Lasting Impressions of The Balkans

This is my second trip to the Western Balkans, the first being to Zagreb about 2 years ago. I've also been to several countries which only emerged from behind the iron curtain in the last 20 years: the Czech Republic, Poland and Estonia have featured in my travels. Yet, in many senses, this has been a steeper learning and experience curve than those trips.

Throughout many former Eastern Bloc countries and, indeed, most Western European countries, too, there are memorials to those lost in the world wars or in the struggle for independence. There's evidence of change and loss but mostly it has been preserved or sanitised. Although divisions may still exist, they are largely hidden and the process of "moving forward" is well advanced. In Bosnia & Herzegovina and, to a lesser extent, Croatia the divisions remain, the healing is just starting and the physical scars are all too visible.

Even in Dubrovnik with its relative wealth and large number of tourists, gaps remain where buildings have been hit, the suburbs are poor and there are posters condemning the Serbian/Montenegrin bombing, showing where each shell landed. Indeed, when speaking to people the tensions between Croats and Bosniaks, Serbians etc still remain.

In Bosnia, the poverty is much more evident and the damage has been made safe but barely repaired in places. Again, I gather that the divisions remain with schools on either side teaching only their version of history to their people. Signs are meant to be bilingual but often graffiti wipes out one or other language. Political slogans, dates of importance to one side or the other and symbols (including swastikas) can be seen everywhere there is blank wall a spray can can be used on. This is not a sustainable model for peace where a common understanding, respect and future need to be forged.

These countries were at war from 1991-5 with ongoing skirmishes (e.g. In Kosovo) until recently. War is not an historical thing but something that everyone has a story about. Within two and a half of hours of London is a country which is still working through its troubles.

Yet, despite these harsh social realities, there is a softer side to these countries. The scenery is truely spectacular from the coast roads to the mountain passes, from the pretty town centres to the night time panoramas of cities, from the clean accommodation to the welcoming hosts. This was a holiday where I learnt so much of what this area has to offer.

My father remembers travelling through here after his first year at university with its amazing views; I too take away great memories and can wholeheartedly recommend a self-drive trip to explore the area. And it will not be my last trip: the national parks to the north of Croatia and Zadar are a high priority. A trip to Sarajevo is now top on my travel "to do" list.

This holiday has changed the way I see this part of the world and, as with so many of my trips, inspires me travel more around this diverse, fascinating continent of Europe.

Travel: Learning, experiencing, enjoying

As I walked across Dubrovnik harbour front this morning I witnessed some of the worst stereotypical American tourists. Only they weren't a stereotype: they were the real thing. Loud, dominating any scene, ignoring local practices in ordering a taxi and nearly shouting at the locals who were obviously a bit thick AS THEY DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH.

That said, I have remarked several times how tricky it is to be a self-guiding tourist here. Coach tours turn up outside a venue, wander around, get fed and wander on again. A tad stereotypical again but there's less risk there. As a self-guided tourist we need direction signs (language unimportant), safe accommodation and info on what we are looking at. These things have not always been obvious here. We have not been able to find museums, monuments and hotels without a bit of search or, in a couple of cases, at all.

Yet it is easy to be a snobby tourist, stating that "my way is the only way"; I know that I have a tendency not to engage with the local population but at the same time want to avoid mass crowds. I am more comfortable in a little hotel or B&B than staying with a family or in a big all-inclusive hotel. We all have our comfort zones as travellers. It's being confident to move beyond those so we learn more, experience more and enjoying more of the world around us which has to be some of the reasons we travel for.

Beauty and Hurt in the Balkans

One of the joys of doing a PhD on a European-related theme is that I can justify trips to less known corners of my continent as "research". It's a long shot but makes me feel better about taking time off. That said, in the case of Bosnia and Croatia, the focus of my current trip, it's not that far from the truth. These countries have been the focus of EU Higher Education policies to help their recovery from the 1992-5 war and some of the students involves in my case study come from this part of the world. If Universities can be used as a "soft power" tool to bring about social change, peace and growth - as the EU desires - then this is a prime example of where it can be used. 

I was 9 when the war in Bosnia started in 1992 and remember my Mother trying to explain that this was important not simply due to the deaths but it's proximity to us. A shooting in this part of the world had lead 80years earlier to war across Europe. This is not some far flung land but part of our continent. 

And that has been one of the striking things since we landed in Dubrovnik 36 hours ago. The Dalmatian coast is a little bit Italian, the Herzegovinan river valleys seeming a little like inland France and the rocky mountains like Provence. Of course, this country is unique and its beauty stunning but, in places, this is a land that is familiar.  So to imagine a war raging through this part of the edge of Europe is challenging. 

