Happy Halloween!!!

BOO!! Happy Halloween! This is me (actually, Bibi is my dog...) in a photo taken by my son on his cell phone, which has funny photo options. I think Bibi looks very Sixties/Seventies with her afro, don't you?

Young love, old love, same love.

These photos were taken just within a few meters and a few moments from each other. I thought they were so touching--the young couple standing up, facing in the same direction, perhaps thinking of their future, and the older couple seated, each absorbed in his/her own thoughts, and perhaps reflecting on the past.

ABC Wednesday "O" is for "Oh, wow, was I lucky!"

This hummingbird moth zooming in for a taste of a black-eyed Susan looks more like a country shot than one taken a busy street in Belgrade. I saw this little bugger (pun intended) hovering around the flowers and took about 10 shots. Only this one turned out just right, with the moth centering itself unintentionally (or maybe it felt sorry for me) on the oval of a satellite dish. And I didn't crop this one either!

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All wrapped up and nowhere to go

Don't these look like something you'd see on a Paris catwalk? They're only mannequins with material wrapped around them to look like skirts and tops, but I think they're really imaginative. I came across them in a dingy underground passage that connects two sides of one of Belgrade's main streets. Whoever created them should consider a career in fashion and literally move up, I think.

Students' Square

This post is dedicated to Branka from Canada, who wrote that she often met with her friends in this park during her student days in Belgrade. This square is the city's oldest, dating from 1824 when the first attempt to regulate the city streets was made. Earlier on, it was the “grand market” inside a fortress on the main road to Istanbul. Now it's still on a heavily traveled street, although not one that leads to Istanbul, and the square is the last stop for all buses serving downtown Belgrade. The park is now more of a gathering place for dog walkers than students, though the Faculty of Math and Natural Sciences and the Philological and Philosophical Faculties are nearby. If you're wondering about the hammer and sickle, this is just some graffiti spray-painted by someone longing for days gone by!

A break from bricks

Walking in Kalemegdan Park a week or so ago, I came across a group of masons repairing one of the fortress's huge brick walls. I lingered, hoping to sneak a shot, when the fellow on the left saw me. He waved and said, "Take my photo!" and then called his buddy over, too. Once again I promised them a photo, which I've since taken to them, and they were happy! Check out more bricks and the meaning of the fortress's name here .

Dare to eat me!

Last Sunday, which was another gorgeous Indian Summer day, my son and I drove to Kovačica (Ko-VAH-cheet-sa), a village about a half an hour from Belgrade. This predominantly ethnically Slovak village is known throughout the world for its naïve (self-taught) painters. The tradition was started in 1939 and advanced in the 1950’s when several peasants took to painting scenes from their daily lives. Neither of us paints, but we did put our artistic talents to work on the Wiener Schnitzel my son ordered for lunch by rearranging the fries. Maybe I should have saved this one for Halloween.

Skywatch Friday--The Victor in the Tree

The statue "The Victor” commemorates the Serbian victory over the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I. With its pedestal, this bronze statue in Kalemegdan Park rises over 14 meters. The statue was created by the famous Ivan Meštrović over 75 years ago, and was originally intended to stand on one of the largest streets downtown. Because he was naked (The Victor, not Meštrović!), The Victor was deemed an affront to public morality and moved to the park where he overlooked the Sava and Danube toward the great plain beyond. Now this plain has become New Belgrade, and I thought he might feel shy, so I've hidden him in this treetop...

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Happy Birthday to my little girl....

Today my daughter is....older than she was yesterday! Because she's living in the U.S. and can't celebrate with her brother and me, we gathered together some of her childhood friends. The little fellow in the blue pyjamas is Edward, named after a friend's son who was born about the time she received the doll as a present. Edward was/is much loved; his left eye doesn't close anymore, and his body bears marks of a bout with a ball point pen. The little Cabbage Patch girl in the middle (ashamed to say I have forgotten her name...) was selected because my daughter liked her lips. On the right is Hospital Baby, dating from the time when my daughter was hospitalized for bronchopneumonia when she was only two. The only doll she could take with her was one that could be washed easily. Edward is holding my daughter's favorite spoon, which used to be mine when I was little. They're all sitting on a small patchwork I made for her when she was born. Each patch tells a tale, too. Happy, happy birthday to my little baby. Mama and big brother love you, and we know your father is looking over you too, with love.

