Blogs from Vukovar, Slavonia, Croatia, Europe

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Europe » Croatia » Slavonia » Vukovar June 26th 2016

Geo: 45.3441, 19.0109 While we sleep at night, the boat calmly and surely makes its way forward, heading northwards on the Danube. I awoke to a continual, peaceful scene, verdant foliage on the far bank as we leisurely rolled along. It was very early, not yet 5AM, but again the sun was shining; what beautiful weather we have had here! Soon little villages appeared, then bigger buildings, and I knew we were soon to dock in Vukovar, Croatia, where the boat would pass through customs. Once we were secured, I quickly dressed, wanting to go out for another delightful early morning walk at my own fast pace, not hampered or hindered by people who move along slowly and gracelessly, and yet who do not like anyone passing them by. Plus I enjoy moving quickly; it is ... read more

Europe » Croatia » Slavonia » Vukovar August 9th 2015

Today we head off for a tour of 2 cities in Croatia (and yes, I do have my Croatia t shirt on today). Firstly we visit Osijek, a little town about 20 minutes for our docking place at Vukovar. We get to see lots of interesting countryside and then a local farm visit to sample some locally made fruit brandy (Slivovic). The guy who runs the place was quite the comedian. Lots of stories about how to fish with a net, then he ran through a powerpoint of the local area with running commentary. Afterwards, we got to sample some of his local wines (red and white - very young indeed). Then we went to a local church where we had a private recital. One young lady on the piano and a singer. Beautiful piano work, ... read more

Europe » Croatia » Slavonia » Vukovar May 3rd 2013

Vukovar, Croatia This little city of about 40,000 is right on the Danube. On the other side is Serbia. This location has not always proved to be advantageous to the citizens of Vukovar. During the most recent Balkan war the Serbian army and Slobadon Milosovic, the Serbian leader, took a dim view of Croatia’s move toward independence. The Serbs tried to capture Vukovar but managed only to almost completely destroy it by lobbing artillery across the river until 90% of the city was leveled. We saw the first evidence of the war as we were pulling into the port facilities. There is a tall brick and concrete water tower on the edge of the port which is riddled with holes. I am told that the present government wants to leave it as it stands ... read more
Vukovar
Vukovar
Vukovar

Europe » Croatia » Slavonia » Vukovar June 22nd 2012

Just a quick entry about our visit to Vukovar, Croatia. We crossed into Serbia not long after and it felt strange putting Vukovar and Serbia together in one entry. After a fantastic dinner at our guide (Sonja)'s parents house, with homemade wild boar sausage and homemade rakija (the local brandy/schnapps), we temporarily left Croatia to head to Serbia. We nominated to do this via Vukovar, a town on the way to Serbia, without really knowing the significance of the town. However it all soon became apparent. Right on the border with Serbia, Vukovar suffered a 90 day seige by the Serbs where most of the town was completely destroyed. We visited the hospital which continued to function during this time, although it too was being bombed. They relocated all patients to the basement of the hospital, ... read more
Memorial hospital
Memorial hospital
Memorial hospital

Europe » Croatia » Slavonia » Vukovar June 10th 2011

We spent one whole day cruising down the Danube so I thought I would tell you a little about the river. It is the 2nd longest river in Europe and the 25th longest in the world. It srarts in the Black Forest region of Germany and ends about 1,766 miles later on the Romanian coast and then empties into the Black Sea flowing from west to east. The Danube river basin is more than 300,000 square miles and includes parts of Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldavia, and Ukraine. While I mostly knew the 'Danube' as a pretty Strauss waltz, in reality it has shaped the destinies of many countries. The river was used to transport cargo such as salt, wood, and ores. The Roman emperors recognized its strategic location centuries ... read more

Europe » Croatia » Slavonia » Vukovar August 26th 2010

Day 10-Vukovar, Croatia 8/26/10 We woke this morning docked in the city of Vukovar. Like most Americans, I don’t think I have ever heard of this town. But it was significant in the early days of the split up of Yugoslavia. As I mentioned in the previous blog, the communist leader Tito died in 1980. Over the next ten years Yugoslavia continued to exist but the old divisions grew each year. By 1989 some of the parts, like Slovenia, started to declare their independence. By now, Serbia was controlling the military and made it a mostly Serb army. Many Serbs were living in Croatia and when they started a move towards independence the military was ordered into the country to “protect” them. Only, it seems that it was only about power and control. Anyway, this little ... read more
Water Tower
Jackie
Tank Road




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