As we drove deeper into Bosnia some of the divisions became clearer. Road signs in cyrillic were crossed out or had graffiti on them to correct into what one minority consider the "correct" language. The number of minarets was a little unexpected but with some 48% of the 3.8m population being Muslim, they shouldn't have been. There have been Muslims in this part of the world for 5 centuries. Christians in the UK have left their mark on the architecture of the country with church towers over that time, the same will be true here. At the same time as witnessing the familiar in Bosnia & Croatia, we were seeing new things, too. 

Mostar is one of the places where the divisions in this society were clearest 20 years ago in 1993 when the bridge between the 2 elements of this society was destroyed and crimes committed against the city's populations. The bridge has been rebuilt and is impressive. In the bright autumnal sunshine it is beautiful yet, all around buildings remain bombed out, bullet marks can be seen on buildings and the community remains separated into groups as can be seen by the separate schools, governance and cultural institutions. 17 years may have passed since the peace was agreed and millions invested but there is still much that divides this nation. 

As tourists, we are amongst the minority who come here though numbers are increasing. We strayed from the main tourist sites to small villages or back roads where the divisions become more evident. Schools for one group of children or another. Cemeteries, spray painted slogans, war memorials and, I suspect, local cafes dedicated to one group or another. The infrastructure here is not suited to tourists (the lack of accommodation, food or even signage indicates that) but this is, I feel, what really needs to be seen and talked about. The reality of this country rather than the glossy brochure they want to present. 

And this is where the EU and, in a strange way, my research links back in. This place needs unifying infrastructure and knowledge. The EU has experience of this following the divisions through war, the iron curtain and socio-political shifts. Through the power of schemes like the one I am researching, people learn and engage with new peoples and cultures. The "other" becomes familiar. If this is allowed to continue here, perhaps HE can have a role beyond educating. 

Today I am stunned by the concurrent beauty and still-visible ravages of war in Mostar & Bosnia generally. Tomorrow, perhaps, I can be impressed by the beauty and a country that has continued to move on from its difficult past. 

Krakow & Poland: Fascinating, challenging & beautiful

So four days almost to the minute since I was sitting on a plane predicting what I was about to see and experience in Poland.  It feels like longer than 4 days that I have been out of the country and the experience has made me think afresh about this country, as I hoped travelling here might. 

It is a fascinating country with a diverse history; indeed, its borders have shifted so much that it has only really existed in its current form for 70 years.  The sense of pride and belonging to the state can be seen everywhere.  It is undergoing rapid change and yet has been caught by many of the problems of the economic crisis in Europe.  

It is a challenging country with a very mixed history: not only through the concentration camps we visited but also in its recent past.  The architecture reminds us that the communist era only ended 30 years ago  though, I feel, wealth has been more equally increased since the late 1980s than, say, in the Czech Republic.  This is a country which is still living with scars of its recent past. 

It is a beautiful country and in places you would not expect: the castle & cathedral in Krakow are, of course, impressive; the countryside around Krakow has a rugged beauty; the alcohol (as you can see from the photo) has won me over; but the lasting memory is the beauty of the modern churches in Nowa Husta which will stay with me (as seen below).  Impressive, beautiful and saying so much about Poland and its population. 

And it is a country I will be returning to – and one that has reminded me to keep traveling through Eastern Europe.  

The Modern Independent Traveller

I class myself as a vaguely experienced traveller in Europe. Packing the rucksack is a bit of an art, knowing when to book flights and where to look for good value hotels are all part of the game.  However, I am no-where near as experienced as my Father, my current travelling companion who must average 4 flights a week and has mastered the Ryanair system to a tee.  When to queue, where to stand and which end of the plane to get on, it’s all a quick routine. 

But we’re not alone; in the past the only way to travel would have been through organised tours and yet the freedom of low-cost carriers and the internet for booking accommodation has made us, the individual, the travel agent.  That’s made things easier over the last five days: having a car has meant we could travel as we pleased and saved time (and money) on local transport. 

And there are various tools in the modern traveller’s armour: the smartphone for those web checks of maps, emails from the airline and telephoning the hotel.  The sat nav as a way of getting easily from place to place.  For me, my mini-laptop to write read, check details and locations as well as using social media to share experiences and get recommendations via the free wifi. 

