I booked a vacation in Rijeka, Krk and Zagreb and now I am afraid
Posted by Happy-Hour88@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 55 comments
I am afraid Croats will be as notoriously unfriendly and rude as the people I met in Maribor. Especially since Rijeka and Zagreb are in the Northern parts of the country.
When I visited Maribor I found out Slovenes are as rude and cold as other Central Europeans. Maybe it goes with being lighter and blonder or something because none of the following lily white nations can be said to be warm and welcoming: Germans, Austrians, Czechs, Dutch, Brits, Scandinavians, Northern Italians, Poles, Russians, Balts. They tend to be reserved, and rather unwelcoming and unfriendly.
Please at least tell me if Croats and the kind of foreigners that visit Croatia aren't as openly aggressively rude as the locals and foreigners living in places like Prague, Munich, Bratislava, Amsterdam, London.
trisul-108@reddit
If you have experienced people in all these countries to be rude and aggressive, you will find the exact same in Croatia ... maybe even a little bit more. There are obnoxious people everywhere, but it is obvious that you are misinterpreting what is happening in your interactions in these countries. Maybe people are not giving you the fake smile you are used to, or pretending to really, really care when they don't care all that much.
I remember flying London-Munich once with British Airways and I needed help from on-board staff with an issue that arose ... they all smiled and said "Oh, really, how terrible that this should happen when you are going back home ...", but did absolutely nothing, only pretended to act. You could clearly see a designed escalation process of pacifying passengers that was memorised and practiced to perfection, without actually dealing with the issue, just dishing out pleasantries. In these countries with "unfriendly people" that you mention, that is not the culture, they will simply tell you "no, there is nothing we can do, sorry about that" ... if you insist, they will explain your options and that's it. It is just a routine situation for them.
If you act friendly, people will be friendly back. If you act pissed off and entitled, they will be formal, if you push the envelope, they might go rude. It all depends on you.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
Not really. I act the same in Greece and Romania but the people there weren't as closed. It's countries where many people have blonde hair and blue eyes where people are ruder and more reserved.
trisul-108@reddit
That is very explicit racism, you know.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
It's not racism. We're the same race.
And also it's true the further North you go in Europe, the people tend to get more introverted and hence their introversion can be interpreted as acting in a colder/ruder way. And at times they're openly annoyed with foreigners. In Thessaloniki and Athens you get smiles from hotel employees, in Berlin frowns.
trisul-108@reddit
The culture in Berlin is definitely different than in Athens, but it has nothing to do with the concentration of blond, blue-eyed people.
ZhiveBeIarus@reddit
You're definitely quoting a lot of stereotypes here, Greeks, Bulgarians, Albanians, Serbs, and many other Balkan ethnicities on this subreddit love telling everyone about how "warm and nice" they are yet that couldn't be further from the truth, i have lived in Greece my entire life and I have visited every single major Balkan country except for Bosnia, people in the Balkans are barely more friendly than say, Czechs, Italians or Hungarians, if anything i would say you can find a lot more people in our part of the world who have a know it all attitude for whatever reason, Westerners are just more snobby and pretentious as people, that's about it.
mermaidworker@reddit
You're pretty much right. I met warm people in almost all places I visited.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
You're female though. Don't act like you don't get young female privilege.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
Nations that tend to have blue eyes and more blonde people tend to be more reserved. It's a fact.
Substratas@reddit
No crumbs with this comment ššš
ResidentIll6511@reddit
Dude, don't bullshit for the sake of bullshitting!? I've been there on seaside multiple times with zero problems. On top of that I am Serb, memberof most hated there... Just behave as you would at your own house and you will be perfectly fine.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
I wonder if they like Slovaks? I have a Slovakia branded T-shirt which I might take with me.
amazingamy19@reddit
Reading your comment I was like.. why would you go to Slovenia for summer vacation multiple times, and do Slovenians really hate on us that much.. and then it clocked on me
Feeling-Lie-3094@reddit
Waa just there for 3 weeks and I loved Rijeka. Stunning spot and very down to Earth people. Super normal, not fancy, felt comfortable everywhere we went.
People value their space and if you greet strangers effusively on the street they'll likely regard you as odd but no one was ever rude or disrespectful. Very calm and decent folks.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
Heh we Bulgarians don't greet random strangers on the street lol. I just hope I don't get Munich-like frowns from hotel reservation employees as it's really annoying to travel and get that. In Thessaloniki and Athens they would be friendlier.
Puzzled_Muzzled@reddit
Dude. What did you do and all those people were unfriendly? How annoying can you be that 2/3 of Europe doesn't like you?
ChaosKeeshond@reddit
No but for real I'm a Turk, I look like a Turk, and I literally went to Greece Croatia and all sorts of places my ancestors kinda did shit to and everybody I met was so fucking lovely that I LITERALLY cannot figure out what OP is doing wrong
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
Greece isn't a blonde country. Most people there are tanned. What's the common between Slovenia, Czechia, Germany, Netherlands, Britain and Scandinavia? Many of them are blonde or lily white.
ChaosKeeshond@reddit
I've been everywhere you just listed save for Slovenia.
Literally never had a problem despite being an olive-skinned Turk.
You're either uniquely unlucky, or you're doing something.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
I act the same way I acted in Bucharest, Athens and Thessaloniki, yet I got a friendlier customer service in those three.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
It's only the blonder countries.
