Croatia

Charlie and Nancy with home host Anna

Musicians at school

Radu (our guide) with Bob

Bullet holes in Croatia

Wednesday, November 9

Vukovar, Croatio

·        We cruised all night and arrived in the Croatian town of Osijek.  After breakfast and customs checking, we disembarked to meet our tour guide Sarah.  She was so beautiful that the boys teased Radu that they wanted to trade him in for Sarah.  Of course, the girls wouldn’t let that happen. 

·        As we walked around the town of Vukovar, you could see where many buildings still had the destruction of war with bullet holes in the buildings.  Most of the city was destroyed in this 1991 war, and you can still feel it as you look around.  The bus driver picked us up at the other end of the town and we drove to Osijek where first visited a fortress.  We walked around the fortress.  We were told about a Vegga packet (spice) that you use to put into everything you cook except desert.  Later on we got to sample some of the spices in a soup at our home-host meal.  We were able to purchase the packets as souvenirs to take home – will try to duplicate it when making vegetable soup.

·        Next we visited with students at a local school (Dobrisa Cesaric school) supported by Grand Circle Foundation where they gave us a tremendous music concert.  The instruments were purchased by donations from GCT.  Every time we go on a trip, $10 of each person’s trip goes towards this school. 

·        We then boarded the bus and were split in groups of 10 each to partake of a home-hosted lunch with a local family.  Our hostess was Anna.  Everything that we ate and drank was grown by her or her family.  We had meatballs, butterbeans (with paprika sauce), Yukon gold mashed potatoes, and coleslaw.  The wine was home made, and she mixed wine and coke to make a really good drink (name to be provided later).  She lived in a beautiful home with a view of the Danube.  The chocolate mouse cake at the end of the meal was fabulous—made with 6 eggs and real chocolate.

·        We waddled back to the buses and relaxed before enjoying dinner (eating again) and local folk singing entertainment onboard.  Tomorrow we visit Serbia.  One of our program guides (Tatiana) is from Serbia, and she gave a tear-choked description of what we will see tomorrow.