Yet, some argue there’s something lost, there’s a sanitisation, a westernisation of the whole travel process.  We spend less time with our eyes looking outwards to the new world we are visiting and more downwards to contact the world we come from.  I don’t agree.  Using the technology empowers me to travel: to walk through areas and see things that I might not have done.  It allows me the time to stand and think when I want to rather than when stuck or lost. 

Travelling to see and learn is important but just because we can be “connected” back home doesn’t mean that I am not connecting with the world I am visiting.  In the end, the modern independent traveller is just that: using the technology at hand to see the world around him without support from ‘professionals’. Modern, independent, travel.  

Communal Guilt & Learning from Past Horrors

In the Austria National Hut at Auschwitz, there’s a sign saying that they are in the process of re-writing their exhibit.  Instead of being a victim of past errors they are saying that they are wanting to acknowledge the part that everyone played in the history. 

This exemplifies the change in history over the last 70 years better than any historical text.  In the years after the war there was a need for individuals to be tried and to take responsibility, as exemplified by the Nuremburg trials.  Today there is a need for us all to show our part as well as for someone, ultimately, to say “sorry”.  And it’s not always possible. 

We visited one of the lesser known concentration camps today in Krakow: Plaszov.  Bleak, eerie and sinister as the snow came down.  At many corners the remaining concrete blocks of huts.  Yet the one remaining building was the Commander’s House.  It is now council flats and behind it a modern estate.  The world has moved on and yet this memorial, this memory continues.  And it must continue.  But rather than searching for new people to condemn for the actions of our forefathers and blaming ourselves, perhaps communal guilt needs to be replaced with communal learning.  

Poland and the EU

When I visited Ireland in late 1990s, everywhere one turned there were signs saying “funded by the EU”: from new roads to broadband internet in remote communities. 

And this was the deal that Poland signed up to: that by coming in line with EU beliefs and structures they would get massive investment.  But it hasn't happened.  Then the economic crisis struck and the money that might have come to the poorer corners of Europe is needed to balance the books.  Furthermore, although Europe has expanded, the fundamentally rich countries has not expanded: Germany, France, the UK, BeNeLux, Scandinavia remain the majority funders.  There are more States justly pulling on a resource and funding which is no bigger. 

So Poland has not had the funds that they could have expected.  Unlike my trip to Croatia, there are not EU flags everywhere but there are prices in Euros fairly regularly.  This is a country wanting to commit to Europe but which has been denied full privileges of the club. 

 This poses a challenge on how the EU holds together where countries are not getting quite what they expected but are still getting the kudos of being in the EU.  Poland has positioned itself to be politically and culturally EU-facing – from its architecture and politics to its history and culture selections.  But how long can that continue without the money they hoped for?  How long can socio-cultural union mean the economics are overlooked?  Poland may lead the way in a new type of Europe to get the deal it hoped for.  

The Faith and Hope of the Polish

Today has been a day of two halves: the established, historical faith against the new, reactive faith.  Before I arrived in Poland I was aware of the different values that existed and the high-level of Catholic respect. 

And when one enters Krakow’s castle and cathedral, one sees the historical element of this.  The place where royals were crowned is beautiful and surprisingly intimate.  Religion and politics have always been interlinked with people using one to gain power over the other. 

But in the middle of the 20^th Century that was challenged by the communist regime.  The creation of an ideal communist town in the Krakow with the building of Nowa Huta was about creating a dream to challenge the old regime, including its faith.  Therefore, if the religion was to be communism, then no churches were constructed for the old Catholic faith.  On entry you see row upon row of straight, concrete blocks along wide roads.  The size and fulfilment of a vision is impressive. 

However, behind the scenes the faith continued and, after much campaigning, a church was built and dedicated by the Archbishop of Krakow, the later Pope John Paul II.  And the Arka Pana is spectacular, shaped like an ark as if to carry its people to safety.  This was about the church challenging society, challenging the norms.  This was about the church being its best. 

Just as the Catholic church was trying to say something different to this communist world, so is this building to those around.  Amongst the blocks of straight-lined concrete apartments you find the rounded, circular corners of the church.  In a world of concrete, you find natural wood and stone as if symbolising the difference between the things man constructs and the things God inspires.  The flowing lines, for me contrasted certainty with possibility.  The church building was showing the cultural change the institution of the church can bring.  Inside, the light, the materials and the images are beautiful. 

The church is being used, as I entered mid-afternoon we were scowled at as tourists disturbing the dozen people who had popped in for a moment’s prayer.  Faith is strong here, as seen in the construction of this building 30 years ago and in its continued use today.  Just as the ancient Cathedral has stood for centuries, so will this church as a powerful symbol of hope.  

