One of the most contested topics on social media during the 12 years I have been writing about Croatia – and right behind whether Nikola Tesla was a Serb or a Croat – is whether or not Croatia is in the Balkans. And, to a lesser degree, whether or not Croatia is in Eastern Europe.
It is a topic which elicits thousands of comments, and one which I am planning to tackle from both sides in a forthcoming video on my YouTube channel.
Influential global media, The Guardian, seem to be fairly clear in their opinion on the subject in a recent travel piece – Looking for an affordable beach holiday? Head to eastern Europe. In addition to the title, the opening sentence lumps Croatia firmly together with its neighbours to the east:
The Balkan countries of Croatia, Bulgaria, Albania and Montenegro have warm sunshine and great prices in the shoulder season of June and September.
Your thoughts?
The feature article focuses on the island of Brac for the Croatian section:
Some businesses were quick to take advantage of Croatia’s entry into the eurozone at the beginning of this year and hike up their prices. In spite of that, the country is still budget-friendly, especially for those who like lazy days by the Adriatic’s astonishingly clear waters and rambles through pine woods and olive groves.
On the island of Brač, crowds flock to Croatia’s most famous beach, the spit-shaped Zlatni Rat at Bol on its southern coast, but the village of Milna on the west coast gives a more laid-back flavour of the island.
The ferry from Split arrives at the end of Milna’s long deep harbour, which is ringed with waterside restaurants, pebbly beaches, olive groves and vineyards. You can read the rest here.
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