Scattered Croatia Thoughts
croatia thoughts
Recently visited Croatia. Here are some scattered thoughts.
nationalism seems like a powerful force, which can absolutely be wielded to the detriment of humanity. This feels more real in a country like Croatia with a rich history of fighting various invaders, including such names like Turkey, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian empire.
This feels especially relevant in Croatia, which in the past was rocked by violence related to ethno-nationalism. Not being from the area, I’m not sure that if pressed, I could pick out a Croat from a Serb. I did notice that the folks in Zagreb had a different look than the folks on the coast. also noticed all the tourists.
the EU has a lot riding on this US election. the war in Ukraine has reached a bit of a standstill, seems like no one is giving ground or gaining ground consistently. this was driven home by the young man with Ukrainian plates we saw in plitvices; and the various flags of support for Ukraine. note: the Ukrainian flag and the Dalmatian flag look somewhat similar.
Tito - Yugoslavia - Though I heard nothing about Tito on the Trip, we did see what appeared to be several Communist statues which were dilapidated/desecrated. Seems to show the general feeling about the previous Titoist state (both in Sibinek, and the countryside).
modes of transportation Munich, Croatia, culture - Munich had adequate train infrastructure, but a delay caused us to ad-hoc rely on European uber apps. That worked a bit better for getting around quickly and on a tight time schedule. Croatia has trains and buses, but also great highways. WE loved driving on the Croation highways and were constantly stunned by the
Yugoslavia; USA migration and opportunity. we heard from a server willing to share that he’d never left his region, that price inflation was making cost of living really high, and that folks were unhappy. We heard that from two people anecdotally. this might be something people in the US take for granted who can move. But there are also difficulties moving in the US.
infrastructure and smart phones. someone made a killing after the brutal civil wars. the infrastructure was excellent.
feasibility of balkanization - USA. I felt assured that the US is likely not to face the same type of ethno-nationalistic violence. I could see fracturing along religious lines, urban-rural lines, or economic lines. But not violence similar to the violence which resulted from the breakup of Yugoslavia.