Memories of Hivefest in Split

I got back home last night after a wonderful few days in Croatia (my first visit). This is my fourth Fest and it is always something special.

I have got to know lots of people in this community and a lot of them made the trip, some from the other side of the world. I think there were about a hundred there and I estimate that they had come from at least twenty different countries. This is not just a bunch of 'cryptobros'. They are very diverse and there were plenty of ladies there. One of the first people I met at the Lisbon event was @basilmarples and it was nice that he could come along, even though he had to go off and do his online programming course some days.

I would encourage you to check our the #hivefest feed as there are lots of posts there. @mynewlife and @kesilgonzalez (ace pool player) have some great videos on there.

We have to thank @lordbutterfly for organising everything. @roelandp advised him and was along as compere at the conference. We had two days of actual conference with lots of talks that you can watch. There are also other activities that are included in the @hivefest ticket price.

We were supposed to have a boat trip on Friday, but the weather forecast was looking bad. It actually turned out to be a nice day. I met up with @alessandrawhite, @bitterirony and @alpha to check out the Game of Thrones museum. We were warned that it was not too fancy, but as a fan it was fun. They have various costumes and props in a few rooms. You can have fun just checking out the actual filming locations in the city.

After that we went to the fine art gallery that has Croatian art from the middle ages up to the current day. That is well worth a look. @elmirabear had mentioned it on her talk about DAOs for galleries.

As an alternative to the boat trip there was a meetup at a pool club. It was fun just hanging out there having a few games. I do not play often, but I did okay. There were also some dart boards. One thing that struck me is that smoking is allowed in such places. You cannot smoke indoors at any venues in the UK since many years back. Some people went to for a night of clubbing, but I needed my sleep.

I did sleep pretty well and got out for a run before joining some others for breakfast in one of the old squares. I thought dining out was quite reasonable.

Our main activity for the day was a trip to a karting track to experience the Hive rally car in action. @ssekulji gave me a real thrill ride. I am sure he got two wheels off the ground on one corner. At the gala dinner I found out he is also a drummer, so we had other things to talk about.

That evening we all met up at a bar by the harbour for drinks and sushi. I was talking to @akipponn about doing a list of Hivers in Japan. I will appreciate any help with that. I did not stay too late as I was pretty tired.

As the weather had settled down the guys managed to re-book our boat trip for Sunday. We boarded a 'pirate' ship that took us along the coast to a sheltered bay where some of us had a swim. The water was lovely and warm. I spotted a few fish in there. It was a good move to bring my swimming goggles, but then they match my glasses prescription so I can see.

I was flying out that evening with Basil and @mightyrocklee (plus his mother), so we had a last wander before getting a cab to the airport. You do have to check the prices carefully. One driver said he could take us for 27€, but that turned out to be for each of us! Basil got us an Uber for much less. There is not too much at the airport, so we just got a snack and then spotted @zirochka with her family heading off to Warsaw on their way back to Ukraine. Our flight was a little delayed. Basil and I missed the initial announcement and ended up as some of the last on board. The flight back to Luton was fine, but got in quite late. I had to pickup my suitcase, but the carousel was empty and nobody seemed to be waiting. I eventually found it had just been dumped by the side. As you have to pay a fair bit to check in a bag I expect a lot of people just took cabin luggage.

I have some Hive swag to remember the event, but also picked up a fridge magnet for our collection. I already had a guitar pick from one of the performers at the dinner, but as I went to put my bag through the x-ray I found this other one that I think is from this band. I cannot make out the signature, but it does not seem to match any of their names. It will go in my collection anyway.

I am tired after my trip, but have no regrets about going. The people of Croatia made us very welcome and Split is a fascinating city. I am always happy to hang out with Hive people as they so smart and interesting. I will get to any events I can and I recommend that you try to too. If there is no event in your area, then organise something. It does not have to be as fancy as Hivefest. What matters is getting people together.

Hive five!