Stopping the Banality of Evil

My father reminded me of a phrase today: the banality of evil (Edward S Herman/Hannah Arendt).  Today I saw that as well as the scale on which evil can operate. 

Today is my second day in Poland and, for me, one of the main reasons to visit was the camp outside Oswiecim known more commonly as Auschwitz.  The numbers are well known, around 1.5 million killed including at least 1.1 million Jews.  Terrifying and impossible to imagine death on such a scale. 

And it is not that this is my first encounter to human loss on such a scale: I have seen the graves on all sides in both world wars to the concentration camps at Dachau and, particularly, in Struthof in Alsace, France.  The scale of the suffering is huger there, but so much greater at this camp. 

On arrival I was surprised: Auschwitz is in a surprisingly urban setting.  It is a little smaller than I had expected.  The rooms describing the death (particularly in the death block) were chilling.  And yet the thing that stuck me was the permanent nature of the camp.  One imagines wood sheds but here were 2 storey brick buildings: this was a long-term elimination of a race and the nature of the project surprising.  But these houses also reminded me of the 19^th Century Work Houses one sees in the UK and Belgium/the Netherlands.  Blocks to house large populations needed for major industrial projects.  The normal used in a truly awful way: the banality of evil. 

Some 3kms from here is Birkenau, more often seen as part of Auschwitz and labelled as Auschwitz II but actually quite distinct and the only camp created solely to kill people.  This was more what is expected: the sidings where people were removed from cattle wagons and selected for death or work; the cold, basic, accommodation designed for animals not humans; a vast scale taking 20 minutes brisk walk to cross any boundary.  Awful. 

Yet, one of the most striking moment for me was the shower block.  The 1 in 4 selected for imprisonment rather than instant death were processed here and we could follow their passage: undressing, losing their hair, washing, dried and allocated new clothes then being sent to a camp.  Daily tasks here each flowed easily on from the last in a ruthlessly designed example of organisation efficiency which aimed to dehumanise and terrify the individual ahead of their residence at the camp.  The banality of evil. 

And this is tangible history; the camp closed only 7 years before my Father was born.  This is not some historical event but truly living history.  Only 8 years after Auschwitz was closed, was Europe trying to form the European Coal and Steel Community.  The leaders of countries at war which had committed atrocities such as these were trying to find a way forward, trying to find a “durable peace”.  The fact it has stopped war for a generations though mass death has still been seen too close to its shores.  

Standing there, amongst the horrors that had happened, it reminded me of the need for us a European citizens and, more fundamentally, as human beings to stop evil ever becoming banal again.  

And So To Poland

I am sitting on the Ryanair flight from Livepool to Krakow with my father gently snoozing on the other side of the row.  The plane is bouncing a long and it is one of those moments where it is still early in the morning but one has been awake for hours. 

So Poland; another country on the grand European tour – I think this makes number 18 in my tour around Europe with only another 34 to make all those that possibly be within Europe.  Again, another language to try and follow, another culture to understand.  It’s Krakow where we are headed, the old, royal capital and also famed as being the starting point for a trip to Auschwitz.  Poland’s beautiful and troubled past in one trip. 

And, yet, from what I know the present is no less troubled or difficult.  It’s been a part of the EU for five years now and had wanted to join the Euro.  It can’t given the current economic crisis.  A country which is known for atrocities committed to Jews, Gays and other minorities, has a far right movement which continues to threaten those groups.  The political crisis which lead to its freedom in the 1980s has – like its leaders – matured but not completely been resolved.  This is an interesting country with the same social, economic and political problems as the rest of Europe and is yet working within its own unique historical and cultural context. 

Over the next few days, once again, my view of Poland, Europe and the EU will be most likely challenged and developed.  Which is, after all, one of the reasons we travel and I want to make my way around all of Europe.

 

PS: Countries visited to date: France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ireland, UK, Denmark, Switzerland, Monaco, Vatican City and now Poland

882 miles, 5 countries in 5 days & great discoveries in the low countries ... or why we need the EU.

Travelling over what used to be multiple borders, each with their own immigration and hardly hitting the break peddle is a strange experience.  One is aware that something has changed: the signs change colour and from one dialect to another, there are a few more bicyclists in one country, better road maintenance in another.  But during my travels through France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg, it struck me that one eased between each country, both in terms of crossing the border and in terms of the culture.  Flemish, French, Germanic and Anglo-Saxon culture could be observed in varying amounts in almost every part of the 'low countries'.  Architecture, languages and borders were smudged, unclear. 

