Bosnia, Serbia, Russia, and Z

So while in Banja Luka, I wasn't really thrilled about the Russian Z's I saw throughout the city.  They weren't everywhere but they were visible.

First of all, what's the Z?  The letter Z doesn't even exit in the Cyrillic alphabet. 

©BBC

I had to do a double-take when I saw people standing in a queue to use the ATM at a Sberbank.  That's because Sberbank, which is Russia's largest state-owned bank, is shut down in Czechland due to EU sanctions.  

My housekeeper mentioned that she had an account with Sberbank but she received a letter that her account would be closed because Sberbank is no longer allowed to operate in the EU and that she would could transfer all of her money to a new bank.  

So why hasn't Bosnia and Herzegovina sanctioned Russia like most every other country over its invasion of Ukraine?  Well, that's because of Republika Srpska and Serbia.  

Serbia and Russia are allies.  For example, because Serbia claims Kosovo as part of Serbia, Russia keeps blocking recognition of Kosovo in the United Nations.    

©DW News

Serbia hasn't closed its airspace to Russia.  Russian flights still can't get to Serbia because the planes would have to cross EU airspace to get to Serbia.  But, AirSerbia is still flying to Russia which means that many Russians are flying to Serbia and then flying onward from there.  Serbia was bombed by NATO in the 1990s and there's distrust for NATO which is good for Putin.  It's funny that Serbia isn't following EU sanctions when it is trying to join the EU.

Bosnia isn't able to pass sanctions on Russia because Republika Srpska vetos the resolutions in support of Serbia.  

©EuroNews

I still don't see how anything gets done in Bosia when everything needs to be done by consensus between three parties that were all fighting each other for years only a short time ago.  I wonder how long before this breaks up Bosnia and Herzegovina.

©BBC

Germany looks like it will ban the Z.  It seems that under German law this falls under forbidding public approval of illegal acts, or something along those lines.

In Prague, the local officials are changing the name of the street in front of the Russian Embassy.  Its new name will be "Ukrainian Heroes" street.  I bet the Russian embassy loves that one.  

Я за Україну. Я за Україною. Слава Україні  Stojím za Ukrajinou!  I stand with Ukraine. 

Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a collective defence organization amongst former Soviet republics following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.  The CTSO was spawned from the Commonwealth of Independent States.  It's basically the new Warsaw Pact except made up of former Soviet republics.  The CSTO is Russia's largest military alliance.

Current members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.  Even though not a former Soviet republic, Serbia became an observer member in 2013.  

Former members include Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan.  

Here's a short video I found out on YouTube about the CSTO.

©Test Tube News

Erasmus

Brno is a student city and, under more normal times, there are many foreign students here under the Erasmus Programme.  Erasmus is the EU student exchange programme that was established in 1987.  It provides educational exchanges across the EU.  Some non-EU countries like Turkey, Iceland, Serbia, Norway, and Macedonia pay to participate in the programme as well.  Erasmus is the acronym for the EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.  

In 2014, all of the EU's programmes for education, training, youth and sport were combined under Erasmus Plus.

Under Erasmus Plus students don't pay any more tuition than what they pay at their home institution.  Students receive grants to help cover living expenses to study abroad and for work placements/internships.  Teachers and educational staff are also able to attend training courses across Europe.  

Every year around 300.000 students participate in the programme at over 4.000 institutions in 37 countries.  Spain sends the most participants followed by France, Germany, and Italy.  The most popular receiving countries are Spain, Germany, Italy, and France.

I don't know how true it is but I've heard that some 25% of Erasmus participants meet their future spouse/partner while on the programme.

After Brexit the United Kingdom decided to no longer participate in Erasmus.  So UK students can no longer study in the EU and EU students aren't able to study at UK institutions.  The UK has rolled out the Turing Scheme, named after Alan Turing, as its replacement for Erasmus.  It will allow up to 35.000 UK students to study and work worldwide.   

Erasmus provides more money to students than Turing to subsidise their foreign placements.  

Ireland has announced that it will fund students from Northern Ireland to continue to participate in Erasmus even though the UK pulled out of the programme.

CEFTA

The Central European Free Trade Agreement, or CEFTA, was formed in 1992 by the Visegrád countries - Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary.  After the Velvet Divorce both Czech Republic and Slovakia became independent members.  The purpose was to work together towards integrating political, economic, security, and legal systems with western free-market economies.

Over the years, other countries have joined CEFTA.  However, once a country joins the European Union it must leave CEFTA.  Former members include Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Slovenia.  Basically being a CEFTA member servers as good preparation for eventually joining the EU.

Current CEFTA members

CEFTA seems less "Central Europe" and more "Balkans" to me.  The seven current members are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Serbia.  Combined the CEFTA countries have a combined population of about 21,5 million people and a GDP over $290 billion.