Strange_Status_7690@reddit
I had similar experience but in the center of Balkan countries where you can expect anything.
mermaidworker@reddit
I might get downvoted, but Slovenia was the only country where I met a ride person. It was a woman who was selling ice cream and she kept correcting me. For example, I asked for a cup of ice cream, and she said "It's called scoop, not mug". People in Croatia where all very nice and normal. So no need to worry.
casastorta@reddit
Ok one person being rude and painting whole country as rude is ok if itās Slovenia. Itās a famously small place with only 10 people so this makes 10% of population rude. /s
mermaidworker@reddit
Sorry, did I generalize or paint the entire country as rude? I specifically wrote "I met a rude person". I am still in shock since then because it is the only place it ever happened to me, personally. Just my experience.
casastorta@reddit
Like, no, but itās funny that you felt inclined to emphasize experience with one person in one country.
If you said āI felt like generally Slovenians were somewhat more rudeā it would mean something. Little but something.
mermaidworker@reddit
It's not funny actually. Again, after all this time it still bothers me and I found a place to talk about it. Why would I say that when I didn't feel they "were somewhat more rude?" When I didn't feel that way. There was only one specific bully I met there and emphasized it.
casastorta@reddit
Bullied? You got some quick language course, donāt be a drama queen.
mermaidworker@reddit
No need to be a troll.
Substratas@reddit
She must have been a redditor.
mermaidworker@reddit
Well. She looked like she was my age. So probably yes.
amazingamy19@reddit
Imagine being traumatised by Slovenians
Kmag_supporter@reddit
Denmark the land of hygge and comfort food, please stop yourself, we often go out of our way to help tourists, and for the other countries, many of which I have visited, I can honestly say that the kind of generalization you cast upon them, is not true. Now let me cast something upon you.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
Honestly blue eyed nations are on average more reserved than the extroverted brown eyed ones like Turks, Greeks, Southern Romanians and Bulgarians. Probably blondish and blue eyed people don't like me. I'm starting to have blue eyed fobia lol.
Eurydica@reddit
Rude in what way? I live in Prague, and honestly, seeing a tourist is really not a big deal and can be even a small annoyance and it really doesn't trigger particular niceness. I don't work in hospitality so I don't depend on making my monthly salary from being friendly to tourists. On the other hand, I am Serbian and I found people in Zagreb and Rijeka very polite and very welcoming, but we share language and I am not sure what would be the case if I had to fall back on English. It is a standard in most Central Europen countries that people do mind their own business and are not impressed that you graced them with your precense.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
Blue eyed blonder nations tend to be more reserved for some reason than brown eyed nations like Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and Southern Romania. Note how all the rude experiences I have are in blonder/blue eyed nations.
oofieoofty@reddit
British people are very friendly, not sure why youāre lumping them in with a bunch of people who are genuine jerks
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
"Your people will steal our jobs next year" - my upper middle class host family in London in 2006. Yeah, so friendly.
Miserable-Ground-379@reddit
Proclaiming that you are Turk will not be helpful in any way it seems you are the problem not half if Europeš
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
The blonder half is really colder and more introverted than the brown eyed dark haired half of Europe.
Ujemegaz@reddit
I never understood why someome would visit Slovenia. With the same money, you could got to Prague, or Budapest. Maybe someone could say they already visited Prague or Budapest. I still would rather go again than waste time in Slovenia.
Happy-Hour88@reddit (OP)
I've already lived in Prague and been to Hungary but not Budapest so I wanted to see yet another Central European country. Their nature is better than in those countries and Eastern Austria for sure.
ThickArt6492@reddit
Well, you've been in Maribor, so there's that. \s
sqjam@reddit
lol what happened to you in Maribor
Big-Vegetable4550@reddit
I suspect he/she happened to Mariborā¦
NastyFarang@reddit
what are you?
bljuva57@reddit
Dude, I assure you we are very welcoming, have no fear.
TheEagle74m@reddit
Donāt go, they will āeatā you for breakfast
randomcvnt114@reddit
Maribor is my home city. Born there and left first chance. Although Croats aren't as warm as Bosnians, Montenegrians and other people around, I assure you 100% percent that you will not be met with such excuses of human beings as you did in Maribor. At least not in Zagreb and Rijeka. I am not familiar with Krk.
Mods, before you flag my remark as a hate speech, let it be seen for the first few hours so this person can rest assured he has not much to worry about. After all, I'm taking a piss on my own city and the people there are scum.
Blessed be, I think you will find it rather wonderful in Croatia.
ThomasArad@reddit
Nah, not really. Very nice people, also aware of the positives of tourism.
Brilliant_Window8474@reddit
I recently visited Croatia and everyone was lovely. Enjoy your trip to this magical country.
technotronica@reddit
It's all in your head, dear.
ronweasly9@reddit
Look simple rule of thumb in many places is that if you look different then you get treated different. If you are white passing then you should be fine . If you are black , brown , islander etc then you'll have a harder time
Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit
Lol, cause every time I say Slovenians are not Balkan I get downvoted by people who don't have any real experience and contact with Slovenians and their way of life and mentality. They just know that Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and they look at it on the map.
Croatians are definitely as a whole somewhat warmer than Slovenians. I never spent much time in the specific places you plan on visiting, so I cannot tell you more specifically from experience.
nickmal13@reddit
My family is from Istria and Iāve had the pleasure to visit a few times. In my experience Croatians were some of the friendliest funniest and welcoming people Iāve met. Fear not.