The long arm of Antoni Gaudi's (remember him from Barcelona?) influence reaches all the way to Subotica near the Serbian border with Hungary. Its art deco buildings don't match those in Napier, New Zealand in number nor those in South Beach for glitz, but they can hold their own in any company. It was surprising to see art deco in the former communist Republic of Yugoslavia. Even the abandoned Jewish synagogue shows a bit of Gaudi.
As those of you who have met us on the road can attest, it's a bit risky to give us your address. We will most likely show up on your doorstep sometime. It's equally risky to tell us where your relatives live. Gordana, one of our table mates on the cruise to Barcelona, put us in touch with her sister, Jelena, a former English teacher who lives in Kikinda. And we just couldn't resist paying her a short visit. Jelena invited us to her flat and answered many of our questions about ancient (and recent) Serbian history, then she showed us around her town. She nonchalantly showed us some of the hundreds of long-eared owls that winter in Kikinda. It was another hard to find new species for us. Jelena was as gracious as could be and we wish we had more time to spend with her. Maybe we can return when Gordana and Samuel visit again.
And Jelena
