Croatia is a small country in the Balkan regions that used to be part of Yugoslavia along with other countries like Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia. They gained their independence when the Berlin Wall fell and the USSR disbanded and after a bloody war with neighboring Serbia. Croatia has a population of just over 4 million; however, our tour guide indicated that the country has a negative birth rate and that there is a “brain drain” meaning that Croatians are going abroad to find better employment.
Unlike the other Eastern European countries we recently visited Croatia is predominantly Roman Catholic.
Our ship, Viking Lif pulled in the port city of Vukovar. Our buses took us to the small town of Aljmas about a 30 minutes drive from the port to have a taste of Croatian hospitality. Our bus was divided into four groups and each group were assigned to a hostess who took us into their homes and served us coffee, cakes, and home made liquer. Our hostess, Suzy is originally from Germany near Munich and is married to a Croatian. She now operates a bed and breakfast and has the most popular bakery in this town. Her home is tastefully decorated and very cozy and comfy.
Next we drove to Osijek, we did a short walking tour of the city’s citadel. We all went inside the Rising of the Holy Cross Church where we were treated to a beautiful concert by a young Croatian lady with operatic voice.
After this inspiring concert we explored the Holy Trinity Square and saw the town’s only surviving gate and passed scenic streets lined with elegant baroque and Belle Epoque buildings.
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