I cannot judge how today’s press conference in Pula will be judged by those who learn about it through the media, or how many of them will eventually choose to come to my trial at the end of this week, but I will remember it by a phrase that I repeated several times during the proceedings: “I feel like Alice in Wonderland!” That phrase felt almost soothing whenever I invoked it, too. It felt like truth itself. It illustrated my situation better than any long-winded explanation, no matter how carefully thought out or how well phrased. Yes, I now feel like Alice in Wonderland. What will the Queen do next? Where is that silly old Rabbit? Will I have another chance to talk to the wise Caterpillar? Can I trust the Mad Hatter? How in the world can the King of Hearts ever serve as a judge? The Croatian legal system in a nutshell.

Addendum (May 30, 2016)

So many years later, I still feel like Alice in Wonderland in Motovun, Istria, and the rest of Croatia. The phrase thus feels soothing to this day. Political turmoil at all levels of government seems to be unending. Laws keep changing without any rhyme or reason. And the economy is plodding along with fickle tourism at its very core. Wherever one looks, the insecurity combines with incompetence and mischief, which turns into outright malice often enough. Under the circumstances, I would not be surprised by anything at all. New court cases for libel and insult might come my way any day now. My house could always be taken away from me because I have not paid some bills of which I have not been informed. Or I might end up in jail on account of my writings that border on treason, like this one. Nothing would surprise me, to be sure. Like Alice in Wonderland, I would just cope with the funny world around me to the best of my ability.