ABC Wednesday "N" is for "newlyweds"

A few days ago I posted a photo of the town of Vršac (VUR-shots) seen from a hill overlooking the city. At the lovely hotel on top where I went to walk around, I came upon a wedding in full swing, and caught these newlyweds posing for one of their first photos together as man and wife. My photo's from a different angle, to be sure! For another bigger wedding photo in Belgrade, see here .

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Let there be music!

A Sunday or two ago I came upon these two musicians who were warming up to play for the bride and groom and their friends and family, who were about to exit Belgrade's main church. Musicians like these hang around churches when weddings take place, hoping to earn a few dinars, and perhaps be invited to play more tunes at the wedding reception.

Fungi art!

Yesterday Belgrade's Mycological Society held its annual mushroom and fungi show. Mushroom and fungi lovers from all over Serbia came to display and admire collections of commonplace and rare mushrooms. Unlike the recent Honey Show, there was no sampling allowed! Pictured above is something I had never seen before: fungi art! Not artwork made out of fungi, but art on fungi. The artist takes tree fungus, boils and dries it, preps the now hard-as-rock surface, then uses oil paint to create the religious scenes you see here. To own a piece of this very original artwork, be prepared to hand over from 50 to 120 euros. And you thought mushrooms were only for eating!

Evening mist over Vršac

The name of town of Vršac (VUR-shots) is derived from the Slavic word vrh (hard to pronounce, but it's something like "vurh"), meaning "summit." The town, about an hour's drive from Belgrade, lies on the bed of the former Pannonian Sea, today known as the Pannonian Plain in Central Europe Ottoman Turks destroyed the town in the 16th century, but it was soon rebuilt. In 1594, Serbs from the region started a large uprising against Ottoman rule, and Vršac region was center of this uprising. Later this area fell under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and of now is part of Serbia. The town lies at the foot of part of the Pannonian Mountains, and is known for its good wine.

New shoes, new wine

Caught this little fellow the other day in Vršac (VUR-shots), a town about an hour or so from Belgrade toward the Romanian border. He's in a shoe store, as you can see, and is also loaded with bottles of locally produced wine. The sign in front of him invites passers-by to a wine-tasting. As for prices of the shoes, you can count about 60 dinars for $1.00 or about 73 dinars for one euro.

Skywatch Friday--Moon over the Danube

I've been inspired by Louis la Vache in San Francisco (http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/), who's been taking some moon shots recently. I'm not good at this, but have promised myself to practice every time there's a full moon. We'll see how good I get eventually. In the photo you see my over-exposed moon shining on Belgrade's main church and the Danube.

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One of us

Walking along the bank of the Sava recently and enjoying our Indian Summer, I had the pleasure to meet Marjan (MAHR-yahn), a fellow photographer, who's doing here what probably a lot of us would like to do. I certainly would, but never seem to get myself organized, with all my other daily obligations. He sells his tastefully framed and well-composed photographs for 1500 dinars, which is about $30.00, and says he manages to sell a couple each time he comes down to the riverside. The sign on the left is for his telescope that he's going to set up at twilight so that for 20 dinars a peek, folks can see the moon, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars, which he says will be visible.

ABC Wednesday "M" is for "Memories"

This post is dedicated to a Serbian gentleman who recently wrote to me through my blog. I was very touched by his email. He grew up here, but his parents wished a better life for him, and bought him a ticket to the US when he finished high school in the mid-sixties. Off he went, never to return. He sent me the top photo of a corner in Belgrade that was dear to him, and asked me to photograph it now, and so I did. There are very few changes. Here is part of what he wrote to me in his email:

