Makarska

There are many faces, many sides and alley-ways in Makarska (and in case you ever wondered (which maybe you didn't) the streets are 'ulice' - you see what I did there?).

There is the good the bad and the stunning.

Part of the town looks like every other socialist country  - there was no place for aesthetics, functionality was the key - these apartments still remain, but I notice that these have had a coat of paint, trying to beautify the place.

And then there is the old part of town which is still magical to me, little streets where you can slip away from the crowds, slip out of the sun.

Quick history - 13th century the area was under Venetian rule (the port here was important) and then in the 15th century the Ottomans pushed through claiming territory  - again, they wanted the port. The Venetian recaptured the area in 1646 but then the area was given to the Austrians in 1797. Napoleon took control on the 8th of March 1806 until 1813 - the legacy under this regime was that all people were treated equally, laws were written in Croatian and schools were opened. And then in 1813 until the end of WW1, the Austrians were back here.

Each of these regimes has left legacies of sorts - look at the Venetian terraces on this old building.

And the Turks left delicious Turkish coffee and some very Turkish noses (keeping this light here, there is still an underlying feeling about the Turks). The Austrians made young Dalmatian men join the Austrian-Hungarian army at 17, another reason that many young men (including our grandfather) left Dalmatia before reaching that age.

This town has the benefit of the gorgeous beaches, the elegance of the old town, and the fabulous weather which suits the cafe culture. Here you can sit with a cup of coffee for hours.

Sadly, there seems to be no commercial/industrial activity of any scale in Makarska and the main employment is with Tourism - the season lasts nicely from May to late September, but after that there are a lot of people with time on their hands, no money and no jobs to be had. Great place at the tourist level, but I feel sorry for those people who work long hours for the whole season, and then look at the rest of the year with no work. It's definitely a 'who you know' place if you need a break.

And by way of explanation of that last sentence, I met with a friend last night who had been at a European conference for Education recently, and at the end of the evening, she was sitting chatting to members from Greece, Italy and Croatia, all arguing (and regaling examples accompanied by roars of laughter) about which country was the most corrupt...