Reflecting on the past month

When I walk beside rivers, I slow down, reflect on life, appreciate my surroundings... Along part of the Sava River in New Belgrade is a statue honoring Mohandas (Mahatma) Ghandi, India's major political and spiritual leader, especially his dedication to his philosophy of truth and resistance to evil through active, non-violent resistance, in short peaceful protests. The first photo shows Ghandi's bust along with an exercise group stretching in the background. The second is an earlier photo not far from Ghandi, showing a bicyclist who is, I believe, really meditating or else just lost in thought.

The sky's the limit.

Most buildings in downtown Belgrade average five-six floors, and in some older sections of town a bit less. Here we see an older building that has been "adapted" with three more floors on top; another entire building almost. I hope the planners did their homework...squish. (Happy birthday today to my husband, who should be reading this, and whose office is just around the corner up the street you see running perpendicular to the main one!)
P.S. The fellow on the right is setting up his portable sock stand...

Who's your favorite team?

I'm not a soccer fan at all, just never was interested, but if I were, I'd definitely pay this fellow a visit. He's got just about every team t-shirt and scarf (plus some basketball shirts/shorts) you can imagine. The scarves cost 400 dinars, which is about $8.00. Click on the photo and see if you can find your favorite.

"S" is for Stolen Shopping cart

The other day downtown I saw four of these moveable "stands" used for selling various merchandise. While it's handy to have a stand you can move around, snitching a cart for this purpose from a grocery store isn't the answer, since we all indirectly end up paying for it through raised prices. Shame, shame. Another 'S'! Oh, and by the way, the four-legged man in the background is just a passer-by. :< )

Toot your flute!

Last Saturday night ended the Eurovision song competition that Belgrade hosted this year. During the preceding week, there were more activities and souvenir sellers than usual on Belgrade's pedestrian street, Knez Mihailova. Here are some flutists playing their instruments, and hoping to sell some too. Two of them are wearing the typical Serbian hat called a Šajkača (SHY-kah-cha). Elderly ethnic Serbs in Serbia, Republika Srpska and Montenegro especially in the villages, wear the hat on everyday basis, since it has become a political pro-Serb sign. You can read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sajkaca The gentleman in the front is also wearing typical Serbian shoes called opanci (OH-pahnt-see). I'll be posting a more detailed photo of those later on.

A dose of vitamin D with sunscreen, I hope.

It was quite warm the other day, and as I was walking along the quay of the Sava River, I saw this gentleman enjoying the sun's rays. I think he is actually wearing a Speedo-type bathing suit, but often you'll see men sitting around in the sun their underwear. (I've also seen some ladies in their bras.) People here aren't always so shy about removing articles of what I might deem necessary outer clothing.

Look out below!

Yesterday downtown this giant crane was blocking the street. I waited to see why, and in a few moments workers appeared on top of the building to attach a large desk to cables and lower it to the van below. This may be a common site in some larger world cities, but moving furniture this way here is a novelty. My only question was why this particular ordinary-looking desk, for it didn't look worth the money or trouble to move it. And I wonder how they originally got it in--the same way?

(Very) high-top sneakers.

I think once-upon-a-time I would have bought shoes like this. Nowadays I settle for ones like the white ones in the background. Even though you can only see her legs, you know this girl is very chic--she's wearing nylons for a smoother appearance. This photo, by the way, isn't a belly shot--it's a "camera turned to the side while on my lap" shot. :<)

A talking scale??

I don't know about you, but I don't want to step on this baby! For 20 dinars, or about 39 cents, you can weigh yourself and have this scale blab out your pounds (or probably kilos here) to passers-by! What fun! But it doesn't look as if this chap has much business.
P.S. Speaking of pounds and kilos, I posted the recipe for yesterday's cake in the comment section under that photo.

