Recently one of the ladies in my office asked me to bring my silk in so she could look through them to purchase a gift.  Her daughter had traveled recently in europe and was wishing to send a package to her gracious hostess in Croatia as a thank you gift.    Croatia?  I asked.

Wow, I am always so blown away when I learn that something I created is traveling far beyond my little circle of this part of the earth.  Croatia??  Wow.   The lady that purchased the scarf said she will have the recipient take a picture wearing it, and when i receive the photo I will post it.  I am still so excited by the news.

This is a great opportunity to learn about Croatia. Croatia has its roots in pre-Roman empire, and has seen a number of governmental/leadership changes in the many centuries… including being a portion of the House of Hapsburg – also known as the Hapsburg Empire which fell during WWI.  The name of Croatia is less familiar to some of us, because those of us over 30 grew up knowing that part of the world as Yugoslavia, a cobbled together group of lands and diverse people worked out in peace treaties of the first and second world wars.  It was home for the infamous dictator Tito who held the Yugoslavian nation together.  Sadly in the late 1980s-early 1990s there was a turbulent revolution that broke Yugoslavia apart along ethnic boundaries.  Hostility between various ethnic groups was tense.   Croatia has vast beachfront coastline along the Aegean Sea, which hosts a number of resorts and vacation destinations for primarily europeans.  The nation boasts a vibrant economy, with tourism growing to become an economic force.  They are a member of the EU (European Union) and NATO.