October 19, 2020 – A Homeland War volunteer and his wife chose to live in the plains. The couple replaced Normandy with Baranja, and this is their story.
As Glas Slavonije reports, when in 1992, as a Homeland War volunteer, he joined Croatian Army units, Philippe Guerin, one of about 60 French volunteers who fought in the Homeland War, could not even dream that 30 years later he would move from his native Normandy to Croatia, Baranja, to a small village of Karanac. That is exactly what happened a few months ago.
No urban areas, nor the Adriatic coast
Philippe and his wife Jessie liked the "blue house" on Kolodvorska Street in Karanac. They did not think for too long and they soon became the owners of this property in the Baranja ethno village.
Before the war in Croatia, Philippe did not know much about the former Yugoslavia. In France, he was a professional soldier, a non-commissioned officer in the French army.
"With the fall of the Berlin Wall, I realized that the dangers of communism were gone. As a result, I left the army and got a job as a heavy truck driver,” says Philippe. In the early '90s, he lived with a girl who decided to go to the UK.
"If you go there, I will go to Croatia, where the war started," he told her. And it was like that.
At the beginning of 1992, he joined the HOS units in Zadar and later moved to Gromovi (thunder). When foreign volunteers left the Croatian Army, he ended up in Bosnian Posavina, and then in Široki Brijeg, in Mostar. All in all, he fought for approximately two years.
After returning to France, he took a job as a merchant in Cannes. It was preceded by the severance of an earlier relationship with a girl who had chosen the UK for her future life.
"I worked at Cannes until 1996 when I met an American officer through a friend who suggested that I join IFOR troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but not as a soldier, as a logistician. I came to the rehearsal and stayed. I ended up in Kosovo, but I didn't like it there. Returning home, in 2001, I was thinking about what to do next and decided to pursue tourism. I finished three years of college, in the meantime, I got married and together with my wife founded the Balkans Discovery Tours agency. One of the arrangements is a visit to Slavonia and Baranja," explains Philippe Guerin continuing that the decision was made to buy a house somewhere in Croatia. They were searching the ads for quite some time. Since they used to live in a village, they excluded urban areas, but also the Adriatic coast.
Village of Karanc in Baranja, Croatia, where the couple bought a house / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić
A small paradise for retirement
"Well done to Dalmatia, but our wish was plain. We gave up a beautiful house in Zagorje since it is a hilly area. We also liked the wooden house in Srb, but it is a village without a church and any Croatian flag. And, finally, Jessie showed me a blue house in Karanac. We called the owner, met with him, and bought an older house this summer," says Philippe.
He first placed a large mast with the Croatian flag and the Normandy flag in the yard and then began the reconstruction.
They decided to turn the house in Karanak into a small paradise that they will enjoy when they retire. Admittedly, Philippe will stay in it more often, and Jessie, who has her job in France, a bit less often.
'I do not intend to live in France anymore'
During his stay in Karanac, since August this year, Philippe has been working on the renovation every day. He's planning a lot. After changing the roof, he will build a summer terrace and a mechanical workshop. He will turn one room into a library, and in the attic, he plans to make an exhibition space for his collection of old telephones, gramophones, phonograms, military helmets, etc.
"I do not intend to live in France anymore. I am annoyed by the politicians there, the laws, immigration... You say that the tax in Croatia is high, and in France, you would kill yourself by paying it," says Philippe.
This is not the first older property he's bought. In France, he is the owner of a 13th-century castle, which he has completely restored. They like it in Baranja. Friendly people, excellent gastronomic offer, peace, and tranquility, are only a small part of the reasons why Baranja has already grown close to their hearts.
Philippe does not drink alcohol, but he knows that there are top wines in Baranja, which Jessie confirms.
"But I can't understand that most people pour water into wine. We don't do it in France. You should enjoy pure wine,” explains Philippe.
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