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<blockquote data-quote="BillB" data-source="post: 1176991" data-attributes="member: 9985"><p>As we went to breakfast the following morning we could see the ship was coming in to moor up. The bank was a little higher here and there was a square-looking building up on top of the bank. A large sign proclaimed the word “Mohacs” along the front of the building. It turned out that this was the crossing point for the Croatian border and after breakfast some Croatian officials came on board to check that we didn’t have large quantities of cigarettes, alcohol or cash. The immigration people then checked our faces against the photos in our passports. All was well with all three national groupings and we were all able to relax in whatever way we fancied until lunch. Luckily, the sun was shining so we were able to go up on the upper deck and catch a few minutes of sunshine. We chatted with a group from our tour until it was 12.30 and time for lunch in the restaurant which was, as was customary, excellent.</p><p></p><p>After lunch was over the ship arrived in Vukovar, a small town in Croatia, where those of us who had signed up for the afternoon tour disembarked and joined our buses. Fortunately the ghastly Terry and Sally hadn’t chosen to join this tour (I later realised that they were on the tours that were included in the price of the cruise,but not the ones that you paid extra for. Tightwads!)</p><p></p><p>Our itinerary would take in Vukovar, Osijek and Kopacki Rit. Jackie and I had been to Croatia several times when it was part of Yugoslavia, but we’d stayed on the Adriatic coast - our boys were much younger then and loved the seaside so that’s where we went. We had made small daylong excursions inland and had taken in the Lipizaner horse breeding stables, the Postojna cave system and the glorious Plitvice lakes, where the higher lakes tumble down the hillsides filling the lower ones, creating a myriad of different colours in each body of water. We had never been in this part of the country before and were looking forward to seeing whether there was any cultural or social differences between the coast and the inland areas.</p><p></p><p>We didn’t actually stop in the riverside area of Vukovar which is still rebuilding from the brutal civil war which erupted when the Yugoslav federation collapsed in chaos. We drove slowly along the main street passing houses which were still ruined, whose owners would never be coming back. It was plain where the fighters had hidden in the houses - windows were surrounded by bullet holes in the brickwork, shell holes were visible still in the walls. But among these tragic sights were signs of new life where dwellings had been restored or new houses had already been built. The new homes had pretty gardens with flowers and vegetable patches and signs of greater prosperity such as new barbecues and petrol driven lawn mowers.</p><p></p><p>After about 20 minutes the bus pulled over and we disembarked to walk down through a short stretch of woodland to a fairly large body of water where a couple of flat bottomed boats lay awaiting us. Once on board we pulled out, the boat’s engine barely noticeable as it was so quiet. In this natural paradise it had to be, of course, as there were thousands upon thousands of birds in the trees which grew upon islands and along the shores.</p><p></p><p>One island seemed to have been taken over by cormorants as they covered virtually every visible part of the single tree which grew there. We passed several pairs of wild ducks whose plumage I had never seen before and who studiously ignored us to turn their backs and paddle away; a heron stood stock still in the shallows at the water’s edge: bright colours caught our eyes as small birds fluttered away from our boat. We even caught a flash of turquoise and gold as a Kingfisher, that shyest of birds, rocketed away from us.</p><p></p><p>Fish jumped clear out of the water a couple of times, and along the shore frogs who were basking in the sun took fright at our approach and splashed back into the lake.</p><p></p><p>Kopacki Rit is one of the most enchanting wetland nature reserves I have ever visited and Jackie and I both agreed that we were so glad we had chosen to come on this excursion.</p><p></p><p>A further drive after rejoining the bus brought us to the town of Osijek which is in the latter stages of its postwar restoration. We saw some of the most beautiful structures in this small town where it was plain that this work was as much a labour of love as it was a duty.</p><p></p><p>These buildings, although built in the style of earlier centuries, were clean and freshly painted, while gilded areas had been picked out in gold leaf. Wandering around the main square was an astonishing experience as it fills the onlooker with the feeling that he has been carried back to earlier centuries to a time when these buildings were all newly created.</p><p></p><p>We drifted along different streets, entering churches and marvelling at the skilled work that had gone into the rebuilding.</p><p></p><p>All too soon we were back on the bus and heading back towards the Danube and our ship. We had time before dinner for a freshen up and a drink in the bar with our fellow travellers.</p><p></p><p>After dinner, everybody who had been for a walk ashore returned to the ship as we cast off and headed downstream for our next stop - Belgrade.