Wonderful Weekends!

Long time, no update! The past couple of weeks have flown by – I’m not really sure where to begin this post, so I have lugged my computer to the center square of downtown Zagreb (oh yeah, we switched hotels, I made the deal myself, and now we’re right in the heart of downtown Zagreb!) – it is a beautiful night, the perfect temperature, and hundreds of Croats are passing me left and right (most are staring at my unusual outfit of Nike shorts and a UNC t-shirt, and at the fact that I am actually working on something…)

Nevertheless, I am content and really love the hustle-bustle of my new residence – millions of delicious restaurants, funky bars, street performers, souvenir shops, parks, and cafés are within a 500 meter radiance, and I truly feel as if I live in a thriving city.

Two weekends ago I was fortunate enough to visit the Evans in Germany! My 3 cousins and aunt and uncle have been planning a Europe trip for awhile, and who knew that southern Germany is super close to Zagreb? (well, I would say a one-hour plane ride and 2-hour train is close). It was an indescribable feeling seeing family at the train station that Friday night; I haven’t been with anyone I know for about 6 weeks now, and the relief and comfort I felt instantly lasted throughout the weekend. We headed straight to the biergarten in Garmisch (my kind of welcoming). Always the planner (my kind of aunt), Nan described everything the family had already done in Europe as well as the itinerary for our weekend over biers and a pretzel. The next morning we headed to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles for a full day of sightseeing. Supposedly I had been there before as a baby, but cried the whole time. The amazing structures, landscape, and company left me feeling quite the opposite, and we ended the afternoon with a wonderful German meal (of course I had to get the schnitzel!) Next we headed to Oberammergau, and despite the heavy downpour we did a little shopping/picture-snapping in the wonderful Bavarian town best known for its famous “Passion Play” that depicts the Passion of Jesus only once every ten years. Another wonderful meal with family and a few games of bananagrams later, we called it a night so we could wake up early the next morning to climb Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany! Although it was cloudy and we couldn’t see the peak, we rode the train an hour to the very top, playing games and chit-chatting the entire way up. Amidst the clouds, we all attempted to take pictures, but there was not much to see other than our hands in front of us, which made it that much more fun. We shared a small space in the pub at the top with others who had actually hiked the mountain, and warmed up over coffee and cakes. Once back in Garmisch, I packed up and we all headed downtown for one last goodbye-Germany meal. (Bratwurst, of course!) Realizing my train departure-time was approaching, Nan ran to get me “Spaghetti Ice”, delicious German ice cream that I HAD to try before I left! We all ran to the car, ice cream in hand, and I just made the train after numerous rushed hugs, kisses, thanks, and goodbyes. A whirlwind of the utmost happiness was followed by a quick transition to lonesomeness on the train, where I sat with a melted bowl of ice cream and a longing to return to the squished back seat of the Evans’ rented German car. I definitely skipped so many wonderful events of the weekend, but to summarize it was one of the best 48 hours I have probably ever had, and it simply confirms how one’s life may be adventurous and exciting and opportunistic, but there is truly nothing like the comfort of family!

Prost!

This past weekend my colleagues and I again took advantage of having a car in Eastern Europe and road-tripped throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina! Random? Yes. A little crazy? Yes. Amazing? Definitely. Our weekend trip in Bosnia was the definition of a culture shock, and it baffled me that crossing the border from Croatia to Bosnia I could immediately tell I was in another world. Graveyards lined the windy, undeveloped, sometimes unpaved roads, as well as bullet-struck buildings and war ruins. Bosnia’s war with Serbian nationalists was more like a genocide, and thousands of Bosnians lost their lives from 1992-1995 when Serbians invaded the country. Since then the country has slowly recovered, but much is still to be done in restructuring the government and establishing more stable institutions and infrastructure.

