We caught a 6 am bus over and arrived shortly after 7. We quickly finished the business that brought us there and had several hours before we had to return, so we changed some money in the menjacnica (exchange) so that we could get some coffee, etc.
The man working there was so friendly...I joked that he should be employed by the local tourist bureau. He answered all of our questions...about the town, where to get good coffee, where to catch the return bus to Novi Sad.
We walked a little ways down the block to the coffee bar. We had wonderful expresso for 2 Kuna each. The woman working the bar was also friendly and we passed a comfortable half hour there. Also, the bathroom was so clean. Softest paper I have experienced since coming to Eastern Europe..hahaha.
Also, the bathroom was unisex, which is not uncommon here. You walk in a door marked Toilette and on the left is a stall with a picture for women and on the right is one for men. There is a common sink area. In this particular one, against one wall are urinals...fortunately there were no men in there when I came in. I think I would faint if I walked in and some man was in there urinating! I'm not saying I would be fearful, just shocked! I see where talk of the Equal Rights Amendment - ERA is coming up again in America. This was the old bugaboo when I was growing up..."unisex toilettes would result".
We decided to walk over to a local Vintner and buy some Croatian wine. Wine from Ilok is famous and served in many fine restaurants and even in the court of Queen Elizabeth II. We had purchased wine from this local man in the past.
On the way to his home, we walked up a hill to a little park and explored it. In doing so we found a 13th century fortress with walls covering quite an expanse of area. In the area around it is another park with various monuments and statuary. I took many pictures of the fortress and park, one of which I am posting here.
We also visited the Church of St. Ivan Kapistrano (St. Juan of Capistrano in the US). The Church is undergoing renovation, but the workers allowed us to walk through and look. It was absolutely beautiful. Very ornate with two side altars. The main altar had a reliquary, but I could not get really close to see due to the scaffolding and work being done around it. However, I am posting a photo of it.
When we arrived at the Vintner, he was very welcoming. He took us down into the winery and I took photos. This is a pretty big family business. I saw about 10 vats. It was all very clean. I had my picture taken with him and we promised to return on our next trip to Ilok.
We still had some time, so we slowly walked back to the cafe and had some of the local pivo (beer). There are several from Croatia and we tried Osjecko. It was very good. Crisp and light tasting and not sweet. Some of the beer I have had in this area tastes kind of sweet. I don't particulary like them. The waitress brought us some kikiriki (peanuts) and we just relaxed and enjoyed beer and conversation.
Soon it was time to leave, so we walked out and caught the return bus to Novi Sad. We will definitely return soon and picnic in that park by the fortress.
