Greetings from Zagreb, Croatia day two MARL class IX international seminar.
Today started at 7 A.M with breakfast and a gathering in the lobby at Hotel Jadran in the heart of the city. Dress for the day was Business Casual and the weather was Minnesota like in February with highs in the 30’s and somewhat dreary. But spirits were high and all were anxious for our first full day in Croatia while getting adjusted to the time zone change.
Our first big visit was to the University of Zagreb Political Science department to hear from Professor Goran Cular, famous from Croatia tv. His presentation informed MARL class IX on the history of Croatia, the War of Independence (the Homeland War), and how it has formed the government that Croatia is led by today. Professor Cular made things very relatable with his knowledge of Croatia’s government with how it compares to the United States. We also found out that past Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich has a Croatian background as his father immigrated from Croatia to the United States.
The group had a wonderful dinner dining experience atop a high elevation point in the city at Pivnica Medvedgrad Restaurant. We were served a meal like a Croatia holiday feast which was amazing!
Our last organized group stop for the day was at the Faculty of Agriculture/University of Zagreb. We heard from three different faculty program leads. Our first presenter, Ivona Filipović (International agriculture) gave an overview of the university system and production factors of Agriculture in Croatia. Our next presenter Dr. Nataša Mikulec (Dairy science) covered the importance of the dairy industry to not only Croatia but to the European Union. Our last presenter, Dr. Edi Maletic, covered the evolution of wine making and vineyards along with varieties of grapes and its importance to the country of Croatia. One of Dr. Maletic’s famous discoveries is the origin of Zinfandel, which is found in Croatia.
Submitted by Brad Neumann and Paul Wright.
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