I was stumped for an X-word for my maritime photo, so I Googled "words beginning with X," and on http://phrontistery.info/x.html I found:
--xebec, a small three-masted pirate ship;
--xeme, a fork-tailed gull;
--xanthometer , an instrument for measuring color of sea or lake water. (Not river water, apparently.)
None of these are in my photo, so I'll just call it "X is for tables with legs like X-es."
Happy New Year!
Join ABC Wednesday at http://wednesdayabc.blogspot.com
You can have the best of both worlds, or sort of, here in Belgrade. Visit one of the city's floating bars or restaurants, many of which offer a view of the city. How about "Karibi," which, after a few shots of rakija or šljivovica (RAH-kee-yuh/SHLEE-vo-veet-sa), local brandy/plum brandy, just might make you imagine you're in the tropics. You'll feel warmer anyway.
Miroslav Mišković, whom you can find more about on Wikipedia, is the second wealthiest person in Serbia. Among his other dealings in insurance, banking, government, real estate, and a chain of shopping malls, he also acquired not long ago several supermarket chains, one of which is called Maxi. And now, it appears, even our feathered friends' homes have fallen under his wing.
Believe it or not, this is not a black and white photo, but just trees I photographed early yesterday morning under dim light!
Yesterday a wise blogger reminded me, "Be careful what you wish for," when I had said I wanted snow. But Belgrade did get some snow yesterday, just enough for a White Christmas (western Christmas anyway, since the Serbs celebrate on January 7th). It was quite pretty, but I didn't go out much, since Bibi is scared to death of firecrackers, and though there's been a crackdown on them here, they're still illegally available around town, and kids buy them. Bang.
No, it hasn't snowed here yet, but I am hoping. I know many of you are snowed in, but I'd just like a little. This is a photo from last year at this time. Not an original shot, but one to wish you readers the very best for the end-of-year holidays you celebrate and a healthy New Year. Be kind to each other, and appreciate each moment.
This sign on my local newsstand reads "I'll be back in 30 minutes."But WHEN did you leave? "To take part in ABC Wednesday, go to: http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/
I always carry my camera with me wherever I go, as I imagine you all do, too. Sometimes at first I don't see a single thing worthy of a shot, but when I look harder, there's always something there. Such was the case yesterday while I was waiting for the bus after a trip to town. Bored, and still with an empty camera, I turned around to peek through a dilapidated fence and spied this alternate version of the Serbian flag! The flag of Serbia is a tricolor with three equal horizontal fields, red on the top, blue in the middle, and white on the bottom. The same tricolor, in a number of variations, was the flag of Serbia throughout history, and is the National flag of Serbs. I imagine the lady of the house didn't have patriotism in mind at all as she hung out her sheets, but that's the way I saw her arrangement.
This fountain in front of the Cervantes Institute on Knez Mihailova, Belgrade's pedestrian street, is often a place where people sell books or odds and ends. Kids sometimes sell their old toys, too. This takes place pretty much year-round, but yesterday it seemed as if some folks wanted to make some extra money before the holidays. Nicely displayed books!
Very busy today and didn't have time to take any photos here in Belgrade! This one is from last Wednesday, when my son and I left Athens. These Greek Orthodox priests were on their way somewhere, but not on our plane. I feel reassured when there's a man (or woman, for that matter) of the cloth on a plane I ride on....
It's getting colder. Early the other morning I came across a construction site with a number of large metal pipes. I couldn't resist leaving my stamp on one of them. (Yes, I know better than to stick my tongue on frosty metal!)
December 19th is Saint Nikola's Day, according to the Serbian Orthodox Church calendar. Each Orthodox Serbian family has a patron saint, and my late husband's is Saint Nikola. Serbs who celebrate St. Nicholas as their slava or "celebation," mindful that the holiday occurs in the midst of the Christmas-Advent Fast, observe the holiday in the traditional religious manner and, prepare only no-fat meals on this day. In the first photo you see a slavski kolač (SLAHV-ski KOE-lahcth)or "slava cake," which is like a large brioche. Along with this cake in the second photo, there is the "slava" candle, an incense holder and incense, an icon of Saint Nikola, a glass for wine, and "žito" (ZHEE-toe, cooked wheat berry mixed with nutmeg and sugar), which are the traditional offerings. The priest comes to the house to cut the cake, pour a little wine on top, and light the candle and incense. The custom is for people to drop by in the evening, wish the host "happy Slava," have a bit of refreshment, and perhaps move on to another family celebrating the same occasion.