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BillB, post: 1176991, member: 9985"] As we went to breakfast the following morning we could see the ship was coming in to moor up. The bank was a little higher here and there was a square-looking building up on top of the bank. A large sign proclaimed the word “Mohacs” along the front of the building. It turned out that this was the crossing point for the Croatian border and after breakfast some Croatian officials came on board to check that we didn’t have large quantities of cigarettes, alcohol or cash. The immigration people then checked our faces against the photos in our passports. All was well with all three national groupings and we were all able to relax in whatever way we fancied until lunch. Luckily, the sun was shining so we were able to go up on the upper deck and catch a few minutes of sunshine. We chatted with a group from our tour until it was 12.30 and time for lunch in the restaurant which was, as was customary, excellent. After lunch was over the ship arrived in Vukovar, a small town in Croatia, where those of us who had signed up for the afternoon tour disembarked and joined our buses. Fortunately the ghastly Terry and Sally hadn’t chosen to join this tour (I later realised that they were on the tours that were included in the price of the cruise,but not the ones that you paid extra for. Tightwads!) Our itinerary would take in Vukovar, Osijek and Kopacki Rit. Jackie and I had been to Croatia several times when it was part of Yugoslavia, but we’d stayed on the Adriatic coast - our boys were much younger then and loved the seaside so that’s where we went. We had made small daylong excursions inland and had taken in the Lipizaner horse breeding stables, the Postojna cave system and the glorious Plitvice lakes, where the higher lakes tumble down the hillsides filling the lower ones, creating a myriad of different colours in each body of water. We had never been in this part of the country before and were looking forward to seeing whether there was any cultural or social differences between the coast and the inland areas. We didn’t actually stop in the riverside area of Vukovar which is still rebuilding from the brutal civil war which erupted when the Yugoslav federation collapsed in chaos. We drove slowly along the main street passing houses which were still ruined, whose owners would never be coming back. It was plain where the fighters had hidden in the houses - windows were surrounded by bullet holes in the brickwork, shell holes were visible still in the walls. But among these tragic sights were signs of new life where dwellings had been restored or new houses had already been built. The new homes had pretty gardens with flowers and vegetable patches and signs of greater prosperity such as new barbecues and petrol driven lawn mowers. After about 20 minutes the bus pulled over and we disembarked to walk down through a short stretch of woodland to a fairly large body of water where a couple of flat bottomed boats lay awaiting us. Once on board we pulled out, the boat’s engine barely noticeable as it was so quiet. In this natural paradise it had to be, of course, as there were thousands upon thousands of birds in the trees which grew upon islands and along the shores. One island seemed to have been taken over by cormorants as they covered virtually every visible part of the single tree which grew there. We passed several pairs of wild ducks whose plumage I had never seen before and who studiously ignored us to turn their backs and paddle away; a heron stood stock still in the shallows at the water’s edge: bright colours caught our eyes as small birds fluttered away from our boat. We even caught a flash of turquoise and gold as a Kingfisher, that shyest of birds, rocketed away from us. Fish jumped clear out of the water a couple of times, and along the shore frogs who were basking in the sun took fright at our approach and splashed back into the lake. Kopacki Rit is one of the most enchanting wetland nature reserves I have ever visited and Jackie and I both agreed that we were so glad we had chosen to come on this excursion. A further drive after rejoining the bus brought us to the town of Osijek which is in the latter stages of its postwar restoration. We saw some of the most beautiful structures in this small town where it was plain that this work was as much a labour of love as it was a duty. These buildings, although built in the style of earlier centuries, were clean and freshly painted, while gilded areas had been picked out in gold leaf. Wandering around the main square was an astonishing experience as it fills the onlooker with the feeling that he has been carried back to earlier centuries to a time when these buildings were all newly created. We drifted along different streets, entering churches and marvelling at the skilled work that had gone into the rebuilding. All too soon we were back on the bus and heading back towards the Danube and our ship. We had time before dinner for a freshen up and a drink in the bar with our fellow travellers. After dinner, everybody who had been for a walk ashore returned to the ship as we cast off and headed downstream for our next stop - Belgrade. [/QUOTE]
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