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Leona Sentić wins 'Konavle Looking for a Star'

5/31/2013

The six grader Leona Sentić topped the 15 competitors in this year's edition of the 'Konavle looking for a star' singing contest. Her wonderful interpretation of Zaz's 'Je Veux' won over the audience as well as the panel of judges (D. Lukić, I. Puljić, P. Mihatović, Z. Cvjetković). Leona was in turn awarded a painting (by Antonija Rusković Radonić) and a special beauty package (provided by the beauty salon 'Look').

Last year's winner Nikolina Rilović landed a second place with her 'Lullaby', while the third place was shared by Petar Kolić ('You taught me') and Marijana Bušković ('When I'm Gone').

'Konavle Looking for a Star' is a children's singing contest. First held in 1969., it's been organized annually by the grades schools Cavtat and Gruda and Our Children Association.

Tonka Bušković, first-grader from Gruda and a debutant, won the Star-of-the-Evening Award impressed the special panel of judges (Miss Konavale N. Šmanjak, rapper M. Klajić, T. Jovanović) with her interpretation of 'My Boyfriend is Dangerous' and was awarded the sun glasses (by Optics Van Gogh).

Frano Šmanjak has done a great job coaching the young 'stars' who have all enjoyed a loud support from the audience.

Man on Earth Festival to conclude in the Konavle Ethnographic Museum

5/31/2013

This year's edition of the four-day annual Man on Earth Festival ( Čovjek na zemlji ) organized by its namesake association will conclude on Sunday, June 2, in the Konavle Ethnographic Museum.

Cycling events, educational walks through nature, film projections and lectures are all utilized as to raise awareness about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, biodiversity of the region, the local folklore and traditional crafts (i.e. cooperage).

Entrance to ALL venues and events is FREE OF CHARGE.

Čovjek na Zemlji ( Man on Earth ), Logo 2013

======= Sunday's Programme: 2 venues, 3 events =======

At the Konavle Ethnographic Museum ( KEM )
( Konavle, Čilipi )

See the location on the Google maps

7pm // Lecture by Milivoj Ivo Golub: Traditional Cooperage
8pm // Film projection: Without makeup ( Senza trucco, ITA, '77 )

The KEM was founded in 1974. It is located in the central square of the Konavle village of Čilipi, in a building that used to be the village treasury. It was rebuilt and restacked after being burned down in 1991 (during the Homeland War).

Although the significant portion of its items was irreplaceably lost, the collection was renewed and now holds about 500 items, including male and female folk costumes, embroidery and other textile handcrafts, jewellery, arms, musical instruments and items used in the everyday life. The permanent display also includes a selection of the traditional needlework made by the Cavtat folklore society Jelka Miš.

At the Moto Club Two Wheels ( Dvije rote )
( Konavle, Čilipi )

See the location on the Google maps

10pm // Introducing new wine-makers ( + DJ Bačvar )

Kindergarden 'Konavle' wins 'Olympic' gold!

5/28/2013

KD Konavle was the overall winner of the 12th Dubrovnik-Neretva County Kindergarden Olympics held at the FC Župa Dubrovačka's football (soccer) field.

Photo by DuList. Click to enlarge.

13 KD's from all over the county (Blato, Korčula, Vela Luka, Orebić, Ston, Metković, Ploče, Opuzen, Slano, Pčelica, Radost, Župa Dubrovačka and Konavle) gathered to compete in five athletic disciplines and futsal (small-court or short-field soccer), KD Konavle returning as the reigning champion (they topped the competition in the last year's event held in Ploče).

The KD Olympics is an annual event held as part of the nation-wide project started by the National Olympic Committee back in 2002. Among its prime goals is teaching the attitude of sportsmanship and olympism in fun, pratical ways. Insofar it has been well accepted at all levels, with the growing body of both spectators and participants.

KD Konavle came in close second in athletics (behind KD Župa dubrovačka) and won the futsal tournament which put them at the top of this year's KD Olympics. The Fair Play Trophy went to KD Slano.

Photo by DuList. Click to enlarge.

Konavle's first solar power plant sees the light of day

5/23/2013

Viva Ltd., the water-bottling business located in proximity to Cavtat (Gruda, Konavle), has just opened the first small solar power plant (30 kW) in Konavle.

The Konavle municipality has for some time now been taking a serious look into the ways of encouraging the development of the clean and renewable energy sources, and did so with great success: within the past two years it subsidized 45% of the cost of the solar-panel installations for the the 75 qualified households.

In light of such programs, perhaps it's not to much of a stretch to surmise that it won't be too long before another, bigger solar-power plant sees the light of day (of course the pun was intended), plans for which were recently publicly announced.

