The crocodile swallowed us

When you look at the map of Europe towards the South East where Mitteleuropa (Central Europe) melts into the Balkans, with the River Save flowing through the Croatian capital Zagreb as an imaginary border between two different cultures, you discover a crocodile's head with its mouth wide open.  That crocodile was the route we took as we headed out through masses of snow covering the mountains on our way to Opatija (via Rijeka) the old holiday ressort where emperors, royals and famous artists enjoyed the charm of the Kvarner Bay, already more than a hundred years ago. This Eastern coast of the Istrian peninsula is lovingly called the Opatija Riviera, with its beautiful Adriatic beaches and a 12 km long promenade.

A cold wind was blowing, when we arrived there, but the sun announced the imminent outburst of Spring. Daffodils and other rather exotic flowers already sticking their necks out. We attended a conference about recent developments in PR, starting on Friday, 15 March and culminating in the evening with a perfectly organised award ceremony followed by a pleasant dinner. Music, speeches and dance accompanied the handing over of well deserved awards to experienced communication specialists. The Kvarner Hotel, an illustrious place for such ceremonies, with its famous cristal room,

was at walking distance from the other magnificent Hotel, where the participants were housed, the Ambasador. As a loving husband, who had no other choice then to come with her all along from Vienna, I was nicely included in it all and enjoyed it a lot (as well as the excellent bottle of white wine I entirely emptied), namely to be present when Cath received her PRO PR Award 2013.

The only regret one has is that it all ends so fast. One wants to continue to dream. Stay a bit longer to welcome Spring after a cruel Winter and to find out more about the slightly rusty glamour of past times which is omnipresent in this wonderful place Opatija. We would come again, one day, we thought, and then we were brought back to Zagreb for an other exciting day.

Isn't she proud and happy?