Day 20--Mohacs, Hungary to Osijek, Croatia

Bullets & unexploded mines

Monday July 14, 2008
Mohacs, Hungary to Osijek, Croatia
Distance: 82 km (60 miles)

Croatia: Republic,President Stjepan Mesic; capital Zagreb

X+--We cross the border into Croatia today, a lost corner of the plains of Hungary that has gathered Germans, Greeks, Serbs, and Croatians over the centuries. This is a small wine-producing region centered on Osijek, where we will spend the afternoon and evening. Osijek is situated on the Drava River.

Our day started with a lovely breakfast in this very lovely hotel that used to be a music school—granola and yogurt again—we’ve not had it the whole time we’ve been in Hungary. Also cold cuts, big crusty hard rolls, fried eggs, breads, jams, fruit, Nutella, and “long” or espresso coffee. Don’t know why they call it long coffee unless it takes longer to make. It’s as close to American coffee as I’ve found.

We each packed ourselves a lunch from this buffet and then helped Peter and Stefania load the van. They had to get to the border and customs before us (they spent hours there yesterday trying to pave the way).

Peter had rented a bike from our hotel so that he could go to the border in the van and return on the bike (which was a clunky cruiser with a basket into which he carefully placed his helmet.) He rarely wears his helmet. The people in Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia laugh as us because we are wearing helmets. They ride a bike every day from birth and think that such accouterments are funny. In fact when I was waiting at a light in town after I arrived today, two teenagers glanced back and could not control their snickers. Bicycling is so common to them that it would be akin to our dressing specially and wearing helmets to take a walk.

Peter has been a fine guide and we shall miss him. We hung around the hotel for a bit after he and Stefania left because the last 6 km (3.72 miles) of the 16 km (10 miles) to the border was not open to bikes until 9 am.

It had rained in the night, and this changed our last two days of headwinds into a lovely cool tailwind for the most part. We got a little mixed up getting out of Dodge but quickly corrected our route. The ride to the border was great fun with nearly empty roads.

We pass through a village and peek into a backyard vegetable garden

 Just south of Mohacs we passed through a community of gypsies. Their houses were shabbier and the yards less full of flowers, but otherwise all looked as had other small villages in Hungary. Shades of orange seemingly taking a back seat to combinations of green for house color in this area.

Neither of these photos do justice to the many brightly colored houses on our route today; the photo on right shows a house getting a facelift next to a shell-damaged one; note that it still has bullet holes on its unpainted walls

We also passed several vineyards and in the distance could see that the farmers were burning off their fields. The smell of fresh corn mingled all morning with the smell of smoke. At one point the field was still burning right next to the road.

Vineyard; sheep crowding under a shade tree; can you imagine wearing a wool coat on a day like this?

At the border we met Branko, our Croatian guide and interpreter. He is a small, skinny happy guy with great English. At the border, Peter and Bob took some pix of the group and this made the border guard very angry: “NO photos!” We spent probably an hour at the border waiting and waiting.

Branko warned us again (we’d been warned by Stefania last night) not to use the “Green Door” because there were still many mines off the road. So, we all used the porta potty at customs and determined not to step a foot off road!

Welcome to Croatia

Bob and Rod circling their bikes while we wait at the Hungarian/Croatian border for clearance into Croatia

The ride today contained one climb. I was riding between the head and the tail of the group so after I had climbed it, I wondered if I had interpreted the arrow correctly as we seemed to be going away from the river. I waited for Harold to come up the hill. Thus assured, off I went with the wind at my back again.

Harold and Carolyn entering the city

Many of the houses we saw today in Croatia were deserted and falling down or in grave disrepair, their stucco facades worn or falling off and their bricks cracked and crumbling. A lot of them had bullet holes and gaping mortar wounds, but many were undergoing face lifts, also. There were piles of bricks in nearly every yard, and people were out painting their fences and houses and working their gardens.

Not one of the people I rode past and called out “Hallo” or “Good morning” to cracked a smile or even acknowledged me—other than to stare in curiosity. I think these hard working people who use their bike in a strictly utilitarian manner saw us a rich, frivolous Americans . . . which, compared to them, I guess we are.

The roads in Croatia are very good compared to Hungary’s. Smooth, new or newly blacktopped, and the tracks are not root heaved, probably because they have all been newly rebuilt after the Croatian war of the late 90s. There was also very little traffic, undoubtedly because not many people own cars.

