Viking European Sojourn River Cruise Day 11/27 - Vukovar and Osijek, Croatia
We awoke docked this morning. We were in Ilok, Croatia where passengers who signed up for some of the optional excursions were joining their tour. We grabbed breakfast as we sailed, continuing our ride up the Danube. After breakfast, we spent some time on the sun deck, taking in the sights as we sailed the Serbia/Croatia border.
In Ilok, local musicians came aboard and performed a concert of folk Croatian music.
They played for about 40 minutes and were entertaining and high-energy. It was a fun performance.
Shortly after lunch, we docked in Vukovar, Croatia, and headed out for our afternoon tour.
Our return to Croatia - our first time on the east side - previously, we visited the west coast
Our first stop was at a church in Osijek, Croatia for an impromptu concert.
A soloist played piano and sang a series of songs, including Ave Maria, Amazing Grace, and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah
After the concert, we were able to browse a small gift shop and sample locally produced plum brandy. I'm not sure whether it was brandy or paint thinner. The burn was incredible.
We continued on to Tvrdja Fortress and Osijek Old Town. The fortress doesn't exist any longer and some buildings have been restored. There wasn't much there and it was a hot walk with the temperature hovering around 100F.
The town hall
HRVATSKA is "Croatia" in their native language
Holy Trinity Square
The Holy Trinity statue dates to the 1700s
The only remaining fortress gate is called the Water Gate as it leads to the Drava River
Next, we drove to Aljmaš where Viking arranged for personal visits with local residents.
Our hostess on the right and her interpreter on the left
She talked about being displaced to a German camp for seven years during the 1990s war and coming back to a looted home
She provided sweet cakes and pastries plus more local brandy
After our visit, we drove through the town on the way back to the port.
The new church that replaced the one that was bombed
The seating is outdoor
Back in port in Vukovar, we took a walk around.
A steeple of a local church
The Croatian flag
Local art
This building represents what was lost in the war but is rising from the ashes
The building is featured on Viking promotional material for this area
The Grand Hotel
The Vukovar water tower
That was enough of a walk given the triple-digit temperature. We headed back to Lofn for well-deserved (and needed) showers. We grabbed dinner and then attended a talk from the crew about what it was like growing up in Eastern Europe during communist times. It was interesting hearing their perspectives and it really helped humanize these hard-working folks.
Before we begin today, I thought I'd share the view of the back of the Amerling Fountain - just in case you were wondering from yesterday...
With that out of the way...
We started out the morning with a bus tour called Quaint Towns of the Dubrovnik Riviera. Those towns are Cavtat and Ljuta.
On the way to Cavtat, we stopped for a look at the old city and out on a now uninhabited island.
Upon arriving in Cavtat, we toured the empty and closed city. It is Sunday and a couple weeks before tourist season. Everything was closed. We took a scenic walk around the point and returned to our bus.
Church of St. Nicholas
Staired alleys similar to what we saw in the Old Town
This symbol on a home meant that others were welcome for a meal or to spend a night if they were in need
Original roof tiles - they were fashioned on the craftsman's leg, hence the tapered design
Monastery of Our Lady of the Snow
Croatia loves its cats - they are everywhere
Arlona, getting her obligatory feel of the Adriatic Sea
We boarded the bus and headed for Ljuta. In Ljuta, we saw a small Roman aqueduct and a couple of water-power mills. One was used to grind grain and the other was used to process fabric.
The aqueduct that used to supply water to the area
We were greeted by women in traditional garments - red hats meant they were single, white meant married - we sampled grappa, cherry brandy, walnut liquor, and almond liquor as well as dried figs, candied almonds, and dried and candied orange rinds
This water-powered grinding wheel was used to grind grain into flour - the water turned the upper wheel that ground the items against the stationary lower wheel
Once the valve was open and the water was spinning the wheel, items from the hopper, in this case, corn, fell into an opening in the top wheel where it fell and was pulverized between the spinning top wheel and stationary bottom wheel
The ground flour was ejected via centrifugal force into the hopper
The next mill was a textile processing mill.
The sheep were shorn and the wool made into yarn - a weaver would use a loom and make the fabric. This fabric would be delivered to the mill where hammers would pound the fabric for several hours, both softening the fabric as well as making it denser and more durable.
Here, the water is diverted - the mill operator would move the spout, placing it over the wheel, forcing the wheel to spin
The spinning wheel would move the hammers that would pound the fabric for hours
After our tour, we were treated to another snack of prosciutto, cheese, bread, and wine before returning to the ship.
We made a quick turn and headed to the old city to walk the city wall.
The view from the bus as we get close to the Pile Gate
The city wall walk costs 250 Kuna - the Croatian currency. At today's exchange rate from our credit card company, the 500 Kuna charge cost $72.96 or $36.48 per person. I can't tell you exactly how far we walked, but the ticket seller said that if you walk the whole thing, including climbing up to the fort at the end (we did), there are 1,080 stairs (total up and down). I (and my knees) believe him.
The walk takes you from the Pile gate around the entire old city - up, down, up, down, up, down - are you sensing a pattern here? As you get back, the highest point awaits you with an extra set of stairs just for the daring.
Here are views from our trek along the wall.
Large Onofrio's Fountain from the top, just inside the Pile Gate
This is a nice comparison of the old roof tiles that were fashioned on a craftsman's leg (left) and new roof tiles that are mass-produced and uniform
The old city is a study of old and new - a church from the 1500s and a modern satellite dish
The year 1834
It is a different view when you're at the same level as the dome
This would make for some seriously beautiful wedding photos
Overlooking the west end and the old port
Looking at where our bus entered
Looking down the staired alleys that we looked up yesterday
The final climb to the highest point on the wall walk
Woo hoo! We made it!
This was the final set of stairs up - they came right up out of the floor
Looking down from the top, we saw our friends, Rosalyn & George who had completed the climb just before us
Photographing the photographer
At the top - you can tell I was there because I was taking the photo
We sailed right on schedule at 6PM.
Lines were tossed...
...and reeled in
The props started spinning and we were off
The pilot was on briefly as we exited the channel
Farewell Dubrovnik and Croatia - it was a wonderful visit to all three ports!
Viking did a whole Game of Thrones production dinner tonight, complete with multiple courses and house wines.
Dinner consisted of beef, chicken, pork, and fish entrees.
Here's Nancy, getting all medieval on the beef!
Wines were labeled for the houses
The entertainment team and others all came around to the tables in costume to add to the ambiance. It was all good fun and we enjoyed the meal and the evening.
Tomorrow is a sea day as we make our way to Katakolon, Greece on Tuesday.
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