Hotel Moscow's Specialty

In Belgrade there's a famous hotel, the Hotel Moskva, or Hotel Moscow, which is 100 years old this year. I'll be posting a photo one of these days, but for the moment, there's a big construction crane behind it, and it would be quite a job to photoshop it out.... It is the only hotel of this name outside Russia, and has witnessed numerous tumultuous events. I love to sit in its newly-renovated but still old-style coffee shop, and my husband and I occasionally have dinner in the restaurant. The other night we did, or sort of, since we asked to sit outside on the terrace. This is my husband's dessert (honest--I had chocolate ice cream), and it's the hotel's specialty called Moskva Šnit (MOSK-vah SHNEET), which translates as Moscow Piece (of cake). I'll be happy to post the recipe soon under my comments for this photo, but I'm warning you.....it calls for 16 eggs!

"R" is for "ringlšpil"

Decided to participate in Mrs. Nesbitt's "ABC Wednesday" this week. "Ringlšpil" is the Serbian phonetic equivalent of the German word for "merry-go-round." There are many words in Serbian borrowed from German and French, not to mention the hundreds of words that came into the language during the Turks' 500-year stay, which began in 1389. This merry-go-round, photographed quite early in the morning, is awaiting its first little customers.

Beware: No lifeguard on duty yet.

It's hot here now, but Belgrade's beach on Ada Ciganlija, a large island in the Sava river, commonly known as Gypsy Island, isn't officially open yet. Didn't seem to matter much to this family, especially Mom who wanted to cool off after a 7-km bike ride around the lake. Junior looks bored, and Dad has conked out. Unfortunately, two days ago a 13 year-old boy who had gone swimming with two siblings, but without their parents' knowledge, drowned. The sign reads "Dunav" (Danube), the name of an insurance company...

Urban composition à la Mondrian

This urban composition I photographed down a passageway reminded me of Piet Mondrian's (1874-1944) style that he dubbed Neo-Plasticism, which basically consisted of a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the use of the three primary colors. At one point, he even set up his studio to express the principles of his style, tacking up large rectangular placards, each in a single color or neutral hue. Smaller colored paper squares and rectangles accented the walls. I like the way the person who lives here put mesh over the window and the little air vent...to keep out bugs? By the way, Wikipedia points out that an anagram of the artist's name reveals, "I paint modern." That's spooky!

Why is this man smiling?

If you read his shirt, you'll see why. Or maybe you think he shouldn't be smiling. In any case, our friend Ljubomir (LYOO-bo-meer) is the creator and organizer of the annual World Testicle Cooking Championship, which takes place from June 20th to the 22nd this year just outside of Gornji Milanovac (GOR-nyee-mee-lahn o-vahts), about two hours' drive from Belgrade. The Championship is strictly a cook-off, with none of the raunchiness that often accompanies similar competitions. About 10,000 participants from all over the world (yes, even Australia) are expected this year. Check out the site on the banner for info in English. So, if you're planning a trip to Serbia, pop on down to Gornji Milanovac and have a ball.

Something I like and something I don't.

I don't have a sweet tooth on a regular basis, but from time to time, my body screams,"Sugar!" and I gotta have it. On the left is "krem pita," which literally translated means "cream pie." It's got a delicate bottom and top crust, and a semi-firm, not-too-sweet cream filling. The drink is called "boza." Boza is a cold drink made from fermented grain (here it's made with corn flour) and has a slightly acidic sweet flavor. It is a drink of great antiquity, first originating in Mesopotamia 8000-9000 years ago, but today's best boza is said to be made according to an Albanian recipe. Some make a boza "spritzer" by adding lemonade, but in either case, it's not a favorite of mine. It does however contain a lot of vitamins, especially vitamin B, and is reputed to increase breast size....

Beauty underfoot.

There are hundreds if not thousands of plain or embellished manhole covers in our cities, but few people think of them as art, thoughAmazon.com offers a book about them. Belgrade's sewer system is 103 years old, and was laid out by Serbian engineers with the help of German, Austrian, Hungarian, and French experts. On this cover you can see some of Belgrade's landmarks like the statue of The Victor shown in earlier posts. By the way, why are we still calling them "manhole" covers when we live in such a PC world? "Personhole?" I don't think so. I think PC can go too far sometimes!