I'm back in Belgrade and it's Dogs on Thursday. Here are two fellow (or maybe girls or one of each) who were very intrigued when Bibi and I walked along in front of their house near the town of Zrenjanin. They were very quiet; just stood and looked.
Yesterday was the big day for this year's MBA graduates of Athens University School of Economics and Business, and a big day for the entire program, since it marked the 10 years of the program's existence. This is my son, who just received his diploma, yee-HAH. I'd have liked to have cropped the photo for better composition, but I'm working on my little laptop, which doesn't have a photo editing program to do so, but that's not the essential now, right? Proud mama.
Flew down to Athens last Friday to attend my son's MBA graduation from Athens University of Economics and Business, which is today. We took the train to Piraeus, where we came across this parrot and his owner. The parrot could talk, but it was all Greek to me....really.
Couldn't help but post these guys, the results of a colleague's 6th grade art class at the school where I teach. The New Year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth (Feb. 12th like President Lincoln). Students are learning all about Darwin in their cross-curricular program and will celebrate Charlie's birthday when the time times.
This is my friend Branka, a psychologist by profession and artist by personal choice. She makes these catch-all "Crazy Boxes" out of papier-mache and each one is unique. This photo was taken on Wednesday at the opening of her exhibit downtown. I hope she sells them all! 
Another "taken while stopped at a light" shot. I couldn't make up my mind which version I liked better, so I posted them both. Which do you prefer?
Okay, well, maybe they're not all evil, but the girl on the right definitely has a malicious look as she bites into her chip. The one in the middle looks seductive, and the one on the left just looks happy, as most of us are, to be nibbling a potato chip. "Chipsy" chips are really good, too. I took this photo out of my car window while waiting for the light to change.
Many visitors to Belgrade's recent Dog Show thought this Shar-Pei puppy was awfully cute. He'll grow into his skin a bit as he develops, kind of the opposite of humans, who are born nice and smooth, but develop wrinkles as they age!
Not too original with "umbrella," but it has rained recently, and it's supposed to pour tomorrow! Where's the snow?
Taken just a few weeks ago in the town of Bela Crkva (BEH-la TSURK-va), which means "white church." Wreaths here are usually hung on doors for saints' days or village celebrations. Not sure what this one was for, but even though it's seen better days, it's still pretty.
In medieval times, signs like these (without the text) helped people recognize shops. This shop in Zrenjanin (ZREN-ya-neen), about 76 kms from Belgrade, sells all kinds of fresh river fish and will even grill or fry it for you. The Cyrillic text reads, "Ribarnica" (Ree-BAR-neet-suh), and means fish shop/market.
The ground floor of this building is a "bistro-baked goods" shop in Pančevo, a half-hour drive from Belgrade. I was struck by the building's symmetry (or almost!) and that it looks a bit like a movie set. Looks like "things go better with Coke" here, too.
Every year Holiday on Ice comes to Belgrade and is a big success. Every year of course it's on a different theme, and this year it's our friends from Warner Brothers, Bugs and the gang. Here Bugs Bunny is known as "“Duško Dugouško,” the latter word meaning "long-eared." “Duško" is the shortened form of a man's name. Whatever his name is, he's an awful lot of fun, and I am considering buying a couple of tickets. The least expensive mentioned on the billboard ones are 999 dinars, or about 11 euros or $14.00. Just under the word "Bugs" are a number of our City Daily Photo landmarks! Free advertising!
This dog looks pretty scared up there. He doesn't even have room to wiggle.
I was intrigued by these Tibetan prayer flags, not only because I've hardly ever seen them here, but also because they're displayed around a dwelling way up on top of these stairs, like Lhasa is high in the Himalayas. The chain link fence that I had to photograph through symbolizes for me that Lhasa was once known as The Forbidden City.
Boy, am I glad I had my camera with me (but I always do...) Look who I saw downtown yesterday! He's a bit early, considering that Serbs celebrate Christmas according to the traditional church calendar on January 7th. In any case, Santa distributes presents on New Year's, not on Christmas, which is a quiet family holiday. 
Nope, I didn't have a close encounter of any kind with a spaceship. This is the ceiling of the main exposition hall at Belgrade's Fairgrounds, but it sure does look as if little green men could descend from it....I bought the Rubik's Race game several years ago for my granddaughter when she was around nine. Now she is still playing and honestly, u...