Air Kiss

In Europe it is common to greet people with a kiss on the cheek - the air kiss.  At times it can be a bit confusing.  Especially if you are from the USA where it is not such an everyday thing.  What can really make things complicated is that the standard air kiss is different depending on where you go. 

First a few general rules... 
1.  Don't kiss people you don't know.  Unless you are introduced to them in a social environment.
2.  Shake hands prior to the kiss.  It is also common to put your left arm on the other person's arm or shoulder as you go in for the kiss.
3.  Move your head to the left so that you kiss the right cheek first, then the left cheek.  Most of the time, sometimes it is the left cheek first.
4.  You don't actually kiss.  Your cheeks may touch but your lips should never actually touch the other person's cheek.  Hence the term "air kiss."  Otherwise you could mess up a lady's makeup or her lipstick could leave evidence of a kiss on your cheek. 
5.  Play it safe and always follow the other person's lead!

It is very common for women to kiss women and for men to kiss women.  Depending on the country, and the context, you may see two men kiss but it is less common.  When two men do kiss it isn't a gay thing.

The number of kisses by region in France

Normally it is two kisses.  Sometimes three.  Sometimes more.  I go for the traditional two kisses.  Once, on my birthday, a colleague from Romania said that three kisses are traditional for birthday wishes.    

In France it is called la bise.  You can tell what part of France someone is from by how many kisses you receive and it is very common for men to kiss each other. 

In Czechland and most of Europe two kisses are the standard.  In Serbia, Russia, Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland you generally exchange three kisses.

The air kiss is a standard greeting between friends and acquaintances.  The only time I still get a bit uneasy about it is when it is at the office.  Then it seems a bit odd.  But I just go with rule #5 and follow the other person's lead.

Here's a video I found out on YouTube.  It is a Good Morning America segment trying to explain things to Americans.

 

©ABC

Emergency Numbers

In the USA, if you need to make an emergency call for the police, fire department or an ambulance you dial 911.  In Europe, each country has their own emergency numbers.  For example, in Czechland you call:

150 for fires, natural disasters, accidents and emergencies
155 for health problems, injuries or accidents requiring medical attention
156 for the municipal police
158 for disturbances of public order and safety, traffic accidents or to report a crime

And that's just for Czechland.  To get an ambulance in Spain you dial 061, in Austria it is 144, in Italy it is 118, in Croatia it is 94, in Hungary the number is 104, while both the UK and Ireland use 999.  The list of numbers goes on and on. 

It can be a real problem if you don't know the emergency number in the country you're visiting.  So the European Union came up with the 112 number.  Aside from the local numbers, anyone in any EU country can dial 112 for any emergency - police, fire, ambulance.  112 even works in some non-EU countries such as Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Vatican City, Iceland, Macedonia, and Serbia.

112 is a free call from either land line or mobile phones and can be used even without a SIM card.  The 112 number is awesome because the operators are prepared to dispatch calls in foreign languages.  So no need to speak Czech if you need the police.

Here's short video I found out on YouTube about the 112 emergency number.

 

© European Commission

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovník is one of the most popular Mediterranean destinations.  It is known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic".  While not the largest city in Croatia (#13), it is home to around 43,000 people.

After WWI, and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Dubrovnik became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.  After WWII, it became part of Yugoslavia.

In 1979, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  During the early 1970s the Old Town demilitarized so that it would never become a casualty of war.  That didn't go as planned.  When Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, in 1991, Serbia and Montenegro demanded that the city be handed over.

Once the war broke out many Croats went to Durbrovnik's Old Town thinking it would be safe.  Who in the world would bomb a UNESCO World Heritage Site?  Serb and Montenegrin forces laid siege on Dubrovnik for seven months.  More than half of the city was damaged and hundreds of people were killed.

The city is surrounded by a series of defensive stone walls.  The limestone walls were mainly built during the 12th to 17th centuries.  The walls run about 1,940 meters (6,360 feet) long and reach up to 25 meters (82 feet) high. 



Onofrio's Fountain was built upon completion of the city's water supply in 1438.  It is a popular meeting point in the city.




The St. Savior Church is a Catholic church in old town.  It was built in 1528.




Construction of St. Blaise's church was completed in 1715.  The Baroque church is dedicated to St. Blaise, the city's patron saint.

The Old Synagogue was established in 1352 and gained legal status in the city in 1408.  It is the second oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest Sefardic synagogue still used in the world today.  It is primarily a museum but the main floor is still used for worship on hold days and special occasions.  It is located on a tiny side street so it's difficult to get a decent photo of it.

The Assumption Cathedral was built in the 12th century and today is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Dubrovnik.  The story goes that it was financed by Richard the Lion-Heart.  On his return from the Third Crusade he was shipwrecked off a local island and saved by the people of Dubrovnik.  To show his gratitude he gave a substantial amount of money to build the church.  Unfortunately it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1667 but completely rebuilt in 1713.

