Tag Archives: Croatia

Ferry Travelling In Europe Is Very Popular For Summer- Here Are Costs

Far from the stress of crowded airports or stations, ferries allow you to travel in comfort while taking your time.

Our friends at Vivanoda, a web platform that enables all travelers to find ferry, bus, train and plane tickets, wanted to launch a major study into ferry prices in Europe in order to gain a better understanding of the variations in ferry ticket prices according to a number of criteria (destination country, distance, seasonality, etc.).

Fortunately for those of us interested in a Europe trip that includes ferrying, they have analyzed tens of thousands of ferry fares on hundreds of routes in Europe, as well as crossings to Turkey and the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), to get as exhaustive a picture as possible. If you enjoy comparing prices using graphs you are going to want to keep reading…

It’s not difficult to understand the appeal of Ferry travel- leisurely comfortable rides with great views.

Here are the key points highlighted by this study at European level:

  • Ferry crossings to Tunisia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Sweden have the lowest price index.
  • Conversely, ferry crossings to Turkey, the UK and Morocco have the highest price indexes.
  • Connections between Greece and Turkey and those between Morocco and Spain are proportionally the most expensive in Europe.
  • Connections between Germany and Lithuania or Latvia are the least expensive in relation to the distance travelled.
  • The shorter the crossing, the more expensive it is.
  • Across Europe, prices are higher on average from July to September. They are also slightly higher at weekends.
Ferry price index in Europe by country

For The Silo, Nicolas Pellier.

About Vivanoda
Vivanoda is a web platform that makes it easy to find ferry, train, bus and plane tickets for travel in Europe. Launched in 2013, the site has received awards from the European Commission, the International Union of Railways and the Groupama insurance group.

Audiophile Pure DSD Release Showcases Classical Guitarist Ana Vidovic

Guitarist Ana Vidović Performs a Spellbinding Selection of Classical Works On Live at Hampden Hall — Renowned classical guitarist Vidović offers a program of J.S. Bach, Barrios, Scarlatti, Sor and more in an intimate Pure DSD 256 live recording–

Boulder, Colorado, September, 2023 – Octave Records is honored to present internationally-acclaimed classical guitarist Ana Vidović on its latest release, Ana Vidović Live at Hampden Hall. Recorded with impeccable clarity using Octave’s Pure DSD 256 process, the album features Vidović in an intimate live setting performing a two-disc set of works by J.S. Bach, Barrios, Scarlatti, Sor and other composers.

Ana Vidović has been hailed as one of the world’s finest classical guitarists. She began playing at age eight and became the youngest student to attend the Academy of Music in Zagreb, Croatia. She has appeared at recitals, concerts and festivals worldwide and won numerous international awards including the Fernando Sor Competition in Italy, the Francisco Tarrega Competition in Spain, the Eurovision Competition for Young Artists, and many others. She is a graduate of the Peabody Institute.

Vidović plays with a beautifully expressive, rich tone, where notes seem to bloom out of her instrument, an Australian Jim Redgate guitar. Vidović said, “Guitar is a very interesting instrument with such a wide range of colors and dynamics. I really try to explore that.”

Ana Vidović Live at Hampden Hall presented her with the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream. “My wish has always been to do a live recording. And finally, I had a chance to do that, so I’m very happy.” Recorded at Hampden Hall in Englewood, Colorado, all the nuance and expression of her playing were captured using Neumann U67 large-condenser main and close mics, along with a stereo Telefunken mic at a distance for hall ambience. The album was recorded using Octave’s Pure DSD 256 process to convey the highest level of clarity, depth, spaciousness and musical realism.

The double album, available on disc or in two volumes via download, was recorded, mixed and produced by Paul McGowan, with assistance from Jessica Carson and Terri McGowan. It was mastered by Gus Skinas. Ana Vidović Live at Hampden Hall features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the discs are playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. They also have a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: two disc-set, $58usd / 78$cad ; each volume via download, $19 – $39usd / 26$- $53cad depending on format.)

The album begins with a masterwork – a guitar transcription of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major. Vidović performs this extremely challenging piece with a spellbinding depth of feeling. Other selections include Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 1, the Gran Sonata Eroica, Op. 150 and Grande Ouverture Op. 61 by Mauro Giuliani, Intro and Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 9 by Fernando Sor, and Augustin Barrios’ magnificent La Catedral, all performed with Vidović’s remarkable virtuosity and connection with the music. She noted, “My goal is to present each piece in a unique way, to try to find things that always have the guitar in mind and what the instrument can do.” For the Silo, Frank Doris.

Unique Angles view How We Communicate

Look with great honesty at your inner life

Contemplate the ways in which you approach and communicate with the world. Our interactions are shaped by context at all times, one moment calls for gentleness while the next requires a firmer approach. It becomes second nature navigating these nuances, we stop giving thought to the many personas involved in our experiences moment to moment.

From time to time, turn the mirror and allow the reflection to sink in. Do not approach with judgment, merely curiosity. Make contact with yourself and get to know once again what has been lost to habit. Investigate the uncharted waters of you, revealing a self you may not have encountered for many years.

Andreja Kuluncic says, “Everybody can be an artist.”

The Zagreb, Croatia-based artist believes all that is needed is for each of us to wake up the creative part of ourselves. In her participation-driven work, she explores this idea extensively. In one piece titled Art and Box, audience members are invited to take a box containing dismantled pieces for an art exhibition back to their communities.

With the box comes a dancer who the participants can invite to collaborate on a performance piece at their local school, library, or any other place they see fit. In this way, and through much of her work, Kuluncic seeks unique angles from which to view how we communicate socially. Her work Collective Stranger traces lines within the Croatian community combining the experiences of women from many backgrounds all of whom fit into the category of oppressed and even ostracized populations.

Alison Jackson is no stranger to alternative facts. Her career is built on the voyeuristic relationship we have with celebrities. Jackson creates images using lookalikes that challenge our concept of what is real. Most recently she has created photographs featuring a Donald Trump lookalike for the series Mental Images. Jackson says, “my pictures ask where does the truth end and the lies begin…where the subjective triumphs over the objective.” He work spans many media including publishing, photography, television, and is exhibited in museums and galleries.

Encounter others inner worlds through literature and share your findings. Add your titles to our reading list here. Andreja Kuluncic turns to Death Drives an Audi by Danish author Kristian Bang Foss. User Carl Smith has read Where the Dead Pause and the Japanese Say Goodbye by Marie Mutsuki Mockett.

Rekindle a relationship with your true self. Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese mystic and philosopher wrote, “He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightented.” For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

*featured image: “CREATIVE STRATEGIES” multidisciplinary research project 2010-ongoing Andreja Kuluncic.