Croatia: Getting to Know You

Friday, August 29, 2025

I’m now able to add another new country to my list. Today, Friday, we are in Croatia. We have three stops to make today: our first stop is to the cathedral to the assumption of Saint Mary in Kolocsa, Hungary for a beautiful concert by a local singer. Then onto the city’s Trinity Square. But the best adventure is a visit to the home of a Croatian family that will help us to know more about family life in Croatia, hence the title of this post.

The Cathedral

Cathedral of the Assumption of Saint Mary, Kalocsa, Hungary.
Interior of the Cathedral of Saint Mary
This is damage inside the church that was part of the 1991 war in eastern Europe. On this trip, we saw a lot of damage from this war that truthfully, I didn’t know anything about. It’s one of the good things about international travel as you get to know how people around the world live and experience history!
The choral and pipe organ balcony
“How Great Thou Art” by singer at the Cathedral of the Assumption of St. Mary

Trinity Square

Trinity Square: Baroque plague column from the 16th Century. These monuments were erected hoping to stop the plague in their cities.
Trinity square.

Home Visit

Viking made arrangements for all 170 of us to visit in a home with a family to get a better feel of Eastern Europe. The family we met has spent part of the war of 1991 in a refugee camp. After the war of 1991 they were for the first time since World War II able to purchase a house and own land.

Our house was a mother and her two daughters. One daughter was a beautician and the other is a beekeeper. Family owns 5 acres of land away from the city center, and she’s able to have 40 beehives that provide income for the family. (The family is also paid by Viking to open their houses to guest. They’ve been doing this for nine years.)


They served a lovely snack of herb and mint tea with a chocolate cake made with honey. In their small yard they have fabulous fruit, trees, and vegetables growing in protected areas.
This was a wonderful experience to get to visit with them. They talked about their time during the war of independence from Solviet domination and the joy to be able purchase their own home and land.

Croatian home visit.

Family use the small plot of land around their house to provide fresh vegetables and fruit for daily use.

Tomatoes and figs

The moon came out to help me celebrate a fantastic day.

Moon from iPhone

More adventures tomorrow…

Ellen

Published by

Unknown's avatar

carpentres

I am the retired Department Chair of Family & Child Studies at Appalachian State University. I retired in 2017 after 23 years at the University.

Leave a comment