We arrived to Sarajevo and drove through Old Town for a while until we realized just how lost we were among the extremely narrow alleys of cute kids playing soccer. After reversing down steep hills, asking locals where our hotel was multiple times, and screaming at the stupid GPS lady that didn’t register any Bosnian street names, we finally found our “4 star hotel”. I was already feeling extremely outside of my comfort zone, and the 5-foot high ceilings of my bedroom and bathroom sure didn’t make me feel any more comfortable. Needless to say we got out of there as quickly as possible to check out old town Sarajevo. The streets were packed with tourists and locals because the Sarajevo Film Festival was taking place that weekend. We managed to find one of the local restaurants recommended to me, and flipped through the extensive menu with hundreds of pictures of meats, fish, kebabs, and unknown images. Surprisingly it ended up being the best meal I have had in Europe, and sitting outside on a Friday night in downtown Sarajevo, enjoying Sarajevsko beers and an amazing meal was just the way to start off our Bosnian weekend.

The next day felt like it lasted an eternity; I was so in awe of everything I saw and heard, and this feeling is the true joy of traveling. When you are in a completely new place, your curiosity is never satisfied, and you want to soak up everything around you at all times. We walked around all of Sarajevo and visited mosques, shopped, ate traditional cevapici, and checked out the film festival, all the while saving mental images of Sarajevo’s matchless culture and people. Tall catholic crosses, Islamic Minarets, and a mountainous landscape battle for Bosnia’s skyline, which we experienced not only in Sarajevo but also during our picturesque drive to the town of Mostar, in the southern part of Bosnia known as Herzegovina.

We didn’t have a hostel or hotel booked for Mostar, but I finally found availability in “an apartment owned by a hostel family”. Once in town I called the hostel, and an extremely nice man drove to meet us to show us to where his son was, a little red-headed boy reminiscent of Michael. The little Bosnian hopped in our car, didn’t say a word, but just started giving us hand signals about which directions we needed to drive. We were cracking up, but finally found the apartment we were staying in, an adorable place managed by a sweet old lady who also did not speak any English. We someone managed to figure everything out, and again dropped our stuff quickly so we could hit the town.

Mostar is probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. “The Bridge” is the obvious main attraction, connecting the inner city over the Neretva River. The middle of town is something of a fairy tale – cobble-stoned walkways wind through the center and lead you to numerous restaurants and bars acting as terraces overlooking the river. We took about a thousand pictures throughout the town right as the sun was setting, which was the perfect time to make an amazing first impression of our new destination. Seafood and house wine next to the river, under the bridge, left us feeling extremely fortunate and eager to explore the rest of the town during daylight.

Beautiful view of the Mostar Bridge

The next morning we only had a few hours to meander through the picturesque walkways of downtown, and along with a handful of other tourists we took advantage of the beautiful morning to snap pictures on the bridge overlooking the turquoise Neretva River. We cheers-ed to a truly unforgettable weekend on the rooftop –turned-bar of the tallest building in Mostar, and returned to our apartment to find our caretaker had washed our car out of the goodness of her heart. We realized that despite the unimaginable horror that Bosnia and its inhabitants had experienced during the Serbian genocide, both the country and its people are genuinely beautiful and humble.

The drive up the Croatian coast was long and tiring, especially after being stopped twice by Croatian police out to get tourists for speeding. Needless to say Pedro was the most angry I have ever seen him, and Teryn and I sat quietly for a good 5 hours letting him mumble every Spanish/Italian swear word he knows. A stop in the coastal town of Sibenik for lunch and gelato lifted his spirits, before finally making it back to Zagreb. I am still exhausted from our mega road trip, and tomorrow we’re back at it again! This week was long at work (more to come) and we’re heading to the coast tomorrow for some beach time finally! Pedro’s friend from London is flying in tonight, so him, Pedro, Teryn, our two friends from Slovenia, and I are planning on having some fun in the sun for the next couple of days. More escapade-writing to come!