"...The day before I had to go, I came out on street on which I grew up, and went to the nearest corner where I spent perhaps more time in my life then that I did in school, or at home, or anywhere else. That was the corner where I and my friends were growing up, day after day, year after year. Everything was happening there. The corner was at the intersection of street called Lenjingradska (now renamed Petrogradska) and a street named Topolska... My house was less than half a block away from that corner, but most of my childhood and adolescence, and of many friends who lived in neighboring houses, was developing on that corner. That was the safest place in the world for us, from which we launched our fantasies, our dreams, our plans for the future, our self-assertion, our sense of positive regard for each other, and everything else which those early phases of life bring. By now, most of us are all gone from that place. Some have died, some just disappeared without a trace.That day, not believing that all of that was coming to an end, I borrowed a camera from a friend and went to that corner to take a picture of it. It was still early in the day, before noon, women were going to and coming back from the market, and kids younger than me were still in school. I stood across the corner on which we used to gather, and took a picture of it, but then stood there for almost an hour, trying to remember everything about it, the smell of the air, the sounds of people walking by, the very essence of the world in which I lived until then..."

So, dear sir, I have dedicated this "Memories" post to you. I wish you well.

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On pins and needles

This is another "Darn--where's my camera?" photo taken on my cell phone when I didn't have my real camera. But I couldn't let this guy get away. Blagoje (BLAH-go-yeh, his name which has its root in the word "to bless") was walking along, calling out, "Needles! Scissors! Zippers!" and smiling all the while. I bought a pair of scissors that I didn't really need, since he was so cute. He let me take his photo and made me promise to send him a photo, which I will happily do. I also admired his cleverness in using one of those pull carts to display his merchandise while he pushed it in front of him, and to store it in when he finished his daily rounds. His sign reads:

• Needles...!!!
• sewing needles
• sewing machine needles
• crochet needles
• knitting needles
• tapestry needles
• safety pins
• carpet needles

Blagoje has it all. I especially like the fact he also sold bandaids, and he treated me to a pack when he wrapped up my scissors. Do I look like a klutz??

Laugh, and the whole world....

...laughs with you. This girl was undoubtedly thinking happy thoughts, or else she was very pleased to see these brilliant, gigantic flowers at Belgrade's recent Plant and Flower Show. She even kept smiling when she saw me take this photo.

"Happy ever after in the market place..."

Well, I'm definitely somehow on a rock "roll" now, with this photo named after the Beatles' song. This happy couple have a stand in a small market downtown, where they sell all kinds of batteries, plugs, extension cords...enlarge the photo to see. Before I took their photo, I'd been trying to photograph on the sly a woman selling cabbages, but she wasn't lining up as I liked. This lady gesticulated to me, making "clicking the camera motions," and said in English, "Please--photo!" (Imagine--she thought I was a tourist!) She was happy to find out I could really communicate with her, and we had a little chat. She pulled her husband over, and there's the photo. I promised her, as I often do with people, a hard copy.

Gimme Shelter!

You may think I'm on a music gig with my Purple Rain title yesterday and my reference to the Rolling Stones' song title today. But this pup was seeking shelter from our cold weather that we had a little while back. Oh, if those curtains just hung down a little bit more...

Purple Rain?

Not sure this is what Prince had in mind when he wrote Purple Rain, but there's not an umbrella in sight here. These balls are part of an advertisement for Komercijalna Banka, a Serbian bank founded in 1970, with 251 branches all over the country. These purple and white spheres are actually large stickers on the bank's window, and what you see behind the balls is actually a reflection of part of Belgrade's recent annual Flower and Plant Show.

A Politician with a Sense of Humor

Nikola Pašić (PA-sheech) 1845 - 1926, was a politician and diplomat. He was the most important Serbian political figure in the country for almost 40 years, twice mayor of Belgrade (1890-91 and 1897), several times prime minister of Serbia (1891-92, 1904-05, 1906-08, 1909-11, 1912-18) and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (the future Yugoslavia) 1918, 1921-24, 1924-26). He was also an important politician in the Balkans who, together with his counterparts in Greece and Romania, managed to strengthen their small, still emerging national states against strong foreign influences, most notably from Austria, Hungary, Turkey, and Russia. This is all quite admirable in itself, but Pašić was also known for his sense of humor. I wonder if he'd think it was funny that there's often a pigeon on his head.