A "dinar" for her thoughts...

Like many European cities, it's really difficult to find a parking space in downtown Belgrade, so I always take the bus across the river to the center. One-ride tickets cost 29 dinars (about 53 cents) if you buy them at a kiosk, but more if you buy them in the bus. Working people and students can buy monthly passes. In any case, I am continually fascinated by people's faces. I stared at this lady's pensive expression for nearly the whole ride, and she was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice my snapping her picture as I held my camera on my knees. What's she thinking of?

Read any good books lately?

Here's another way people here avoid paying fees or rent for a real stand or little shop: they lay out all their wares on the hood (bonnet for you Brits!) and roof of their car! This person, who is from out of Belgrade as you can tell by the GL (Gnjilane, a small town in Eastern Kosovo) on his license plate, has quite a selection for young and old. He can also hightail it when the inspectors come, but I think he'd better remove the books from his windshield....

Keychains!

I've posted this photo sideways so you won't get a crooked neck or have to tilt your computer screen! These are keychains with some Serbian guy/girl first names or nicknames. Some aren't so popular, like Glorija, but others like Katarina and Dejan are. Girls' names are often for (sweet!) fruits, like "Jagoda," (YAH-go-da) which means "strawberry." "Joca" ( YOHT-sa) is short for "Jovan," "Gaga" is short for "Dragana," and "Goca" (GOHT-sa) is short for Gordana," also pictured here. I could buy the "David" one for my cousin and the "Dejan" one for my son. My daughter and I, who have Latin-based names, can never find ours here.

Serbia moves forward!

Yesterday Serbia's parliamentary elections took place, and it had all come down to a very simple choice: forwards or backwards, i.e. forward toward the European Union or back to the isolationism of the '90's. This little Belgrade sparrow, complete with his little šajkača (SHY-kah-cha) a typical Serbian hat, is pleased to announce that citizens voted to move forward. I took this photo fairly early this a.m., as a new day dawned on Serbia.

Passing the time

Caught these two young Serbian Orthodox priests the other day not far from Belgrade's large park, Kalemegdan, and the capital's busy walking street, Knez Mihailova. The one closest to us was passing the time in a traditional fashion, deeply absorbed in a book, while the other was text-messaging, possibly even to his wife, for except for bishops who are required to remain celibate, the Orthodox Church has always allowed priests and deacons to be married, provided the marriage takes place before ordination. In general it is preferable for parish priests to be married as they often act as council to married couples and thus can draw on their own experience. NOTE!! Thanks to Abe of http://brookvilledailyphoto.blogspot.com, who noticed that BOTH priests are using cell phones. I guess the reader is either intentionally hiding his phone to appear more "serious," or else he's just answering or texting like anyone else!

Pump 'em up!

Buildings (see yesterday's post) aren't the only things that need a lift sometimes. The sign above this bra says, "with a pump," and sure enough, if you click on the photo, you'll see the little pump that comes with this piece of lingerie. It's an imported item, or so it seems, since the instructions are in English...

Traces of the past

Belgrade's face bears the traces of its history, just as wrinkles on our faces reveal much about our lives. Though proud of its past, it's apparent from building and renovation going on all over that the city wants to give itself a face lift, a little nip/tuck here and there. In this photo you can see three different styles. Modern may be functional and slick, but I still like the detail that used to be given to facades, and the flowers that were added here as a bit of "make-up."

Sister soul

While out walking the dog and scouting for photos yesterday, I came across this lady walking through a field in New Belgrade. Veronika explained that she photographs "everything," and is especially interested in graffiti, which unfortunately covers just about anything here that doesn't move. Yesterday though, she was photographing wildflowers and taking home the small bouquet that you see here. I told her about my blog and all of our blogs, so she may be checking you out. How nice for me---she let me take her photo without my having to resort to a "belly shot." Thank you, Veronika!