The Colorado of Europe

This weekend I visited one of the most beautiful, pristine countries I have ever seen. “Slovenia” was the third-most googled word when America played them during the world cup because people had no earthly idea what the country was all about or where it was located. In my opinion, Slovenia should be at the top of every traveler’s destination list. As Pedro and I drove through the countryside to the capital city of Ljubljana where we were staying, I noticed that the forested hillside overshadowed by the luminous Alps strangely reminded me of one of my favorite states, Colorado. However, once we carted our luggage through the city-center of Ljubljana, I was brought back to Europe as the cobblestone streets and alleyways weaved overtop a majestic river flowing directly through downtown. We made our way to Hotel Antiq, which is just as its name suggests – a truly antique hotel with the cutest façade, quaintest furniture, and friendliest staff. My two colleagues in Slovenia, Teryn and Michael, live there, and had booked me a room overlooking the city from the front of the hotel – so beautiful! We enjoyed some Slovenian wine the two of them had received during a meeting with a vineyard, and relaxed on Teryn’s baller private rooftop deck before heading out for the night to distress from one of the longest and most tiring weeks of my life.

The next morning we all slept in and then I ventured out to explore a little of downtown Ljubljana. I walked through the terraces overlooking the river and made my way to the market much like Zagreb’s where I grabbed a lunch of “buckwheat bread covered with cottage cheese, sour cream, spices, and other cheese that is then baked in an open oven” (atleast that’s what the sign at the stand said) I figured I would try it and it was delicious! Again, don’t know exactly what it was but I’m thinking it was pretty Slovenian, and that’s all that culturally matters.

River Ljubljana running through downtown

After walking around a little more, I got dressed to go CANYONING with the group! Michael drove us to Bled, Slovenia, which is a gorgeous lake town about 30 minutes from Ljubljana. In the center of the town is Lake Bled; an enchanting castle sits high above the lake, as does another one that is situated on an island in the middle of the bright blue water. Bled is also known as “the extreme sports city” of Slovenia, so we figured we would do a little extreme-sporting ourselves. After meeting the other 4 members of the group going canyoning with us (2 extremely nice newlyweds from Ireland), we drove to a deserted part of the river, saddled on our wet suits, and started trudging toward the canyons! After a 20 minute walk we had a 15 minute STEEP hike (“Canyoning Bob”, our guide, said if we wanna jump down, we gotta walk up) and finally we reached the top, although we weren’t really sure what we were at the top of…

Getting in the zone in our wet suits

It is difficult for me to describe exactly how this canyoning business worked, but I will try. We first started by repelling down the canyon a little to reach the first “jump-off” point. We were given the option to repel down the rock or simply jump off of it into the small well of water below, and Teryn, Pedro and I decided to jump. The guide was even a little hesitant that we were doing it, but Teryn went first and I of course had to follow. I still have the image of looking WAY down (about 5 stories) into the water below, and only paying attention to the rocks jutting out of the canyon directly below me. “Make sure you jump OUT, so you don’t hit those rocks” Canyoning Bob warned me. Uhhh ok. After a couple more jumps I was mimicking Pedro’s battle cry and screaming “HIJO DE PUTA!” during the fall just as he did every time he jumped. The water was the coldest I have ever been in, which is why we wore wet suits; it literally took my breath away. The scariest to me was repelling sideways; sometimes I had to move laterally from one standing place to another, trusting only my harness connected to a horizontal rope as I leaned backwards to shuffle across a canyon boulder. Finally we reached our final jump, which was the highest, and then instead of walking back we were able to float downstream to our van, which was so relaxing after a seriously intense 2 hours of climbing, swimming, leaping, and praying.

We rewarded our brave selves with a few Union beers at a pub in town and watched Germany beat Uruguay, and then called it a night and headed back to Ljubljana. The next morning we woke up early enough to have breakfast in the hotel (cha-chinggg cappuccino and orange-juice machines galore), and then headed back to Lake Bled for some lake-side sunbathing and picnicking. After a peaceful afternoon beneath the brilliant Alps and beside the stunning lake, it was time to again face reality and get a little work done for the week back at the hotel.

