May 20 2024 Osijek - Vukovar

 Oseijek - Vukovar Croatia

May 20 2024

Today the ship spent the morning cruising up the Danube.  So, after breakfast we spent the morning sitting on the sun deck in the bright warm sun.  It was very pleasant sitting watching the scenery glide past us.  Huge castles on the hill tops, river barges passing by and birds fishing along the banks.  It was great.

The ship docked in Vukovar which was the place where the Serbs in the Jugoslav army attacked Croatia in August 1991.  Over 80% of the city was turned to rubble.  Thousands of Croatians were murdered and Slobodan Milosevic was ultimately tried and convicted of war crimes.  By the time the fighting was over over 100,000 had been killed and another 20,000 missing.  

The first stop of today's tour was a B&B house. It is called agro-tourism.  The host has  8 rooms and up to 20 guests.  The property is a few acres where all the food is grown.  They grown all kinds of different vegetables, have lots of different kinds of fruit trees, different kinds of animals for meat and of course dairy.   It was a very interesting idea, that people could visit and eat fresh meals out of the garden.  I have to say the place while far from fancy had a great atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

The second stop of the tour was St Mary's Cathedral in Osijek.  This was the home of the patron saint who lead the struggle for Croatian independence.  The cathedral was not destroyed by the fighting in 1991 but had been hit a few times and the cracks in the ceiling are still visible. It is never the less a very beautiful place.  We were treated to a special local performing artist who came and performed several songs.  Her vocals have won several awards in international events.

The last stop in the tour was the Osijek fortress.  It was originally built by the Romans and then enlarged by the Ottomans and the Austrians.  It was constructed in the shape of a crown with the base of the crown against the river.   Today the fortress is home so several different colleges and museums.  The large statue in the central square was built as a monument to the head of the Ottoman army but today is the home to a stork.   Most of the buildings have been repaired but there are still lots of places where the bullet holes are still showing.  

While we only saw a very tiny slice of Croatia what we saw was amazing. 

Terry