Still good for more kilometers

It's the shoes, I think, that are still good for some more kilometers, not the baby carriage that's seen better days. See anything you like? :<)

Two for one today!

I just had to post both these photos today. The first one is one of my "belly shots," taken waist level so the subject won't know I'm snapping away. This little lady is selling violets and a vegetable that I don't know the name of in English, so if anyone does, please tell me! (It's not spinach and it isn't chard.) The poster reads, "Kosovo is Serbia." I bought all her violets and all of the "zelje," (ZEL-yay) as it's known here, which is good steamed, and then you add crushed garlic and sour cream; yum. I persuaded her to let me take her portrait, but as soon as I pointed the camera at her, she put on her mug shot expression. The man selling shoelaces next to her managed to tease her so I could get a smile! (I took his photo a bit earlier on through another "belly shot"!)

"I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do......"

Who doesn't love to see a happy bride? Yesterday in Belgrade you could have seen 400 happy brides (and grooms) at the capital's 10th Collective Wedding Ceremony, a tradition started during the 1999 NATO bombing as a message to young people that love can triumph over hate. During the last 10 years, couples from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Canada, the USA, Sweden, Denmark, and China have exchanged their vows together. If you're planning a wedding, you have time to sign up for next year! (Notice the gypsy trumpeters in the background. No wedding should be without a gypsy brass band; they're great.)

Some "doo" and some "doo" not.

Belgrade has a number of really beautiful parks, large and small. Retired people on benches soak up the sun, lovers kiss in the shade of a tree, mothers keep a watchful eye on their children playing nearby. You can walk or sit on the grass too, if you dare. Up until fairly recently, there was no scoop law, and even now, strolling over the grass requires as much concentration as making your way through a mine field. You're more liable to soil your shoes in a small park; less grass for dogs to go on... The girl on the left is "doo-ing" her duty by picking up after her dog. Some "doo" not, as seen on the right.

Sign? I didn't see any sign!

This is the side entrance to the market where I took the "Treasures..." photo posted April 29th. Aside from the obvious "No dogs allowed," this sign reads "No selling of old things," which is exactly what the men on the other side of the fence are doing, laying their wares out on newspaper or just on the stones. In this way they avoid paying a fee for a real stand, like the one where my treasures were offered for sale, but they risk a fine if the inspectors come along.

Once upon a time there were two friends...

Earlier on in my posts I'd mentioned Vuk Karadžić (Vook KA-ra-jeech) 1787-1864, a language scholar and the father of Serbian folk literature who reformed the Cyrillic alphabet for Serbian use, and created one of the simplest and most logical spelling systems. Vuk also wrote down many folk tales and proverbs that up until then had only been passed on orally. His German friend, Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), liked these tales so much that he learned Serbian in order to read them as well as Serbian epic poetry in the original. He then translated them into German, and they were so popular in his homeland that they sold out as quickly as they were published. This street sign reads "Brothers Grimm street," named for him as well as his brother (who never learned Serbian, but who helped his brother preserve some great fairy tales...)

I WAS A BILLIONNAIRE ONCE! (And so was everyone else.)

Numbers is the theme today, and the astonishing denomination of this note - five hundred billion dinars - bears witness to the economic chaos that can follow political upheaval. After the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991-92, the newly-independent republics began issuing their own notes. Inflation and spiraling prices forced the government to issue notes for unimaginable sums. People find this hard to believe, but at that time if one was lucky enough to have foreign currency to change, one did so JUST for the amount needed right then and there, since a few hours later the dinars' value had gone down. No kidding. If you visit Belgrade, you can buy one of these big bills for around 100 dinars (now about $2.00), or buy it online for around $22.95. None of the currency featured is in use anymore, except the coins. By the way, the man on the bill is Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj (YO-vahn Yo-VAHN-oh-veetch Zm-eye) 1833-1904, known as the father of Serbian children's literature.