Multi-culti, The Republic of Sherpska,
Slavonia, More Border Crossings
As we depart for our journey to Karanac, we pass one of the only remaining traces of the 1984 Olympics - the Olympic tower - on our way out of Sarajevo. Most of the venues have been destroyed during the war - another reminder of tragic times and destruction.
We gird ourselves for 2 more border crossings even though our driver, Darko, knows all the alternate crossings with no tour buses. But hey, it's 2 more passport stamps - we're up to 5 for the trip so far.
Some Slavonia facts:
- Slavonia is the easternmost province of Croatia, boarded by the Drava, Sava and Danube Rivers.
- Slavonia was a Slavic state for more than 13 centuries.
- Slavonia was declared a semi-autonomous kingdom in 1745, belonging to the Kingdom of Croatia and the Kingdom of Hungary.
- In 1868 Slavonia and Croatia merged
- Slavonia became part of Yugoslavia in 1918.
- When Croatia declared its independence in 1991, Croatia and Serbia fought for control of Slavonia for its fertile agricultural lands, rich hunting grounds and robust wine industry.
As we travel, the rugged terrain becomes very flat. We make a brief photo stop in Maglaj, a town that was caught in the 2015 flood that sent several houses sliding down the hillside. One of the news headlines asked its readership if "Yugoslavia was getting back together?" as a result.
Our lunch stop was Restoran - kind of a funky, cheesy replica of a medieval town. We were greeted by the king himself (ha ha), holding the traditional tray of honey grappa - sigh...if we must:) We expanded our beer exposure with a craft beer made there - Kotpomahnhebo Gazdino Pivo, a lager. It was OK but we still like Sarajevsko the best. Even though the weather has been very similar to Florida's 85-95 degrees, we continue to start meals off with hot soup - this time followed by chicken kabobs and vegetables, a slaw salad and a small cake (which I declined, being ready to pop at any moment).
When we passed through Osijek, there was a very interesting monument to the resistance movement that featured a red Fiat pushing up against a military tank. This was in retaliation for an earlier real incident when a tank flattened a small Fiat. I of course had to take the photo - even though it's not the best quality since we were unable to get out of the bus - on behalf of Fiat owners everywhere.
We finally reached our final destination - the charming village of Karanac. We were greeted by owners Goda and Dennis, with plum brandy (slivovica) that would grow hair on anyone's chest, followed by incredible, fruit-filled, homemade donuts (kroine). Talk about a sugar rush! It took all my will power to turn down a second donut, but we were due to eat again in just a few short hours.
Our next task was to prepare our white cheese for the next day's breakfast. Each of us took a turn making 2 types: garlic/chive and parsley/dill. Patrick was tasked with returning at 9 PM to add the weighted molds to each of the cheeses to help squeeze the whey from the solid curd. (Thanks to Lucia Yamada for photos of me).
Heather, Mary and Susan prepare the garlic, chives, dill and parsley
for the white cheese.
Before we knew it, it was time for another feed - our second home-hosted meal - in our case with Lilly (our cheese guru) and her mother. OMG - once again being greeted with a choice of cherry, elderberry, plum or apricot brandy (I am going to have to undergo major detox once I get home). Our sumptuous meal - all from their livestock and gardens - included sausages, head cheese, a dish similar to our potato salad (but with bread croutons added), cucumbers, potatoes, slaw, cheese and more alcohol - this time a local white and red!
My cozy rustic room, where I am lying, listening to the fat crinkle (ha ha)
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