A rusty old-fashioned train, more modern streetcar, and a taxi painted the checkerboard red of the center of the Croatian  flag

The bike track into the city was red block and clearly marked. The only trouble was crossing the streets. One curb would be cut for bikes but the one on the other side would be a regular curb, so riding one’s bike was not always possible. I half rode and half walked, and we had quite a bit of city riding. One could not ride in the road next to the bike track because of the curb and very fast traffic.

Our hotel (Hotel Silver) is very nice. However, this non-EU country has a way to go (Croatia became the 28th member of the EU in 2013). They checked our passports and did not give them back until they had copied every little thing out of them. Since the Hotel Silver is brand new, the elevator was still unworkable, so one of the guys in reception said, “I will be your elevator,” and took the stairs two at a time with my very heavy bag. TGSF (Thank god for small favors!)

The glassed front of the Hotel Silver in Osijek

I ate my lunch as soon as I hit the room and then showered and washed out my riding clothes. Judy came in about an hour or so after. After she had showered and washed out her clothes, we decided to explore the city. Judy wanted to go to the city center to “shop.” I was more interested in old town, but she won out. (I’m too lazy to argue with her and she is too stubborn to argue with.) In hindsight, I should have gone to Old Town with Carolyn and Harold.

Note: If ever you read anywhere that Hotel Silver is just a few minutes walk from Osijek town center, you have my permission to snort a cynical laugh. It’s at least a 40-minute walk one way—admittedly not a bad walk, with all the greenery and parks and tall shady trees, but a few minutes? Not. What they won’t tell you at the front desk.

Left, my favorite bit of building ornamentation; it would be interesting to see the inside of the onion dome dormer

Buildings showing bullet and shell damage by the Croatian/Serbian War

Pizzeria in a new building painted green. Green is the favorite building color in Croatia whereas orange was in Hungary. An old factory still showing a gaping shell hole

We walked with Harold and Carolyn until they parted for Old Town and then we turned to go to the city center. Just about then it began to sprinkle. It was overcast and cloudy with thunder in the distance. Judy and I walked our legs off once again to no avail. We never found the city center, but walked a large figure eight and passed by the edge of Old Town’s fortress on the river (which is on the Drava not the Dunav [Danube] River), and then wound up at the bridge over which we’d ridden into the city. Now we could follow our arrows home. It had been raining off and on so we were damp, but when we were about 4k from the hotel it really came down. Judy took shelter in a gas station and I in the entryway to an apartment complex.

The red-roofs of the fortress and Old town as you cross the river

Tree canopy on the road beside the fortress

 While I was waiting for the rain to stop, I took a photo of the last names of those in the apt bldg whose entryway I sheltered in, and also of the price of gas per liter in the gas station opposite. At present, the exchange rate is 1 US Dollar (USD) = 4.59732 Croatian Kuna (HRK),  making a gallon of gas cost about $7.00. And we think we have it bad? (See photos below.)

We ate dinner together in the hotel dining room at the usual 7:30 pm. The meal started with tomato/pasta soup; then a shredded cabbage/cucumber salad; then fish with a potato/swiss chard vegetable. Dessert was a scoop of vanilla, one of strawberry, and one of chocolate ice cream. While we were eating, a group was demonstrating all sorts of appliances at the other end of the d.r. Sort of like our Tupperware parties.

Working in the room on my journal; at dinner: Harold, Carolyn, Steffie and Branco. they must be getting used to the paparazzi as all are laughing and smiling

Over dinner we asked Branko about the bullet riddled buildings we’d seen in the city center. He told us of the Croatian War of Independence in 1991-1995. Eventually the war involved “ethnic cleansing” (it was during this war that the term originated), and thousands of Croatian men women and children were starved or murdered--some of them drowned in the Danube River--and buried in mass graves. Those in Vukovar were particularly set upon. We will pass through this city tomorrow on our way to Novi Sad, Serbia.

After hearing this horrible story, we asked Branko how the Serbs would see us. His reply “ They don’t like Americans. [Pause] You bombed them you know.” 

What the Guidbooks say:

In Croatia the war is referred to as Domovinski rat (Homeland War). Initially, the war was waged between Croatian police forces and the Serbs living in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, who opposed its secession from Yugoslavia, and proclaimed an autonomous "Republic of Serb Krajina" to ensure their status.

          Over time, the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), began helping the Serbs fighting for their goals in Croatia, openly attacking the Croatian military forces and civil objects. The Croatian side aimed to establish a sovereign Republic of Croatia outside of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Serbs, supported from Serbia, opposed the secession and wanted to remain a part of Yugoslavia, effectively seeking new boundaries in those parts of Croatia with a Serb majority or significant minority.