by a person from the Republic of Croatia to insured’s permanent residence place
• In case of the death of the insured, the additional expenses of the transport of the remains to the residence place, or the additional expenses of a funeral in the Republic of Croatia up to 3,500 EUR

What is not covered by the insurance?

Travel health insurance is intended for the people who are not the citizens of the Republic of Croatia during their staying in Croatia.
The policy includes the cover in case of emergency needed for the illness of the insured or as a consequence of an accident, including the hospitalization, transport to the hospital or whereabouts;

• Out-patient medical treatment
• Medicines, bandages, medical aids and necessary walking aids prescribed by a physician
• Radiotherapy, thermotherapy, X-rays diagnosis
• Hospitalization and the expenses of the emergency transport to the nearest hospital
• Surgeries and related costs
• Dental treatment in case of acute toothache
• Costs of medically necessary and prescribed transport of the insured accompanied by a person from the Republic of Croatia to insured’s permanent residence place
• In case of the death of the insured, the additional expenses of the transport of the remains to the residence place, or the additional expenses of a funeral in the Republic of Croatia up to 3,500 EUR

More info - Travel insurance Croatia

Concerts in the Arena - Pula

JAMIROQUAI
Saturday, 25 June 2005
Pop concert, 9 p.m
ticket price: 220 kuna

MAKSIM MRVICA & PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA of SLOVENIA
Saturday, 02 July 2005
Concert for piano and orchestra, 9.30 pm
tickets price: 240 Kuna, 300 Kuna, 380 Kuna and 460 Kuna

ANDREA BOCELLI
Saturday, 09 July 2005
Concert, 9.30 p.m.
ticket price: 330 kuna, 550 kuna, 720 kuna and 820 kuna


ANASTACIA - THE ENCORE TOUR
Monday, 01 August 2005
pop concert, 9 p.m.
ticket price: 240 kuna

SWAN'S LAKE
Thursday, 04 August 2005
Ballet, Royal Russian Ballet, 9 p.m.
ticket price: 130 kuna, 210 kuna, 240 kuna and 330 kuna

DON QUICHOTTE
Tuesday, 09 August 2005
Balet, Royal Russian Ballet, 9 p.m.
ticket price: 130 kuna, 210 kuna, 240 kuna and 330 kuna


BALLET "ZORBA THE GREEK"
Saturday, 13 August 2005
Ballet, 9 p.m.
ticket price: 130 kuna, 210 kuna, 240 kuna and 330 kuna

100 VIOLINA
Sunday, 14 August 2005

JOE COCKER
Tuesday, 16 August 2005
pop concert, 9 p.m.

ATP CROATIA OPEN UMAG

ATP CROATIA OPEN UMAG

The Tournament history
1990.- 2005.

For the past 15 years ATP Croatia Open Umag, has been known as one of the most intriguing tennis tournaments of ATP International series in Europe.
The unique «shell shape» of central stadium, location just on the beach, excellent combination of tourism, economy and sport Event, have been the trade marks of Umag, and Croatia itself.
Great skill of tournament personal in finding a good combination of daily great matches and evening entertainment, are a magnet for numerous spectators, Croatian leading companies and world famous players.
Not so many tournaments in this category can be praised with participation of players from clay tennis elite: Thomas Muster, Gustavo Kuerten, Marcelo Rios, Carlos Moya, Alberto Berasategui, and newcomers such as Filippo Volandri and Rafael Nadal.
Winners :
’90 – G. Prpic
’91 – D. Poliakov
’92 - T. Muster
’93 – T. Muster
’94 – A. Berasategui
’95 – T. Muster
’96 – C. Moya
’97- F. Mantilla
’98 – B. Ulihrach
’99 – M. Norman
’00 – M. Rios
’01 – C. Moya
’02 – C. Moya
’03 – C. Moya
’04 – G. Canas


Thomas Muster, 3 times winner of the Tournament, and Carlos Moya, 4 times winner of the Tournament, have been both awarded from the town and government institutions for great sport and political involvement in promoting Umag & Croatia.
As far as the Tournament awards, besides numerous national awards, the ATP community has honored the Tournament organization by presenting it the Award of excellence 3 times. 1998, 2000, 2001, each time acknowledging the growing improvements in organizing this type of event.


Sponsorship aspect
Since the Tournament beginnings in 1990, Croatia has passed many transformations, from socialism to democracy, trough war to liberty, not stopping the Event trough the whole time, making the Tournament the only international Event in the country during the war, proving its importance and value beyond everything.
Today, Croatian economy has reached a status of marketing expanding community, and presenting a company on the tournament in Umag has become an important step, almost a “must” for all mayor Croatian and European trademarks with importance in this region.
The sponsorship value has been acknowledged by many Croatian companies, covering the most important Croatian brands from paint producers to water, and international brands such as Pepsi, Toyota etc. Trough the 15 years the tournament has gathered a strong sponsor family, celebrating with many of them a constant 10 year old cooperation.
Various promotional opportunities, from visual exposure in tennis center and central court, to VIP sponsor village with daily presentations, have created many interesting details in capturing different promotional requests for each sponsor. Besides standard promotional packages / from 25.000 € to 100.000 € / tournament goal is to reach to all various sponsors challenging them with new promotional ideas and combinations.

Media coverage
Television coverage of the Event is a valuable asset of the sponsorship market. In 2004 edition, Croatian national television, HTV, covers the Event with cca 22 hours of direct broadcasting, reaching more than 400.000 viewers. Private national wide TV channels, NOVA TV and RTL, have reported about the tournament ( estimated value cca 500.00 Kn / cca 67.000 € ). Several international broadcast companies have transmitted few matches and the final match.
Official media coverage was sponsored by the Europapresholding Company, covering all daily newspapers, economy & politics, and leisure time magazines (promotional value has been estimated around 1.000.000 Kn, cca 140.000 € ).



Press center of the Tournament, in 2004 edition, has hosted 147 journalists and photographers, 40 national and 24 international editor’s offices. Daily routine of finding a story, and putting it to work, has been succesfully accompanied by Unifot – Nikon representatives in Croatia. In this way Nikon has reached their most demanding customers providing them with the first class service on site.

Tournament edition 2005
ATP organization will issue Official player acceptance list not before 14th June, but for the moment we are sure that following players have accepted their participation on the tournament / ranking by 25th April 05. / :
- Rafael Nadal ( ranked 7.)
- Carlos Moya ( former No.1.; ranked 9.)
- Guillermo Coria (ranked 11.)
- Ivan Ljubičić ( ranked 14.)
- Jiri Novak (ranked 23.)
- David Ferrer ( ranked 25.)
- Filippo Volandri (ranked 31.)
- Juan C. Ferrero (ranked 42.)
- Alberto Martin ( ranked 61.)
- Gustavo Kuerten (former No.1.; ranked 86.)
Television broadcast was confirmed from Croatian national television - HTV, every day 2 matches + the final in direct coverage.