Lake Bled, with both castles in the background!

This weekend was so much fun, and we all commented how activities such as canyoning truly take your mind off of work, stress, or any responsibility other than staying alive. We vowed our next weekend trips would exponentially get more extreme…sky-diving, anyone?

Learning to drive stick-shift in the Crazy, Curvy, Croatian Countryside

Sometimes I have to just stop and wonder how in the world my actions and decisions have gotten me here. On Monday, Pedro and I met with the CEO of Natura Agro, one of the biggest food companies in Croatia. A truly amazing company, they gave us a tour of their immense production facility in the middle-of-nowhere Croatia, letting us try fresh apples right off the sorting conveyer belt and treating us to personalized goody bags. On the way home, Pedro and I were enjoying the breathtaking Croatian countryside, which is astoundingly reminiscent of Tuscany, and he was making fun of how literally no American knows how to drive a manual car. Up for the challenge, I practiced as he led me through the motions of the gears: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis...

The whole way home I listened for the engine to prompt me to switch gears, and I can confidently say I know how to drive a manual - from the passenger's side..

However, I was forced to take the driver's seat last night when, on the way to my birthday dinner, Pedro exclaimed he really needed to get some gas. We jutted forward a few times on the highway and then came to a complete stop. Luckily another muscle-man was in the car, Adam (one of my coaches helping us out this week), and he and Pedro pushed the car as I worked with the clutch in neutral all the way to the next gas station!

Looney times like these make me realize how a sense of curiosity and humor will take you so far in life. Adam, who is from Budapest, Hungary and is awesome, was so excited when we ran out of gas.

"Oh my gosh, I was just thinking the other day how I have never run out of gas while driving, and I thought about how it would probably be super hilarious and exciting! And it is!"

Having this mindset about an unfortunate event while traveling is absolutely necessary, and only emphasizes the power of optimism in everyday life.

And so I leave you with that observation, and hope next time you are stranded on the side of the road in a foreign country you manage to smile a little, or even laugh..?

Hrvatska

Sunday morning…been pretty lazy so far: I woke up, laid in bed and attempted to find an English channel on TV (anything?!) and settled for a Croatian church service in the cathedral I visited yesterday, but dozed back asleep. Now I’m lounging in my hotel bar room indulging in a cappuccino and croissant as I attempt to update my blog and get some work done for tomorrow.

Where to begin about this new country of mine? I have by no means had a chance to truly familiarize myself with this area of the world; although I have been here for a little over a week. I feel as if there is so much more to learn about the Balkan country that succeeded from Yugoslavia in 1991 and is now the 18^th most popular tourist destination in the world. A majority of my time here has been crazily driving around the financial and industrial districts for work, attempting to read the street signs to find where the hell the company headquarters of “Zagrebacka Banka” or “Krentschker Vrijednosnice” are located for meetings. However, this weekend Pedro was out of town for a training session, and I was here in Zagreb alone with nothing to do but explore my new home. My hotel is far from the city center (about 15-20 min bus ride), with no attraction within walking distance. Friday night I met up with some UNC friends who were stopping through Zagreb for a couple hours on their way to Venice, and showed them the popular street of cafes, bars, and restaurants, Tcalciceva Street. We enjoyed some dinner and drinks while watching the football game; it was so great to be with some fellow Tarheels! The next morning I pulled out my self-made “Saturday in Zagreb itinerary” (don’t make fun), largely based off the New York Times article “36 hours in Zagreb”. I first passed by the two beautiful city-center parks and headed for Dolac market, the IMMENSE open-air market in the heart of Zagreb. Literally hundreds of stands of fruit, vegetables, nuts, meat, bread, cheeses, desserts, souvenirs, handmade trinkets, jewelry, etc. line the main square, and I spent what seemed like an eternity easing my way through the stalls of colors. Might have bought a few little gifts, but you’ll just have to wait and see..! Next I headed to the Zagreb Cathedral on Kapitol, the tallest building in Zagreb that is currently being renovated. I picked up some postcards and headed to Ivica I Marica (Hansel and Gretel in English) on Tcalciceva Street, an adorable restaurant and cake shop, and tried their infamous palocinke – the Croatian version of a chocolate crepe. HEAVEN in a thin pancake. Walked it off by meandering through Ilica Street, Zagreb’s main road with hundreds more shops, cafes, and bars. Got a little lost, and after a while of ducking in and out of shops, felt like I needed another dessert boost. Millenium café is another famous establishment right outside of the main town square, Bana Jelacica, with the most extensive selection of gelato and desserts I have ever seen. I got “The Millenium” (duh) and people-watched in Jelacica before heading back to the hotel after a successful day of picture-taking and acquainting myself with the intriguing metropolis.