My travelling companion and I discussed the importance of the EU; his argument against the EU sort of went as follows: 
1. What activity could or would not happen at cross-national level? Is the EU just another level of government? 
2. Isn't the EU simply adding expense & regulation when the individual nation state or, even, the individual person would do better alone?  For example, Switzerland & Norway participate in EU programmes with tangential links to the EU, the UK & Denmark participate financially without the Euro. 

But, my counter arguments went as follows:
1. Activity is not at cross-national but multi-national level.  Student exchanges and research projects are increasingly not working between 2 countries but between 3, 6, 10; I am not convinced this would happen with any uniformity of service - if at all - without some co-ordinating power.   
2. The size of some states and their budgets would stop some of the activity.  For example, BeNeLux already felt an alliance was better as jointly they had more influence and capacity. 
3. There is a clear pride and sense of identity in being associated with the EU. 

And this is why the EU has to work; currencies may come and go but the idea of not travelling freely or working together would greatly impinge on the lives of many Europeans.  As a nation on the edge, the UK often condemns the EU but it is only when one sees the power, ease, complexity & uniform acceptance of co-operation face to face that it becomes clear it will last in some form. 

This is the position that Robert Schuman wanted Europe to get to when he founded the fore-father of the EU, the European Coal and Steel Community.  He wanted war not only to be impossible but to be unthinkable.  As a man born in Luxembourg, graduating from German Universities and then French when Alsace-Lorraine was annexed, he was a French & European politician, a true example of what it is to be European. 

Today, Schuman's vision is mostly true, my trip across Europe was proof of integration, our defence of the EU and the Euro needs to be in the same vain: there is too much to lose by not working together. 

Oslo: Being Confident in Speaking Out

Norway was a different country from the moment I got on the plane: Norwegian may have been ‘low-cost’ but it was no Ryanair. Calm, comfortable, classy with a rather expensive menu.
Then when on the bus, I received a call to say that the hotel I had booked was full but they had found us beds around the corner in a better quality hotel. Good service.

The next day when walking around Oslo, the wealth shone out in the cost of a coffee through to the upkeep of the public transport. There was, without doubt, high taxation everywhere but investment shone through.

At the same time the values also shine through. Families were everywhere, little graffiti or obvious poverty, no need for gay district as couples were free to hold hands, whatever their make-up.

This lead me to a tricky question: do the liberal values come about because people can afford to pay the taxes to under-write them or do the liberal values mean that people feel a duty to pay for the functions of state. No easy answer but I suspect it is a little bit of both.

My travelling companion (rather more conservative than me) challenged my views on immigration, on tax and on education. I am coming to the view point that if we want to pay for high-quality services like I saw in Oslo, then those that can, should pay more tax to help those with less. In my career and my research I believe in a market-led approach, the need for greater investment and liberal values within a conservative context. If I believe in these things – as I saw in Norway - then I need to say it despite it going against some traditional ‘tory’ lines. My family have always taught me to be true to myself and that includes in my politics.

As with so much of my life and travels, there was a song that summarised my trip. This time it was “Sing” by My Chemical Romance.

At the same time as trying to find a new way of living following the loss of my mother, re-assessing my research and re-evaluating my political values, then it is time to speak out about these things:

“Sing it out, boy, you’ve got to see what tomorrow brings.
Sing it out, girl, you’ve got to be what tomorrow is.
[…]
Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls.
Every time that you lose it, sing it for the world.
Sing it from the heart, sing it ‘til you’re nuts.
Sing it out for the ones that hate your guts.
Sing it for the deaf, sing it for the blind.
Sing it for everyone that you left behind.
Sing it for the world.
We’ve got to see what tomorrow brings.
Boy you’ve got to be what the world needs.
Sing it for the world.”

Zagreb: Final, Personal, Reflections

I am sitting on a plane looking out the window and watching Croatia and the Western Balkans disappearing behind me. And once again, I’m listening to Brandon Flowers cracking album. As I said in the first blog, there is always a CD that defines a holiday. When I heard ‘Crossfire’ in the middle of the Kapitol shopping centre, I knew my prediction had been right. It’s not just me that enjoys reflective (? Miserable?!) music.

I have had an interesting few days and it has shown me that I am able to travel alone and without work; I have to admit dinner is pretty lonely as a single traveller and I have done an awful lot of reading at the table and in cafes. That said, I am largely happy with my own company and at times being alone is good; when I got a little lost trying to get up the mountain and had to wait 50 minutes for a bus as the lift was closed, I can imagine Bro not enjoying this very much!! But sitting in the Sunday sun with a nice glass of Croatian Pinot, I did want someone to share how good this wine was with. But I also realise, we don’t just travel to ‘find ourselves’ but we also travel to show to others who we are; travelling to new, unusual places says something about me and I should not stop doing this as it would stop me being me.

