After WWII, Croatia became one of the federal republics in Yugoslavia. It proclaimed its independence in 1990 and became its own nation. But part of the Serbian population rebelled so from 1991-1997 there was a terrible homeland war with Serbia. Much of the nation was bombed and some fields still have mine fields.

Croatia is best known for its beautiful coastline along the Adriatic. However, we were inland and visited the town of Osijek. We walked through a fortress built in the early 1700's and visited the beautiful church of the Holy Cross built in 1732. It is also known as the Church of St. Anthony, the patron saint of things lost.

Then we stopped by an elementary school where the children put on a performance of songs, skits and dancing. Though Croat is the official language, children learn English starting in the 1st grade, along with Hungarian and Serbian.

Lunch was in a private home in a nearby small village. The whole village was destroyed during the war with Serbia and families were forced to relocate to other towns and countries. Ten years later, after the war, the government rebuilt the houses but only the bare bone structure and smaller according to the number of family members. We had a chance to talk to our hostess who had lived under communism under Tito, then through the war with Serbia and now in her restored village. Given all she has experienced, she said life under Tito was the best!

After dinner onboard the ship, a Croatian string band entertained us with their music.

To view more photos from Croatia, go to the Croatia Photo Gallery.

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