Outside of the city walls is Fort Lovrijenac which sits on a 37 meter (121 foot) high sea cliff.  It was built in order to protect the city's western sea access.  While construction began in 1018 it wasn't completed until the 16th century.

View from Mt. Srđ

The best view of the city is from the top of nearby Mount Srđ.  A cable car ride to the top only takes a few minutes.

On top of Mount Srđ is Fort Imperial which was built, from 1806 to 1816, during the Napoleonic Wars.  There is the Homeland War Museum which shows how the city was affected during the 90s siege.   I've been to Croatia many times but prior to visiting Dubrovnik I had never heard of the fighting in Croatia referred to as the "Homeland War".

Here's a Rick Steves video on Dubrovnik that I found out on YouTube.

 
©Rick Steves

Montenegro

In a couple of weeks I'm headed off to spend a couple of days in Dubrovnik, Croatia, with a day trip to Montenegro.  Of all the countries that used to be a part of Yugoslavia, this is the only one I have yet to visit.  So here's a little bit about Crna Gora.


Montenegro, "Black Mountain", sits on the Adriatic Sea and is bordered by Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania.  It is a little smaller than Connecticut with a population just over 653,000 people.  The capital and largest city is Podgorica.

Montenegro was under the Ottoman Empire but maintained a level of autonomy.  A series of bishop princes ruled the nation as a theocracy from the 16th to 19th centuries.  In 1878, Montenegro was internationally recognized as an independent sovereign principality.  Montenegro fought with the Allies in WWI and afterwards it was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which later became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.  After WWII, it became one of the six republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

When Yugoslavia broke up in 1992, Montenegro joined Serbia to become the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  Then in 2003, it became part of a decentralized state union called Serbia and Montenegro.  In 2006, Montenegro declared its independence.  Today, the country is a republic with a president and a prime minister.  It is a candidate to join both the European Union and NATO.

The population is 43% Montenegrin, 32% Serbian, 8% Bosniak, 5% Albanian with everyone else making up the remaining 12%.

Montenegrin Alphabets

The official language is Montenegrin which is basically the same thing as Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian.  Just like Serbo-Croatian, the language has both Latin and Cyrillic alphabets.  The Latin script is becoming the most popular.  I guess it's more difficult to Google with a Cyrillic script.

The country doesn't have its own currency.  In 1996, the government wanted to avoid hyperinflation so it adopted the German Deutschmark as its official currency.  When Germany switched to the Euro in 2002, so did Montenegro.  However, it is not a part of the Eurozone and does not mint its own coins.

Here's the kicker.  Montenegro is a candidate to join the EU and will be required to eventually adopt the Euro as its official currency.  However, before it does, it must maintain a low inflation rate, a budget deficit under 3% of its GDP and a gross government dept to GDP ratio less than 60%.  The country also has to have a stable currency exchange rate with the Euro for a specific period of time.  So, to join the EU, Montenegro may have to quit using the Euro, adopt a new currency and then officially switch to the Euro.

For those who know Montenegro from the 2006 James Bond movie Casino Royale, think again.  While part of the movie was set in Montenegro, all of the filming took place in Czech Republic.

Here's a Rick Steves video I found out on YouTube about Montenegro.

©Rick Steves

Update:  Montenegro joined NATO in 2019.

Merry Orthodox Christmas

Most people celebrate Christmas on December 25 as based on the Gregorian calendar which Pope Gregory XIII replaced the Julian calendar with in 1582.

However, Christians in many Eastern Orthodox countries still observe Christmas using the Julian calendar which puts it on January 7th.

The Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian church, after the Roman Catholic Church, in the world.  There are an estimated 225-300 million followers.  Most of whom are in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, as well as, in the Middle East.

Orthodoxy is by far the largest faith in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus.  There are also large populations in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Orthodox Churches in Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania celebrate Christmas on December 25th.  But today is Christmas for all of my friends and colleagues from Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Macedonia and Moldova.  So Merry Christmas!!

Republic of Croatia

My first visit to Croatia was back in 2010 and it is one of my favorite holiday spots in Europe.  Other people feel the same way because it gets over 10 million visitors each year.  It is one of the top holiday destinations for many Czechs.  So far I've been to Hvar, Split, Brač, Plitovice and Zagreb.  And there are more places still on my list such as Dubrovnik, Zadar, Trogir, Bol, Pula, Rovinj, Vukovar, Rijeka and Osijek.  So here's a bit more about Croatia.

The Republic of Croatia is located in the Balkans and is slightly smaller than West Virginia.  There are more than 1,000 islands.  The country has a population of 4.29 million people.  The capital, and largest city, is Zagreb.

