This post is from our member Jeffrey Roe, who is sharing his trip to Croatia. Over about a week, Jeffrey gave talks at conferences, got stuck into maker events, visited fab labs and hackerspaces, and even managed a bit of island hopping. Here’s how it all went.
Day 1: Landing in Zagreb
After touching down in Zagreb, I had some time to get my bearings and settle in. It’s a lovely city, and I was looking forward to a busy few days ahead. The Science Connecting People (SCOPE) Conference kicked off with a half-day session in Europe House.
Day 2: SCOPE Conference
Day two of the SCOPE conference kicked off with a panel discussion on science communication in the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum. I had the chance to share the story of how Dublin Maker’s venues have shaped the event and to hear about some brilliant community projects happening across Croatia. Huge thanks to Roberto and the team at Fablab.hr for organising it all. The networking elements, where I chatted to people from across Europe about their programmes and approaches to STEM education, were the most rewarding parts for me.
During the lunch break, I squeezed in a bit of geocaching on the grounds of the museum. It’s always great to mix in a little exploring when you’re away.
Day 3: Maker Expo Zagreb
Saturday was all about Maker Expo Zagreb. I set up my stand in the morning and spent the day chatting with makers from all over. It’s always inspiring to see what people are building and sharing.
I also had a chance to mess about with some games and gadgets. The lads at Meshtastic had some great stuff on display, and those little vegan snacks were a treat (still no idea what they were called, though).
Day 4: A Morning at Hrelić Flea Market
Sunday morning, I finally made it to the famous Hrelić flea market. I’d missed it on previous trips, but it didn’t disappoint. It’s a mix of everything—stuff laid out on the ground, “antique” pieces, and plenty of surprises. I spent a good while poking around.
Days 5-7: Day Shift – Working From Fablab.hr
For the next few days, I spent my time doing my day job and getting to know the team and space at Fablab.hr. Great crew and space. I learned about all their programs and their passion for education. I spent a lot of time getting to know Richard, who became my de facto guide—a Londoner who moved to Zagreb and gave me the rundown on the city and how things worked.
Days 5-7: Night Shift – Meeting Friends in Radiona & Arduino IoT Cloud Workshop
Over the years, I and Tog have developed a great relationship with Radiona. Anytime any of us are either in Zagreb or they are in Dublin, we always meet up, exchange war stories on running a community hackerspace, and, if time allows, share a workshop.
There’s something special about turning up to a makerspace on their open night and just being welcomed in by warm and friendly people. Deb embodies this hospitality.
When I mentioned I would be in the city for a week, they, of course, offered to host me if I wanted to do a workshop. I had been working on a workshop using the Arduino Cloud platform, and this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. So on Tuesday, we had a full house at Radiona with 13 people getting started with Arduino Cloud and an IoT project.
Day 8: Travel to Prvić Island with Fablab.hr
With the Fablab.hr van packed up, we started our journey from Zagreb to Prvić Island. I didn’t know what to expect, as I’d never visited the Croatian coastline before. The journey pleasantly flew by with a wide-ranging conversation with Richard in the back of the van about everything.
I was taken aback when we arrived at a dark, wind-swept pier and then were told by the ever-adventurous Roberto that the next leg of our trip would be across the sea in a tiny water taxi in the dark.
With half of our supplies on the boat, we made our way across to the tiny island of Prvić. I wasn’t sure we were in the right place until I found my name on the Creative Days festival posters and could start to feel at ease. We were welcomed by the festival crew to join them for some traditional hearty Croatian food.
Days 9-10: Creative Days of Faust Vrančić
It turns out there is something special about hosting a festival on an island. The Creative Days of Faust Vrančić festival has been running since 2013. We got all set up and were joined by lots of other exhibitors with a loose creative/science theme. Seeing the island in daylight, I only began to understand how small this car-free island really is. Most of the visitors to the festival came in on the ferry schedule, so we had visitors arrive in waves, which kept things interesting. I was showcasing some games and popular Meshtastic devices. It was challenging dealing with language barriers, but I made it work.
Now here’s something I have never done at any other science festival I’ve taken part in—post-event sea swimming. There was nothing better than jumping into the sea after the event each day and still having 20-degree weather.
Days 11-12: Šibenik to Split
The festival came to an end, and it was time to say goodbye to island life. The Fablab.hr team dropped me to the town of Šibenik, and we parted ways as friends. I spent a few hours in this ancient town with some geocaching before hopping on a bus to Split.
I didn’t know the level of Roman history in the city of Split until I arrived. The past is all around us in the city—the palace, buildings, and history surround you as you walk. I toured the tunnels of Diocletian’s Palace to get an idea of the scale of the Roman place that once stood here.
As Day 12 was a workday, I squeezed in a quick early morning climb of the Saint Domnius Cathedral bell tower before 9 am to get expansive panoramic views of the city. I found a quiet corner of the central library to spend the day remote working. Some food on the go while I walked the promenade in the evening before taking a bus and a direct flight back to Dublin.
Overall, it was a brilliant trip away seeing so much of Croatia. Thanks again to Fablab.hr for covering my accommodation to make this trip possible, Radiona for hosting my workshop, and the team from Creative Days for welcoming me to their island.
This exchange would not have been possible without the incredible Vulca network—a mobility network for makers, makers/hackerspaces across the EU. They helped us find each other.
You will find lots more photos in our gallery
Creative Days of Faust Vrančić
FablabHR
Maker Expo Zagreb
Scope Conference Zagreb
Radiona 2024 Arduino IOT Cloud Workshop
Also for a more contemporary log plus more cat and food photos, you can check out this tweet search.