With the current population trends there is no doubt that we'll end up in the neighborhood of 10 billion souls by 2050. Naturally, this notion brings forth many energy concerns (@ BBC) to which, from its small corner of the world, Konavle answered with dedication to the program which will enable 50% of its usable energy to be produced from clean and reneable sources by 2020. The 260MM € worth wind-turbine project in Konavle hills is already underway.

Be that as it may, by way of conclusion, a word of caution to the wise: the legislation needs to remain vigilant so as to sustain the kind of thought it carried insofar, lest the municipality suffers the unfavorable turn-of-tide currently taking place in Lithuania (@ Lithuania Tribune).

(...) it might be concluded that the too favourable regulation on incentives to small solar plants was radically changed from the one incentivizing development to a one that is essentially more restrictive.

Cavtat's 'Oštro' to Perform at Dalmatian Song Evenings in Kaštela

5/17/2013

Cavtat's (Konavle's) klapa Oštro will be one of the klapas (klapa = Dalmatian traditional ensemble) competing in the 15th 'Dalmatian Song Evenings', announced the festival's three-member Selection Committee.

Klapa Oštro in perfomance. Click to enlarge.

DSE was founded in 1999 in Kaštel Kambelovac (near Split) and is held in July each year. This year's edition will see performances by 16 ensembles, both all-male and all-female bands being equally represented.The Croatian National Television (HRT) will air the show live.

Dalmatian music festival in Kaštela

Insofar, at their performances both in Croatia and abroad, klapa Oštro's repertoir has most heavily leaned toward interpretation of the traditional chants and songs primarily from Konavle and the wider Dubrovnik area, although they have been known to throw in the mix a few compositions by various Croatian composers.

Here's a couple of more songs, from their 'Konavle' album:

Međa do neba

Konavle

Although Oštro has been cooperating with several musical directors, their most significant work was done under the guidance of Krešimir Magdić.

Krešimir Magdić

Klapa Oštro also regularly performs at several Dalmatian music festivals, including the most prestigious one in Omiš. Occasionally, its eight a capella singers are accompanied by lijerica.

Lijerica is a pear-shaped, three-stringed instrument played with a bow, and most often associated with traditional folk music.

Did you know . . .

Klapa Oštro was founded back in 2000 by several etnhusiasts from the region of Konavle. The ensemble's named after the southernmost point on the Croatian coastline.

Fort Oštro with the klapa's emblem top left. Click to enlarge.

The cover of Oštro's 'Konavle' album, embelished with the unique ancient Konavle embroidery. Click to enlarge.

In the first decade of the Dalmatian Song Evenings in Kaštela, klapas performed about 360 compositions, which could be roughly divided into: interpretations of traditional chants, new compositions, and interpretations of foreign and domestic popular songs.

Wanna learn more in depth about klapas? Check out these downloadable PDFs.

Klapa Singing, a Traditional Folk Phenomenon of Dalmatia, by Joško Ćaleta

The 'Klapa Movement': Multipart Singing as a Popular Tradition, by Joško Ćaleta

On the Aesthetics of Klapa Singing, by Jakša Primorac

Dalmatian Klapa Singing: Changes of Context, by Maja Povrzanović

Croatian Coastal Festivals and the Construction of the Mediterranean, by Nevena Škrbić Alempijević & Rebeka Žabčić Mesarić

Neanderthals, a Bear and a Bottle of Beaujolais: International Day for Biodiversity in an Oddly Situated Konavle Cave

5/16/2013

Our distant cousins may have been kind to their own, but any bear who dared stand between them and the promise of shelter was as sure as gravity destined to become part coat-part tasty dish-part reedless wind instrument. So into the cave they went. The Neanderthals.

Soon (perhaps not very soon but that is irrelevant), after the 'large eyes' have enjoyed the said bear stew, humans began roaming about what woud become known as Konavle.

'Not so different, noticed one of the Neanderthals peaking at the slow-moving human tribe, the other grunting out an observation to the sense of human females not being as furry.

A few stones might have been thrown in either direction before a friendly sniff and a grunt or two took place and the newly arrived guests decided the time has come to uncork that bottle of Beaujolais they had been saving for a special occasion, an occasion just like this. Neanderthal genome project by Svante Pääbo and co. points to a likely conclusion to the encounter.

Seasons came and went. Years, decades. By now they have made the Đurović Cave their home. The (mostly) humans. Much like their Spanish friends, these guys also had a penchant for fine arts, albeit music. So they uncorked another bottle, blew some air into their flutes, sang a few songs, did a little dance.

About 200 meters long and 25 meters deep cave is situated beneath the Dubrovnik Airport. Named after the former owner of the site (Đurović), it opened to the public on August 7, 2008. More details?

