A Day in the Life of Viking Cruisers

March 22, 2026

Vukovar, Croatia

Our blog today will be a little different....

First things first! Karen brings coffee to our room. Thank you Karen!

Today we had to be ready to leave the ship and get on the tour bus by 8:30. So we were up early. This is the view from our room at that time:

Next we turned on Viking TV to check the weather and see if there have been any updates to our itinerary over night:

Then we were off to breakfast on the ship. Besides this great buffet, there is a breakfast menu more additional options.

Time to go get on our tour bus for a 7.5 hour tour. The tour began in the town in which we were docked -Vukovar.

As we drove around and looked at the sights in Vukovar, we learned a lot about the history of the area. In many ways the history is similar and connected to that of other places we have visited on this trip. One difference is that in 1990, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, which resulted in the countries going to war. Vukovar was the first city that came under attack. They managed to hold off a much larger contingent of enemy troops for 3 months, giving the rest of the country time to plan a coordinated response that ultimately led to the country's freedom in 1998. The town is still recovering and rebuilding.

War damaged house:

During the war, the water tower in the town had a Croatian flag on top. And each night Croatian soldiers climbed the water tower to ensure sure the flag was still flying as people woke up in the morning and to assure them that Croatia had not been taken over during the night.

Next, we drove to the Osijek Citadel. The Citadel was really more of a fortified city that had apartments, restaurants, businesses, a church, and trading centers. People still live there, but for some of the buildings, renovations can only be made to the inside because the entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

There is an arched gate that leads out of the fortified area to the water. It is rumored to be haunted, and is named Watergate!

This is an ancient water fountain in the town square:

The protective outside window shades are designed to protect the windows from the baseball-sized hail that sometimes falls during storms in the area.

Interesting/scary warning about leftover land mines in the area.

Next, we got back on the bus and went to a neighboring village where we had a delicious lunch of traditional Croatian cuisine at a charming location.

We started with a toast with traditional liquors:

The meal was delicious and all home-made.

Dessert - yummy

Our chef/hostess and the warm fireplace

And last, but definitely not least, we got back on the bus and headed to a local winery for a wine tasting! The wine was good, and the owner was really nice. We wanted to order some wine to bring home, but they are no longer shipping to the USA because of the cost, and inconsistency of the tariffs. So sad that "our" decisions impact people all over the world.

After the wine tasting we headed back to our ship, which had sailed along the river to a new port. Coming back onboard we were given a sweet treat!

Dogs of the Day: Although we did see a couple of dogs, today was definitely a cat day!

Fun Facts about Vukovar and Croatia –

• Croatia was one of the filming locations for the Game of Thrones movies.

• Nikola Tesla, a brilliant scientist and inventor of things such as AC power, and radio, was born in Croatia

• Dalmatian dogs, famous for their distinct black or live­r spots coat pattern, originated in the Dalmatia region of Croatia.

• The area has a nearly 2,000-year-old wine-making tradition

• The Vučedol culture, which inhabited the area around 3000 B.C., was the first to use a calendar based on the movements of the sky (specifically using the constellation Orion)

• Croatia's history, strategic geographical position, and cultural associations have contributed to a high percent of bilingual or multilingual individuals within its populace. The younger generation, particularly, possesses fluency in Italian, German, and English.

Tonight we end the day by sending off this blog, listening to the port talk that prepares us for tomorrow, and enjoying another fabulous dinner! Dorba tek or as we all know, Bon Appétit!