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Post by trotskyite on Apr 30, 2015 22:18:05 GMT 1
What has happened to this forum? I used to come here regularly and there were always new posts. Now it is moribund. It changed when the format changed, didn't it? It's sad.
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Post by Ribaric on May 1, 2015 10:01:43 GMT 1
Facebook and Twitter have severely damaged forums (fora?) everywhere. Things change.
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Post by kesterj on May 2, 2015 5:47:34 GMT 1
What has happened to this forum? I used to come here regularly and there were always new posts. Now it is moribund. It changed when the format changed, didn't it? It's sad. I don't think the format change has had anything to do with it. I suspect Ribs has nail on head hit. Now, I remember, in t' good ol' days, when you had to try to log in two hours before you went to bed in order to be on line in the morning ....... etc etc <must be spoken in strong Yorkshire accent> kesterj ps Having said that, though, I wonder if 'surviving' members, especially those based in Croatia, could make the board more interesting by posting items of news? Especially quirky ones. I don't mean the blatant advertisements for events or accommodation, nor even the (rather dry. if justifiable) travel schedules - but just observations on things/trends. We used to get lots of snippets, like the number of foreign-plated cars in car parks as an indication of how the tourist season was going, or the price of beer on the islands 'n stuff. Ribs would comment on the Spazien Fest and things like that - that made the board worth reading. |
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Post by crojoe on May 3, 2015 22:24:57 GMT 1
What has happened to this forum? I used to come here regularly and there were always new posts. Now it is moribund. It changed when the format changed, didn't it? It's sad. I don't think the format change has had anything to do with it. I suspect Ribs has nail on head hit. Now, I remember, in t' good ol' days, when you had to try to log in two hours before you went to bed in order to be on line in the morning ....... etc etc <must be spoken in strong Yorkshire accent> kesterj ps Having said that, though, I wonder if 'surviving' members, especially those based in Croatia, could make the board more interesting by posting items of news? Especially quirky ones. I don't mean the blatant advertisements for events or accommodation, nor even the (rather dry. if justifiable) travel schedules - but just observations on things/trends. We used to get lots of snippets, like the number of foreign-plated cars in car parks as an indication of how the tourist season was going, or the price of beer on the islands 'n stuff. Ribs would comment on the Spazien Fest and things like that - that made the board worth reading. I don't advertise, but I'm not sure there are that many people left. I'm still in Zagreb, but have been back in the UK off and on working, as things got a bit tough here. But I have noticed a steady stream of long term foreigners leaving Croatia (financial crisis in Europe and Croatia). I'm not so into football results, so seeing 3/4 of posts is about that it's of no interest. Guess you could say some made it and others didn't. Most of those still here have some link of local connection, business, property or spouse. Everyone else has gone looking for greener pastures. |
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Post by swordfish on May 4, 2015 6:27:03 GMT 1
I was only saying the other day to the wife that there are hardly any posts these days and I think Crojoe you have hit the nail on the head as alot of brits we know have now left. By the way heard the first cuckoo (cuculus canorus)two weeks ago.
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Post by Ribaric on May 4, 2015 7:39:01 GMT 1
I was only saying the other day to the wife that there are hardly any posts these days and I think Crojoe you have hit the nail on the head as alot of brits we know have now left. By the way heard the first cuckoo (cuculus canorus)two weeks ago. A goodly percentage of those known to me who are still here are actively working on leaving. Just making ends meet here is becoming increasingly difficult, we pensioners seem to be the majority in my neck of the woods these days. |
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Post by fidobsa on May 4, 2015 11:55:30 GMT 1
The Facebook group "Expat Croatia" is not very busy either and only has 107 members. It seems there are even less expats in Croatia than I thought. I see quite a few German and Austria registered cars on my travels but I'm told most of those belong to Croatians who work in those countries and come back for visits.
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Post by swordfish on May 5, 2015 7:05:27 GMT 1
I was only saying the other day to the wife that there are hardly any posts these days and I think Crojoe you have hit the nail on the head as alot of brits we know have now left. By the way heard the first cuckoo (cuculus canorus)two weeks ago. A goodly percentage of those known to me who are still here are actively working on leaving. Just making ends meet here is becoming increasingly difficult, we pensioners seem to be the majority in my neck of the woods these days. I must say we are in the same boat. It does get to you in the end keep banging your head against the door, but hey this is a beautiful country just that it is run by people that seem not to have much of a clue.We also see a few german cars here in istria but after speaking to a german couple a lot of germans have property here but only come over in the summer or earlier to get their houses ready for renting.I still think the numbers aren't correct for tourism as last year there seemed to be half the amount of cars on the road and normally this forum at this time of year is full of enquires from people wanting info on how to get somewhere etc. |
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Post by Carol on May 5, 2015 18:01:47 GMT 1
It used to be about Croatia opening up to tourism and 2nd home buying when the market was going up 20-30% each year.