What is important, is that lingering primordia, jovial spirit that overtakes visitors in a bizzarely familiar and comforting way. Large selection of fine Konavle wines served in this one-of-a-kind cave situated literally beneath Dubrovnik Airport simply deepens the whole experience.

Aside from a great wine selection and, of course, the ambiance that holds one in awe, Skycellar (quite aptly named, wouldn't you say?) also hosts the Wine Museum. You can even pick up a memento, should you feel compelled to do so.

In this subterranean wine-haven, even the connoisseurs whose tastes ordinarily prevail to Beaujolais might find their desire for its light-bodiedness and high acidity yielding before the inviting variety of the region's bouquets.

Descend into Đurović (pron. Đ like G, as in gentle) Cave to be awed by natural beauty, get in touch with your primordial self (via the tannins or by really sensing the surrounding, matters not), and ascend with your spirit renewed (back on the ground or up in the air, your call)

Ever since the UN proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity (in order to indicate a biodiversity as a global asset of tremendous value to present and future generations), it has been globaly commemorated.

This year the Đurović Cave celebrates IDB as well as the Nature Protection Day (the dates coincide in Croatia) by opening its doors to visitors free of charge from 11am - 5pm.

The theme Water and Biodiversity was chosen to coincide with the United Nations designation of 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation.

Did you know . . .

Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. A polyphenol called resveratrol is one substance in red wine that's gotten particular attention as the key ingredient in red wine that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces "bad" cholesterol and prevents blood clots

There is also a significant amount of flavonoids in red wines, and these antioxidants are known to be able to lower risks of cancer. Ancient Egyptian Papyri and Sumerian tablets dating back to 2200 BC detail the medicinal role of wine, making it the world's oldest documented man-made medicine.

'Konavle 100KM' Bikeathon and the Seed of Vehentem Culturalis

5/13/2013

The final (third) stage of 'Konavle 100KM' bikeathon finished in the late afternoon hours on Sunday, May 12, 2013.

The enthusiastic (and intrepid, no doubt) cyclists had to wait out a downpour that postponed the start of the final stage scheduled at 4pm to then, without trouble or hesitation, pedal off toward the demanding Konavle hills route fairly soon after.

The final stage, startline in Cavtat. Courtesy of Agroturizam Konavle (click to enlarge).

Luka Čupić (fastest overall after stage two), Ivan Banović (fastest after stage one), and Adrian Bokarica spearheaded the bunch of cyclers for most of the three-day race to, as expected, clock in at the top three positions.

Luka Čupić, Ivan Banović, Adrian Bokarica. Courtesy of Agroturizam Konavle (click to enlarge).

More than just a showcase of endurance and sportsmanship, this, the second edition of the demanding annual bikeathon 'Konavle 100KM', was again all throughout imbued with the robust enthusiasm overtly emanating from each of the amateur cyclists, and so much so that even someone like myself, who hadn't touched the bike since the third grade, was moved to giving a serious thought about joining them next year.

The obvious thrill and dedication of each of the huffing-and-puffing competitors aside, one could easily discern that, that which for years, decades and centuries underlined an athlete's worldview. That, the sometimes unspoken of but always understood notion, though perhaps in times passed called differently (or not at all), is what we moderns dub 'the true spirit of olympism'.

The laurels may be reserved for winners but, in my mind, they all become winners the instant they showed up at the startline and undertook this endeavor. And we ought to honor them as such.

Though a far cry from an organized urban cycling network of venues (designated street lanes, traffic signals and bike maps, underground sheds and outside racks, which hold thousands of bikes under guardrouter, etc.), and even further (read: light years) away from biking becoming the core to the transportation infrastructure, Cavtat and the region of Konavle have been making great strides toward incorporating bicycle in its already eco-friendly culture and healthy lifestyle.

One can safely assume that it will take time before Cavtat begins its month-long celebration of the bicycle (see: Cyclebration in May of the City of Davis, California), or before it finds itself, if not in size then in rank, among the cities listed on the Copenhagenize Index, but, notwithstanding the recent exhibit in the Rupe Museum, a mighty seed of the vibrant bike micro-culture was firmly planted by BK Konavle (= Cycling Club Konavle), which, with proper nourishment and care (a good example is Agroturizam Konavle), in time just might grow into a blossoming tree of the Vehentem Culturalis family.

You also might like to enjoy Diane Cunnings' excellent article: "75 Most Bike Friendly Cities In The World"

Cavtat's 'Ragusavecchia' Honored by the Dubrovnik-Neretva County

5/11/2013

Cavtat's popular klapa (klapa = Dalmatian folk ensemble) 'Ragusavecchia' was one of this year's recepients of the Award of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

'Ragusavecchia' in performance

The Award was handed to 'Ragusavecchia's' members in the year of their fifteenth anniversary by the County's Prefect Mr. Nikola Dobroslavić on the merit of 'Ragusavecchia's' successful contribution to both within-the-country and international promotion of the County's cultural treasure and its status in 2012.

