We braved the heat until 2pm today and it worked out very well. We caught two buses to a town 9 kilometres from Novi Sad called Sremski Karlovci. Olivera assisted her friend Ruzica as our tour guide for the day.
We entered the garden of the high school where boys of about fifteen study for four years to be priests in the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The building was designed in Vienna and looked in excellent condition.
The Patriarch spends his summers here and we even caught a glimpse of his crown. He holds the position until he dies. The cathedral church is next door.
It is beautiful inside with many icons and a recording of singing playing continuously. Olivera offered a prayer.
We had a drink at the cafe opposite, then walked past the Catholic Church which was closed. We climbed a hill through the old houses, then sat in a Senior Citizens Club yard where we were welcomed and able to buy an orange juice each. The plane tree in the garden is 270 years old and one of the biggest anywhere.
Olivera had booked us into the Restaurant of the Dunav (Danube) Hotel where we sat next to the Danube.
We had a magnificent feast. Malcolm had pork fillet with cherry sauce. The black cat wandering around our table caught a sparrow for lunch.
We all had a pancake with ice-cream and cherries for dessert. The waiter called a taxi for us and in the meantime we admired this bench made from a tree washed up on the river.
We got back to air-conditioned comfort right on 2pm and finally managed to pay US$120 for our Turkish Visas and get them printed out at the Fuji shop.
At 7pm we emerged again and walked slowly to Ruzeka's flat in the heat. We admired her original work in decorating the wall.
She had asked what we would like to have to eat and after the big lunch we requested fruit salad. She had spent considerable time cutting up fruit to make an excellent traditional fruit salad.
We gave Ruzika two little plates with koalas on them as a means of expressing our gratitude for the wonderful day she helped to provide for us. We chatted about nursing education and families and walked home by 9:30pm.
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