I asked a number of questions on the way out. I asked what I would find in the city: divisions in identity and new insights into European culture? The city is certainly not neurotic and far from being of multiple cultures but you can see it collectively, adapting at once acknowledging its past and wrestling with where it is heading, politically, socially and culturally.

Personally? Well, I am once again reminded how much I like travelling (I think Sarajevo is now on the list) but also how much I want to stay in a place and discover what is really like. I enjoy being ‘imbedded’ as I was in Grenoble. I did wonder if I wanted to return to France but increasingly I think I want to go somewhere new; my trips to Prague, Tallinn and, now, Zagreb make me very interested in the ‘Eastern European’ culture. If I could find a contract helping develop research in an Eastern European (or Western Balkan) city then I would be interested. A bit of a gamble, I know, but the risk of what it would do for my career development compared to what it might do for my personal development is a bet I am prepared to place.
So a mixed personal journey allowing me time to reflect on my career and desire for someone to explore this world with as well as time to see how a country and its capital city adapts to Europe and retains its proud national identity.

Or as some lyrics from ‘Jilted Hearts and Broken Hearts’ on the ‘holiday album’ (quoted more narrowly on my way to Zagreb) describe the choices we have:

“Is there anyone out there?

Somewhere I can belong?

Man, this city just ain’t so kind tonight.

I need a place to take refuge.

See, I have been loving you blind.

I guess it may be hard for me to find

That we were caught up in the middle

Of a worn out dream

I knew we were in trouble

But baby I almost screamed.

When I saw you dancing,

On the moon now,

I watched him spin you round and round.

Why did you roll your dice? Show your cards?

Jilted lovers and broken hearts!

You’re flying away while I am stuck here on the ground!

[…]

You’re out on the wind and I’m still waiting to be found.

Will I ever win? Only time will tell!”

(Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts)

Zagreb: City of Contradictions

In the name of balance, I feel it is worth just putting reflections on what make Zagreb an interesting city and why I have found it such an intriguing place to visit.

For me, the questions of identity mentioned in my previous blog, go some of the way to explaining the reasons for a visit. The tree-lined streets are good walking territory and there are many fine buildings to inspect with the aid of a coffee or beer. Then just these odd touches of history: the graffiti, the under-investment in building preservation and the sinister police boxes with mirrored windows so you can be watched but not watch in return. But most of the time can be spend admiring the views the city offers, the stunning countryside and the genuinely excellent wine & cooking with fish!

That said, some of the street art is spectacular and clearly reflective of the real political and cultural identity of the Croatian capital. It is colourful, subversive and interesting. Unlike the Europeanised art of the museums, this showed me more about Zagreb.

There is pride in this city, as I found went up the nearby Skemje mountain. Two couples (probably in their mid sixties) were out for a day’s walking and sang songs about Zagreb and Croatia. And certainly in the wealthier northern city and the mountain regions above Zagreb there is a huge amount to be proud of. It is beautiful, tranquil and a part of the country that the locals are clearly proud of.

On the road in from the airport you can see the new motorway out to the airport being built and fields left fallow in between the new factories and office block. It made me wonder what holds up the economy: tourism, service-industry and infrastructure investment may not last and the longer term economic stability is something I would be interested to find out about. This is a country which has much to shout about and needs to start finding a voice because its hard is justifiably proud.

Zagreb: A European Capital?

s I left the main square in Zagreb – Trg bana Jelacica – the opening bars of Charpentier’s Te Deum bounced off the walls. Better known as the Eurovision Anthem, it seemed to symbolise the current status of relationships (nationally and internationally) within this country.
Not that this is the only link to Europe – and specifically – Charpentier’s home country of France. Yesterday I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Novi Zagreb – the southern, probably 1960s/70s part of town. Now it was a little like sitting on the edge of a motorway or some dodgy estate:

But this reminded me in so many ways of Grenoble; not only the mountains surrounding the city but the attempts of the state to ‘give’ culture to the masses by planting cultural centres in the poorer suburbs (see Maison de la culture in France) in an attempt to ‘impose’ culture which is almost guaranteed to fail. The housing blocks reminded me of the Village Olympique in Grenoble. This area of brutalist architecture has the same issues – good and bad – that can be found on the edge of any European city.

And turning to the art gallery, this again seemed very multi-cultural; I mean take these two photos.