Let’s switch gears for a second – I have not really written anything about why I am actually here (what, this isn’t a free, amazing, adventurous vacation, which is what it seems like from these posts?!) My job is tough, and long, and draining, and completely unlike anything I would have ever expected in a career. I have learned SO much about international business and how different public policy and the economy is abroad compared to the U.S. Croatia is extremely bureaucratic, is not part of the EU, and has been severely hit by the economic crisis, which makes it extremely difficult to do business with any type of company. Here is the rundown of my project so far: Pedro was in Zagreb before me meeting with “openers” (members of the government like ministers, ambassadors, presidents of major investment associations) to gain support for our European Times report on Croatia. Since then he has been gathering extensive lists of companies we should meet with in various sectors – the finance, industry, pharmaceutical, energy, agriculture, food sectors – and I have been contacting these major companies to make meetings with their CEO’s, because we are both recording their global overviews of their companies for our publication, as well as trying to sell them advertising space. There are many obstacles that come with this task of calling and scheduling a meeting. #1: Is their number from our online database even correct? #2: Does the office speak English? #3: Who is the secretary of the CEO? (sometimes I am put through to the CEO without even knowing it) #4: Is the secretary lying when she says the CEO is on vacation for 2 months?! #5: When someone says they will call us back, do they? (95% of the time it’s no) #6: Is there a time when both we and the CEO are available? #7: Does the company see the value in being featured in our publication?

Despite all of these barriers, I have been able to schedule a fair amount of meetings for Pedro and I. Usually we have about 2 per day in between calling to schedule other meetings, which means driving to the headquarters in our suits (and it is HOT here, not a fun place to be nervous in a business jacket). The very first meeting I was thrown into the process and did the introduction, explaining our report, our wide and prestigious reader base, our support from the government, etc. Then after 2 meetings I was in charge of the introduction and the “fact-finding”, or asking the CEO questions to learn more about his clients, market-share, future developments, turnover, etc. Most CEO’s are extremely nice, but some are downright intimidating, and some don’t even speak English, so there is a translator present. Pedro completes the meeting with various sales pitches, and then attempts to close a sales deal. I have yet to see a sale (again, so many CEO’s argue there is no liquidity in the Croatian economy, and most contend that the government should be paying for this exposure to Western European readers). However, Pedro is confident things will start picking up – in the mean time, I am like a sponge absorbing everything I hear in these meetings, and eventually I will be conducting the entire meeting, from introduction to close, which is required before transitioning from a field trainee to a real sales consultant.

I feel as if this is just an overview of what my day-to-day is like; details of some of these CEO encounters make for good stories, so I will post them soon! Now I’m off to catch some rays at Jarun lake, the popular “city getaway” here in Zagreb, where I will pretend everyone around me knows that it’s independence day in America…(I just looked up if there were any events celebrating the 4^th through the US embassy, only to realize there was one yesterday, dangit).