Knezevi Vinogradi, Croatia to Vukovar: Another cold wet ride
We feel so lucky that we found the B&B in Knezevi Vinogradi. In getting to know our hosts, we learned a great deal about life in Croatia and the difficulties that they have faced and survived in their country. We feel a strong sense of pride from the Croatians we have met. This is also shown in the care they take in their homes and communities. As we ride through communities, we see much effort to beautify, restore and rebuild. The temperature has stayed just above zero. Snow has been threatened in the forecasts,but so far...only rain. That's good!! We were tempted to stop in Osijeck as the weather had detiorated, but we felt that we needed to make more distance. Unfortunately, this meant that we needed to go another 40 km. When we arrived in Vukovar, we discovered that only 1 hotel remains here, and it is a 4 star hotel. We asked for a reduced rate and the manager quickly offered us a cyclist's rate at half the cost. Thank goodness for that. Vukovar was one of the hardest hit areas during the war and the downtown area shows much evidence of bombing and modern buildings as well.
Anica and George are wonderful hosts. They gave us one of the best breakfasts we've had for some time. Most of what we ate came from their garden, including the fresh eggs.
Crossing the bridge to Osijeck. The clocks changed back an hour on the w/e - this has made it more difficult as it is pretty cold by 1 pm and the day is shorter.