Spot the difference? One is the Carlston Hicks ‘slides’ in Tate Modern and the other taken in Zagreb. This isn’t the only link with the Gilbert and George exhibition that was at Tate Modern now in Zagreb.
Even the coffee is changing here; I had been warned that true Croatian coffee is strong and somewhat of the Turkish variety. This was what I was served at breakfast and was a sort of caffeinated dishwater. Everywhere else I had been served Italien-esque coffee. Again, evidence of a slight chipping away of national identity and culture.
All of this is fine and all of this reflective of how things are changing in the Croatian capital. And this is my worry as Europe becomes more powerful: will this mean a harmoniosed European culture? Or are we simply seeing the common, the ‘European’ elements of our culture more dominantly; a single ‘European Culture’ with multiple regional variations?

Zagreb: Not a City of Lights

Things are a little dark at night in the Croatian capital; unlike other city centres there does not seem to be a need to light every building or, indeed, provide the coffee and beer drinkers in a variety of cafes in the city’s squares with enough light to clearly see their tipple of choice. That said, despite what various of the guidebooks said, there is a good and full nightlife.

But it is a very different night life to those in other European cities, where coffee and sparkling water are popular drinks and not considered the weak option. That said, it is a city of contradictions. Walk up Tkalciceva and there are a number of bars catering for those more desirous of its intoxicating powers: the very young, new drinker or the foreign, English-speaking tourist. As I wandered up the town hill to take the above darkened photograph, I was welcomed by the sound of a young jazz group playing to locals, on the other side of the hill a bar played out the latest ‘turbofolk’ for more drunken, younger clients. If that’s not a variety of night life, then I don’t know what is – however dark it is!!

Zagreb: Challenging & Confirming Expectations

Well, I have been walked out. As predicted, Zagreb is not quite what I expected but at times it is so hard to describe a place other than comparing it to other places that people may know a little better. The best I have come up is likening it to the 19th century/Hausmen sections of Paris or Prague without the medieval elements.

Despite being a former edge of Europe country and having suffered war recently, the countryside and the city are much more consistently wealthy than, say, the suburbs of Tallinn or Prague which felt much more poorer than the centres of these capitals. That said, it is not a wealthy capital either, as a lot of buildings need graffiti removing and a general lick of paint. However, there are fewer tourists which is very pleasant and it is a genuinely pretty place with a great café/bar culture and enough interesting views to keep me interested. Take this one of the Cathedral:

Or this one looking towards Novi Zagreb:

Some might say that this is spoilt by the tower but throughout you get these architectural hints of former regimes within the country. It does not feel overly like a capital city and it is hard to work what keeps the city economically working other than the ministries and the shopping. This is a city still getting used to being a capital and one could almost overlook the parliament:

But this building does tell us something about the questions I was asking before I arrived: identity. You would be forgiven for thinking that Croatia is already a member of the European Union and not just a candidate country. This is a country very much looking towards Europe. Yet at the same time the leading news story on the national news is the fact that the UN has passed a resolution encouraging dialogue between Croatia’s neighbours Serbia and Kosovo. The national identity is very proud but in some ways is defined not in terms of what or who they ARE but in terms of what they want to be (European) or move away from (former Yugoslav republic). So over the coming days it will be interesting to see if this first analysis is right and what a wider geographic & cultural spread means for Europe. As I said in my first Zagreb post, travel brings as many new questions as answers.

Zagreb: Somewhere for the First Time

Travelling is always filled with a mixture of emotions: personal feelings about you, what you are leaving behind and what you are travelling to. For me, there are questions to be asked and answers to be searched out on every trip.

I am sitting on the plane to Zagreb with the entire emergency exit row to myself. My father would be proud of keeping the family tradition of ensuring leg roon! I have now finished the guidebook a friend lent me and the few pages I copied from the Lonely Planet (no point lugging the entire thing). The personal emotions I am travelling with are that I feel a little guilty to be doing this with Mother’s operation on Tuesday (but I am back for that) and not bringing Bro (though I am not sure he would want to come and he’s had days out/Weddings to contend with). It’s been booked a while and I think having a little break will be good for me but it is a little scarey. I have travelled a fair amount with work but this is the first time that I have done it alone. This trip was planned after my realisation of how much of Europe that is left to be seen after watching the Eurovision song contest. I am writing a PhD on the subject s of Europe so I should at least have an idea of its edges!