ABC Wednesday "L" is for "lashes"

At Belgrade's recent annual Flower and Plant Show, I caught this seller taking time out to refresh her make-up. Gotta get those lashes ready to flutter. Join ABC Wednesday at: http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

Back in Belgrade...15 years later!

This is probably my first really personal photo. Here are Chris and Jenny, two teachers who taught at the International School of Belgrade 15 years ago! They fell in love with Belgrade and the Serbs, and have always kept up contact with me and with Chris's Serbian cousins. Their travels have taken them to China (10 years!!), Costa Rica (4 years), and now they're in Doha, Qatar. But their hearts are in Belgrade, where they've just visited over their school's Ramadan break. In this photo they're about to enjoy a starter dish of kajmak (KY-mak), a rich, creamy type of spread guaranteed to eventually clog your arteries. Bon appétit, or Prijatno! (pree-YET-no), as they say here.

The Honey Fair

Yesterday was the last day of the annual Honey Fair in Tašmajdan (tash-MY-dahn) Park downtown. This fair is the largest honey fair, though there are smaller ones held occasionally at different times during the year throughout the city. Several hundred honey farmers or apiarists gather in the park to sell royal jelly, candles, beekeeping equipment, cookies, cakes, mead, and of course, all kinds of honey. I bought a kilo (large jar) of almond blossom honey with the comb inside. You can see that it was raining and quite chilly, which didn't deter crowds from taking advantage of some price reductions during the last day.

National Assembly of Serbia, then and now.

Construction on the National Assembly of Serbia started in 1907, with the cornerstone being laid by King Petar I. World War I delayed construction, and the original plans to the building were lost. The sculpture, Black Horses Playing, visible in the second photo, was placed in front of the building in 1939. You can see that the building visible in the first photo has been torn down, and that there are a lot of cars around now, whose drivers pay around 100 dinars per liter (approx. $8.00 a gallon) for gasoline, as opposed to the 8 dinars it sold for back in 1934, as in the first photo. But I guess that was a lot then. If you were expecting me to tell you about Serbian politics, you're probably disappointed, for I have yet to figure them out. However, I can tell you that 8 years ago this very day, Slobodan Milosevic's regime finally fell, with protesters storming this building.

To read more, go here.

A bit of the village in the city

On September 30th (http://yankee-in-belgrade.blogspot.com/2008/09/roasted-peppers.html)posted I posted two photos of what one can do with long, sweet peppers. Another option is to make ajvar, a pepper/eggplant/garlic relish that one can enjoy on the side , mixed with a kind of cream cheese, or spread on bread. Because it can be messy to roast the peppers at home, many housewives in the city's urban areas take to a nearby field...or even just hike all their gear downstairs in the area around their apartment building. Such was the case of this grandma and her grandson helper. I love the equipment she has, and also am pleased that this little boy will have fond memories of his childhood and grandma when he grows up. (Photo quality isn't great...took this with my cell phone...)

Wall Art

Often walls here are covered with grafitti, random street art, posters, or just scribbles. Here, however, this piece of wall art is the product of a major undertaking, and I wonder if the guys on the scaffolding are preparing another urban "canvas." Click on the photo to enlarge it. It seems as if this angel has something unangel-like protuding from one of her sleeves...oh.

Update: Want to know the story behind this mural? Check Bibi's comment under "Comments."

Forty days later...

Hard for my family and me to believe, but yesterday marked the 40 days following my husband's sudden and unexpected passing. According to Serbian Orthodox tradition, a memorial attended by close family and friends is held at the graveside on that day (yesterday October 1st), whereupon the priest offers more blessings. It is believed that the soul passes through the natural and supernatural world before moving on, and many prayers should be offered during the 40 days. This we have done, and we are still struggling to come to terms with this tragedy in our lives. He is missed every day, and will be loved forever.

I want to thank our very good friend and fellow photographer, Francois, who visited us this summer from Paris, and took this photo in the same cemetery where my husband lies. It dates from the early 1900's, and shows a ceramic photo of the person lying there.

Theme Day---Lines

Here's a cafe/restaurant on the Sava with lots of lines. Even the fisherman has his own line...but no fish yet.

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