Wok N Roll with us...Bob and Teri Along with Atlas and Kalani: Osijek and Vukovar, Croatia August 25, 2023

In Osijek, Croatia we were treated to a short vocal concert in ‘The Church of the Glorious of Mary’(Župa Preslavnoga Imena Marijina). Within the church was displayed all the men that were lost in the Homeland War, which our understanding was a good percentage of the parish. The woman that sang to us had such an angelic voice. Outside of the church we also found it interesting how people park in this town. But their traffic signals are genius. Like I wish they were that way in the US, where they show you how much time is left before the signal is set to change.

From there our tour took us to the main square in Osijek, Croatia. Walking down the cobblestone streets that were built by the Romans we got a sense of a town that has seen a lot of struggles over the years. Throughout the town’s struggles, including over 100 wars, it would not be until 1687 that Osijek was restored to western rule and the city was inhabited by the Habsburg Empire. Between 1712 and 1715, Austrian authorities built a new fortress in the city. In addition to the eight bastions and two gates, city walls were constructed to protect the town from Ottoman threat. The ‘Homeland War’ was fought there between 1991 to 1995. The war was fought between Croatia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia along with the Serb controlled Yugoslav People’s Army. The war ended with Croatian victory with Croatia accomplishing its independence and preserving its borders.

Today, most of the walls have been removed, but the Citadel still stands, and the Old Town is still inhabited by thousands of residents. The former military buildings are occupied by the university, a high school and museums. The people there are very proud of their high school that has a memorial plaque in front of a former student that was a Nobel Prize winner.

Around 30 minutes away our group split up into groups of 10 where we were welcomed into the homes of people that lived in the town of Vukovar, Croatia. There we sipped very strong homemade Brandy, sampled Turkish coffee, homemade pastries and were given the thoughts of the local people on what life was like in Vukovar and Croatia in general. The home that we visited had several animals, most that were just pets.

We returned to the ship for lunch and then we were off to see the Croatian Countryside and visit a small winery that I believe was somewhere east of Šarengrad, Croatia. There we indulged in fresh cheese and bread and tasted four different kinds of wine.

Today was busy but filled with interesting sites and visits with the people from Croatia.