Reading the history Zagreb, the city is one of those parts of the former Yugoslavia which was not itself damaged by the various wars in the early 90s and instead was simply the national focus for Croatian independence. Unlike the Croatian coast or the capital of Serbia (the former Yugoslav capital of Belgrade), there are fewer hints that this country is a former member of a republic of some six countries. Having spent centuries tied into a variety of empires and still retaining some sense of national identity, it will be interesting to see how this new state combines its independence with its drive to be part of the new coalition of states as a member of the EU. The combination of personal, national and a ‘corporate’, cross-continental identities is an issue facing all members of the EU but it a new state it must be more complicated.

Croatian is often portrayed as the pretty, safe, modern country compared to some rather less safe Western Balkan sister. Indeed, in some ways, it has preferred to look to Europe than to its neighbours. Yet this was the country that in 1996 waged a war against its Serbian neighbours to defend ‘the homeland’ and its conscience is a little less clean than one might expect. Zagreb itself was divided for centuries and indeed one of the streets is called ‘Bloody Bridge’ – the link where so many battles were felt between the two sites. If the pretty sister in the Western Balkan family, I do wonder if it is a little grittier than first appearances would tell.

As whenever I travel, there seems to be album which accompanies me. This time I have Brandon Flowers’ debut solo album on repeat play which is the sort of music I particularly like: angst-filled, indie music combining guitars, piano and good lyrics. Bro would label my angst-ridden, black music but I really do see it as fairly positive; depression is always tinted with a silver lining!! Who could not love the work with lines like “Why did you role the dice? Show your cards? Jilted lovers and broken hearts? You’re out on a whim. Only time will tell.” (Jilted Lovers and Broken Heards) and “We’re caught in the cross fire of heaven and hell and we’re searching for shelter […] Tell the Devil he can go back from where he came […] And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears”(Crossfire)?

So what will I find in Zagreb? Some kind of personal revelation? Some new insight into European culture? A city where divisions are not explicit but nuanced? A mixed sense of identity: national, European or other? As my album of choice points out, some sort of crossed/torn identity (for me and the city)? Or simply that travel throws up more questions than it answers. And that’s one of the reasons we do it.

Trips Across Europe

Just been thinking about my research and how useful it was to meet with the students face to face and question them about their feelings towards inclusive education. Now the alumni are spread around the world so the only way I am going to approach them is via telephone. Now I am trained as a radio interviewer so I should be able to get them to do a reveal some interesting things about their experiences but it is not as easy as face to face.
The last chance I can speak to students is just after the vivas (it would not be fair to disturb them when preparing for them) which take place in Tilburg (Netherlands), Prague (Czech Republic) and Roehampton (UK). This is also a week I have off on leave. So I have just thought I could do a quick whizz across Europe so I can interview them face to face but the window of opportunity is small. It would mean flying out to Eindhoven for Tilburg on Monday night, interviewing all day Tuesday, flying Amsterdam to Prague Wednesday morning before interviewing Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning before flying back to the UK and interviewing the UK cohort on the Friday. Intensive but I would then have a three day weekend to recover and some excellent data. And the flights would cost me about £120. Tempting. Just need to check the students are available and the academics willing. Time for a bit of arranging. I also need to start working on getting myself an invite to the Erasmus Mundus co-ordinators conference in November so I can interview both the staff their and network. A busy few months travelling coming up. Researching international education has its benefits!

From the International to the Homely

I am now on the train from Chester to Wrexham after a delayed journey due to a train being stuck in Rhyl earlier this afternoon.

I am meant to have spent the journey working on the paper for the conference on Thursday. Instead I have written up a couple of quotations by the excellent Jane Knight who has written the most straight forward and engaging definition of internationalisation I have read in a while. I think it aims at a process driven definition and I think there is a relational and output definition that could be created to complement her work.

I then read the initial Research Excellence Framework submissions for my school at University of Westminster. I am not hugely impressed but there are another 2 or 3 years yet and I had better not say more on here but at least I am prepared for the meetings on Monday morning.

At the end of this journey, I am listening to Nigel Hess and watching the countryside go past. As I crossed the Chester walls and race course I heard the end of ‘Shelter Island’ (the first movement of his ‘East Coast Pictures’) which felt very much at home. As I cross the Cheshire plains and see the Welsh mountains as I drift towards Wrexham and home, the second movement has started: ‘The Catskills’ which depicts a journey through those mountains and ends with a majestic view of New York (the final movement). With the sun setting, it feels like the fanfare which ends the piece and the sunset are welcoming me back home.

How funny that evening – like my career – which is defined by the international has been marked by music and views of home. But I am glad for it. Have a good weekend at home or wherever you are.

PS
And as a little taster for you (though shame there is not a better recording on YouTube):