Luvapuzzle: 25/6 Osijek, wetlands , wines and war history plus too much food

The next day was another busy one, as we headed out with Matte early, Trevor and I were really lucky to travel in a car (special disability treatment) , while the others went in a small bus which is owned by Maksimilian. We headed first to the wetlands of the Kopacki Rit nature park, where we walked on the boardwalk and then caught the first boat tour of the day through the extensive sanctuary, thereby missing the crowds.

This is one of the largest natural wetlands in Europe and is formed from the Danube river when levels rise. It is situated in the confluence of the Danube and the Drava river and covers 238 hectares which are declared as a Unesco biosphere reserve and home to 290 different bird species. We didn't see any of the white tailed Eagles which live here. Apparently there are many deer, along with wild boar, marten, sable and otter. We didn't see them either.The place was swarming with mosquitos. We did see some of the very basic cormorants and heron that live here in hordes and it was lovely on the water- with a cool breeze created by the movement giving respite from the constant heat.

The next stop was the hunting lodge that Tito used to use as one of his retreats. If we thought that the mosquitos were bad in the wetland, we had to think again. We didn't stay to see this place for long due to their constant irritations.
Apparently the soldiers would round up the deer into the area this photo below is taken from , and then Tito and his friends would take shots at them form the balcony behind the tree.
When Tito fired, at least 2 soldiers also fired. Tito pretty much always got a kill shot.

The house is in the process of repair and will become an environmental museum when completed. To the right of the view you can see (this is the back of the house) there is a more modern set of rooms with windows looking out to this area also. Apparently many of Tito's important meetings were held here and it was much bugged.
Sophia Loren also visited here a lot.

Escaping from the mozzies , we headed north again. A bit of a winery visit was next on the list. Down into the cellars of Vina Belje there were long rows of barrels, beautifully presented. We tasted three of their favourite wines and bought a bottle of white to drink later on.

Into the transport again and we were soon at the Spomenik Batinskoj Bitci monument. This huge pillar on a hill overlooks the river with Serbia directly in front and Hungary slightly further over to the left as you face the river. This is virtually where the three countries meet and was the site of the battle of Batina. Russia still maintains the monument. The Battle was in November 1944 between the Red Army (with the Peoples Liberation Army) and the Germans. The battle lasted a couple of weeks, but the losses were extreme. The view is absolutely stunning ,but the place feels sad due to the history.

the view, including the tiny town of Batina

There is another war memorial on the other side of the river.

Next stop was a small village, where the locals have Gators. Gators are wine cellars dug horizontally into the hill. They work well and are a lovely place to entertain your friends and share a meal and a few drinks with them.. We were really lucky that one of the locals was doing just that and noticed us having a look outside. He invited us in to his gator and offered another glass of wine to each of us.

It was getting a bit late in the day after all of this driving around, so we were happy to arrive at our lunch spot for the day and to sit down to lunch of a traditional pork stew cooked in clay pot rotated next to a fire for hours. By the time we left we had had too much to eat by a mile and also quite enough to drink. This place (Baransckaja Kuca, in the town of Karanac) serve traditional food, but also have lots of small collections of old things like pipes, guns, spoon, coffee grinders, also a small village of traditional shops once used for trades which no longer exist as they once did - a clog maker, mill, barber/ dentist, ice cellar etc.

lunch cooking on the coals

There was one more stop on the way home. We drove home through rolling hills covered with vines and it was delightful. Just when we thought that it couldn't be any better we pulled over and had a break under a beautifully situated shelter, looking out at the beauty all around us.

After a much needed rest at our accommodation we decided that all we needed for dinner was a snack, and we joined some of the others in the old square for a small coleslaw (Erica) and a small plate of Nachos (Trevor) before continuing on to the local icecream place for a taste of the local offering (Trevor). This was the messiest icecream of the trip. The cone leaked and the icecream melted down, running over Trevor's hand in a sticky mess.Luckily there was a river to rinse in.

Then we continued on to the "catacombs" on the other side of the river for a quick geocache hunt and a quick look at the catacombs and the local memorial. Unfortunately the local hornets made themselves known and chased us home a little sooner than we had intended.