Cruising the Danube from the Black Sea to the North Sea
April-May 2023: Day 13

Vukovar and Bilje, Croatia

Introduction

We sailed on from Belgrade overnight and awoke the next moring outside the rural town of Vukovar. At this point the Danude is the boundary between Serbia and Croatia. In 1991 Vukovar became the focus for the Serbian Army to attempt to capture the region, resulting in 90% of the town being destroyed. Even today many of the wrecked houses have not been repaired. After the war and the creation of the state of Croatia, residents were offered a team of builders to repair their houses. Others sold the land and moved elsewhere. We did not stop in Vukovar, driving to the nearby village of Bilje and the Kopacki Rit National Park, wetlands being established beside the Danube. Then we went to a local family for lunch. Then back to our ship that had moved further up the Danube to Aljmas, the town with the Church of Our Lady of Refuge in the shape of a wave. A local band came onboard to entertain – four stringed instrument players.

Kopacki Rit National Park

Sailed around lake on electric boat. Saw cormorants nesting in trees, heron, ducks, turtles, white tail eagles and evidence of beavers.

We wole to find the SS Beatrice alongside us

We had to cross over the Beatrice's deck

and down

to the gangway off

Welcome to Vukovar

The old water tower - full of holes as a reminder of the Balkan war

Entering Vukovar

Abandoned destroyed houses were common in this area

Entering the Kopacki Rit National Park

Our electric boats await.

Plentry of cormorants nesting in the trees.

Chopped trees- signs of beavers.

Turtles

White tail eagle

And back to the jetty.

Lunch at Bilje, Croatia

To Bilje for lunch at a private home – B&B Aleksander at Bilje. Our host was Helene, Ivan was the student translator. Lunch was walnut brandy followed by bread, cucumber soup with dill, main of chicken patty with paprika, rice with fried onion and cabbage with apple cider. Followed by sponge with peach jam. Then a long coach trip back to our ship, that had now moved further up the Danube to the town of Aljimas.

Patches from bomb damage