Until the end of WWI, Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  In 1918, it became part of the Kingdom of Croats, Serbs and Slovenes, which later became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.  During WWII, Croatia was a fascist Nazi puppet state.  After the war, Croatia became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In June 1991, Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia.  Croatia's War of Independence lasted more than four years.  Most of the bitter fighting was between Croatia and Serbia.  Despite that the economy was severely hurt during the Balkan War; Croatia is still one of the wealthiest of the former Yugoslav republics.

Today, Croatia is a member of the UN and NATO.  It is scheduled to join the EU in July 2013.  Right now, the currency is Croatian Kuna (Crowns) but once it joins the EU, it will eventually have to adopt the Euro.

In the days of Yugoslavia, the primary language was Serbo-Croatian.  Although many Croats called it Croato-Serbian.  Serbo-Croatian was used in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.  Serbian and Croatian are pretty much the same language.  The big difference is that Croatian uses a Latin alphabet and Serbian uses a Cyrillic alphabet.  While there are some differences between the two languages, I think that they are more similar than the differences between Czech and Slovak.  Since the breakup of Yugoslavia there has been a push in the former republics to have their own languages.  Now all of a sudden there is Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin.  They're all the same thing.  It's like me saying that I can speak Californian, Georgian and Bostonian.

Update 2023:  Croatia joined both the Eurozone and Schengen.

Hungary

I've been to Hungary twice so far. In 2010 I spent a weekend in the capital Budapest and last year I visited Győr. Next week I'm off to spend a weekend in Székesfehérvár so here's a bit about the country.

Hungary has almost 10 million people and is located in Central Europe. The landlocked country borders Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Hungary is slightly smaller than Indiana.

In 1000 A.D., Hungary became a Christian kingdom and served as a buffer against Turkish expansion in to Europe. Eventually it became part of the Hapsburg Empire. As part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was a superpower before it was defeated in WWI. Hungary joined the Axis Powers and found itself on the losing side of WWII. After the war, the communists took control and Hungary joined the Warsaw Pact.

In 1956, there was a revolt against communist rule which was put down by Russian tanks. During the mid-1980's Hungary's economy began to open up, in what was called "Goulash Communism". The first free elections were held in 1990 and today it is a parliamentary democracy. In 1999, Hungary joined NATO and it joined the EU in 2004.

It seems that other countries always have a problem with Hungarians. After WWI, the borders changed and many ethnic Hungarians found themselves living in other countries. The same thing happened after WWII. Today there are tensions in Slovakia between Slovaks and its nearly 10% ethnic Hungarian minority. Romania also has issues with its large ethnically-Hungarian population. Vojvodina, is the northern province in Serbia and it too has a large Hungarian presence. I suppose this is what happens when you end up on the losing side of two world wars. It probably doesn't help that the Hungarian language is distinctive and not comprehensible to anyone else. To me, Hungarian just sounds like Klingon. Of course, the Hungarian government tends to instigate trouble such as now offering Hungarian passports to all ethnic Hungarians living outside of the country, like to Slovaks, Romanians and Serbians living just over the borders.

However, right now the biggest problem is its economy. Only about 50% of the working age population is currently employed. Then last year, the government basically re-nationalized the private pension system by redirecting funds from the required private pension scheme to the state in order to pay off government debt. Now the government is in trouble with the European Central Bank over how it's handling its Swiss mortgage crisis.

Back in 2005, mortgages written in Swiss Francs were around 4% while interest rates in Hungarian Forints were in double digits. At the time, one Franc got you 160 Forint so roughly 2/3rds of Hungarian mortgages (~$22 billion) were taken out in Francs. That was fine when the Franc was weaker but after the global financial crisis and the problems in the Eurozone, the Franc has gotten stronger and the Forint has dropped 40% in value. One Franc is now about 243 Forint.

Monthly mortgage payments increased 40% and people owed more than they had originally borrowed. So the government began offering fixed rate loans (at 180 Forint to the Franc) to people in order to keep them from defaulting on their mortgages. But this scheme forces banks (mostly Austrian banks - like mine) to assume the losses from this artificial exchange rate.

Well, I've had fun the last two times I was in Hungary so I'm sure I will enjoy next week's visit. Maybe my little bit of tourist money will help out the local economy.

Burek

One of the good things about traveling in the Balkans is the burek. Burek is popular for breakfast, but it also makes a great snack or midday meal.



It originated in Turkey but is popular in all of the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

The pastry consists of layers of thin, flaky phyllo dough that is filled with various ingredients and then baked or fried. Normally it has a type of feta cheese or ground meat & onions. While not as popular as the meat or cheese variety, my favorite is the spinach burek. In Ljubljana you can even find apple burek. I never tried the apple because to me that sounds less like burek and more like strudel.

You can find burek at most bakeries. You can even find dedicated burek stands. Burek and a cup of plain yogurt makes for a great, cheap breakfast.