Vukovar: Bilje … Concert

Our 4-bus convoy was split into two for this morning’s tour. We all left within minutes of each other, but two went to the farthest point of the tour and two went to the nearest point. In group C, we started far with a 50 minute ride to the town of Bilje … a municipality of Osijek. If I recall accurately, Helena said the population is around 5,600.

At the community center, we attended a 15-minute concert by Martina … performing songs such as “Ave Maria” and “Amazing Grace.” She sang mostly in Croatian, but also in English Turns out that she is the local celebrity, gaining fame when she participated in the Croatian Idol TV program. Though she didn’t win, she apparently became more famous than the act that won first place. She has since traveled worldwide, singing in prestigious venues … such as the Sydney Opera House.

When we left the concert, the locals were just leaving mass at the Catholic church next door. Since we were waiting for people who were using the facilities, I went in for a quick look-see. Others followed, but none of us stayed long. It was another 20 minutes or so before the bus arrived to collect us for the short ride to our next stop.

We enjoyed Martina’s performance. That said, the extra time it took to get to and from Bilje, combined with the concert duration and WC break, would have been better used at either of our next two stops.Read more