The women of tiny Donji Milanovac were ready for us with an impressive line-up of stands selling mostly lace work. I pulled a pretty green sweater on over my blouse to see if it fit and looked around for a cruise-mate to tell me if it worked. The lady selling the sweater had it handled and pulled out a mirror then showed me where to stand for the best light. Having been relocated in 1970 due to a new dam this town of 1,500 has only a couple historic monuments and buildings to attract tourist trade, so the residents have to hustle. Smiling boys sold honey beside out gang plank. A kitten greeted us, yowling to be petted as we stepped off the ship. The priest stood at the church entrance welcoming us with open hands.
![Just downriver is the sculpture of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia.](https://i0.wp.com/breathtakebyways.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IMG_4665.jpg?resize=300%2C400&ssl=1)
Just downriver is the sculpture of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia.
The church was a surprise. It was Serbian Orthodox, and seating was limited to a handful of decorative and severely uncomfortable chairs along the walls. Those were for the infirm. Everyone else is expected to stand for the length of the service–90 minutes to 2 hours. Nobody sleeps through the sermons here.
A couple things I liked about the town were several mellow dogs, huge hydrangeas growing here and there, and a strange machine about the size of a golf cart that chugged along with little speed and a whole lot of clamor. I couldn’t tell what it was supposed to be doing.