I guess the post-war tourists were independent travellers whilst the pre-war ones came on package holidays where everything is arranged for you. As Croatia is beyond useless at showing any commercial sense(!), the Croatian tourist board had not thought to enable people to visit by explaining how to get to Croatia how to find accommodation or what they might do there. This forum filled that gap.
Similarly, it was as clear as mud, how the property market worked, and the local agents were too over-run (and too Croatian) to bother to properly explain. So, again this forum filled the gap for a while.
The rest of it, in the early days, was Croats who had moved abroad, or who had never lived in Croatia ever, telling us what a great place it was.
The 2nd life came when we foreigners realised that it wasn't going to be easy and we started sharing tips about how to get things done. This really came to life when the pogroms started (i.e. the new visa laws, which as always arrived without warning.)
That slightly preceded the financial crash.
And the rest is history.
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Post by ivetron on May 5, 2015 22:55:15 GMT 1
So why is it so bad to live and specifically to work there? I've visited friends and family in HR many times but haven't moved there and actually worked. My stays have always been pleasant. There is possibility for me to get a job there via a US based company but reading these threads about Brits etc that can't leave fast enough and my limited knowledge of the corruption is obviously concerning.
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Post by crojoe on May 5, 2015 23:36:04 GMT 1
So why is it so bad to live and specifically to work there? I've visited friends and family in HR many times but haven't moved there and actually worked. My stays have always been pleasant. There is possibility for me to get a job there via a US based company but reading these threads about Brits etc that can't leave fast enough and my limited knowledge of the corruption is obviously concerning. As the saying goes, there's a big difference between being a tourist and a permanent resident. I have lived in Asia, and for some reason you just feel more at ease compared to Croatia. Maybe because we live in Zagreb I don't feel very touristy. If you can get a job working for the US company then thumbs up for you, but if you try and come here looking for work then it can be a challenge. I would not suggest trying to open a company here, unless you got a lot of money to pour into advertising. It's nothing like running a business in USA, UK, Germany etc. Sure, it's a great place to retire, have a home or even raise a family, but it's supporting yourself that is challenging. If you got money from abroad or a good job setup then you should be OK. The big problem here the current "powers that be" have their heads in the sand and not at all doing anything to help small business (nor did the former government). You need a good accountant that in essence can weave their way through all the tax BS. If you seem to be making profit then they enjoy going through your papers with a fine tooth comb, and some of the powers inspectors have here or dictatorial. You need a great accountant! One factor is American's still require working permits, not always easy to get these days. |
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Post by crojoe on May 5, 2015 23:49:32 GMT 1
The Facebook group "Expat Croatia" is not very busy either and only has 107 members. It seems there are even less expats in Croatia than I thought. I see quite a few German and Austria registered cars on my travels but I'm told most of those belong to Croatians who work in those countries and come back for visits. If you attend any Embassy events you will also notice most have cut back, hired more locals and there is hardly any foreign aid agency left or foreigners in management positions within internationally owned companies. It's not a bad thing, but does mean less foreigners and their families live here. There are more foreign students, but then I don't hang out with this crowd so no idea of numbers. Most Austrian and German cars I see in Zagreb are Croats (I know by the way they drive). |
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Post by swordfish on May 6, 2015 7:39:26 GMT 1
The Facebook group "Expat Croatia" is not very busy either and only has 107 members. It seems there are even less expats in Croatia than I thought. I see quite a few German and Austria registered cars on my travels but I'm told most of those belong to Croatians who work in those countries and come back for visits. If you attend any Embassy events you will also notice most have cut back, hired more locals and there is hardly any foreign aid agency left or foreigners in management positions within internationally owned companies. It's not a bad thing, but does mean less foreigners and their families live here. There are more foreign students, but then I don't hang out with this crowd so no idea of numbers. Most Austrian and German cars I see in Zagreb are Croats (I know by the way they drive). It does amaze me now when I think back to when we first came here (about 10yrs) most of the croatian cars we saw on the roads were yogo's,2 cylinder fiats and the good old beat up lada. Now everybody seems to have brand new BMW, audi etc and in the holiday months we stayed away from the motorway as it was always crowded with foreign cars with all the delays that go with it. Now even in the peak season we can drive about istria with no problems. I know they built the new Y motorway but alot of the time that is empty.(could this be because of the tolls?) |
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Post by Carol on May 6, 2015 10:11:25 GMT 1
I just deleted a long post answering ivetron's question about what Croatia is really like to live in. It would have got me into a lot of trouble.
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Post by Ribaric on May 6, 2015 18:34:40 GMT 1
I just deleted a long post answering ivetron's question about what Croatia is really like to live in. It would have got me into a lot of trouble. You don't need to spell it out. Most of us on here are old hands and long ago lost our innocence and naivety about making a living, not to mention the politics. |
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