The gala ceremony in celebration of the Day of the County and its patron Saint Leopold Mandić was held in Dubrovnik's Marin Držić Theater on May 10, 2013.

County's prefect Mr. Dobroslavić and laureats

Klapa 'Ragusavecchia' was formed by a handful of Dalmatian folk-song enthusiasts in 1998. Being that they come from Cavtat, they named themselves after one of the historical names of the town.

'Ragusavecchia' established and together with the Konavle Tourist Board co-organizes one of the best Dalmatian klapa festivals in the country. 'Na me pogled tvoj obrati' is held in Cavtat on the first Saturday each September.

'Na me pogled tvoj obrati', Villa Banac in Cavtat

Konavle Hills Finally Getting Reached by Water Supply Networks

5/9/2013

The 18-month long arduos building effort on part of the Konavle municipality to extend the water supply network to Konavle hills is getting close to its successful conclusion.

New pipelines being put in place

By September, perhaps even by August of this year, the inhabitants of at least five Konavle villages (Stravča, Duba, Brotnice, Jesenice, Šilješci), who, thus far, had to utilize the water from the reservoars which were, in turn, heavily dependent upon the cistern-trucks, will be able to sigh with relief as they cheer with the glass filled with water from their brand new faucets hooked up to the main Konavle water supply network. .

The project's costs, which will amount to 9.5MM HRK (~ 1.25MM EUR), are co-financed by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the Konavle Municipality, while its construction is entrusted to Aquaterm Karlovac.

Prior to the 20th ct. water supply network was put in place, the water supply for Konavle heavily relied on an ancient acquaduct (Vodovađa - Cavtat) dating back to the Roman times (1st ct.).

Ancient Konavle Acquaduct (click to enlarge)

Clash of the Water Polo Titans: Jug (Dubrovnik) vs. Primorje (Rijeka)

5/7/2013

There is no question that Dubrovnik is the omphalos of the Planet Earth's sport of water polo.

The ambiance at one of Jug's games.

Any doubters of this assertion are invited to calculate the ratio of the number of polo players in the area (1 First A League team, 1 1B League team, 2 2nd League teams, 40+ beach teams organized in four so called 'Wild Leagues') to the number of inhabitants (around 50 thousand) and compare it with that of any other human inhabitat on Earth.

'Wild League' finals in the Old port (Dubrovnik)

And tomorrow (Wednesday, May 8), the pool in Gruz (Dubrovnik) will be an arena featuring the clash of Titans as "Primorje" from Rijeka swims out against Dubrovnik's "Jug".

Be that as it may, how many polo lovers are aware of the town of Cavtat's contribution to the game of water polo as such? Or, even that there are players from Cavtat on the teams of said Titans?

Waterpolo game in Cavtat

Notwithstanding the splendid 90-year history of the sport in the town of Cavtat which has thus far yielded eight olympians (Luko Vezilić, Goran Sukno, Maro Balić, Ivo Ivaniš, Elvis Fatović, Miho Bošković, Paulo Obradović, Sandro Sukno) and other great players (i.e. Josip Vezjak who has competed for the Croatian, Slovenian and Yugoslav national teams), of which we'll say a word or two at another time, let us briefly introduce the Cavtat's own who will participate in the tomorrow's game.

Playing for "Primorje":

Sandro Sukno

Paulo Obradović

Sandro Sukno, winner of the Olympic gold (2012) and so many MVP and other trophies listing of which would neatly fill the pages of a decent sized book. Many believe he is the best player of the game today.

Paulo Obradović, winner of the Olympic gold (2012), an excellent whole defender and one of the best and most powerful waterpolo canons today. Very few - if any - goalies would disagree. Most would probably just dive for cover.

Playing for "Jug":

Miho Bošković

Miho Bošković, winner of the Olympic gold (2012), voted Europe's MVP 2007 and 2012, and an all-around amazing player, clearheaded and at his best when the team needs him most.

True, "Jug" won the first match in the series the other day in Rijeka (albeit by a single goal), but tomorrow's rematch can tip in either direction.

Since both "Jug" and "Primorje" in their lineup have some of the game's top players, it goes without particular pointing out that the waterpolo afficionados worldwide can rightully expect the rematch (2nd game in the series for the title of the Croatian Champion for 2012) to be a showcase of the top skill and, at the very least, a game turbocharged-to-the-nth-degree.

Spectacularity given, let us proclaim in the spirit of the ancients: let the better team win!

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