Wednesday, January 6, 2010

ABC Wednesday--Y is for Year-round hardships, or Traces of India in Belgrade

I'm back, safe and sound, and it's a bit cooler here than in India and Qatar..
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that Belgrade has quite a large Gypsy or 'Roma' population. Most sources agree that Gypsies originated in India and migrated to Europe and beyond. The Roma population here in Belgrade lives primarily on the outskirts of the city and prefers not to integrate into society. You can see from the above photo that they lead a rough life year-round, scavenging for firewood and recycling paper and scrap iron, for example.


Join ABC WEDNESDAY.

17 comments:

Gunn said...

A great shot, and strong text....

The Good Life in Virginia said...

a beautiful capture.
i have so enjoyed your adventure and am looking forward to more photographs and posts regarding.
glad you made it back safe and sound.

Janet said...

The lighting and mist makes a lovely photo.

B SQUARED said...

Strangely enough, we have gypsies here as well. They are not very nice people, at least the one's that arrive for the winter. Lots of problems with the police.

Thérèse said...

Life is tough for more and more people.
A bit cooler? :)

Unknown said...

so glad to find your Beograd photos. I was there for four months in 1969 and will never forget the people, the streets, the lilacs in spring, and so much more. I will try to locate my photos from then to share.

Jilly said...

Welcome home, Bibi and thanks for the great photos of your fabulous trip. I love this photo. The soft light, the composition, all so beautiful. It looks a very hard life for these people.

Roger Owen Green said...

Yeesh, sounds like a hard life.

Chuck Pefley said...

Welcome home.

Fascinating way of living, and a very telling photo.

Tash said...

Such a beautiful but heart- rending scene, B. Your photo looks like a painting.

MuseSwings said...

If not for the modern style clothing I would think this is a vintage shot of Russia in about 1902.

Gaelyn said...

Welcome home Bibi. This capture certainly has a story to tell. Does sound like a tough life, yet is it by choice?
Have really enjoyed your photos and posts from this recent trip and hope there's more to come.
Stay warm my friend.

Tumblewords: said...

Poignant photograph, it seems to tell many a story. Your narrative is wonderful.

Tash said...

Me again...an old master's painting. (I keep admiring the photo on my sidebar scroll.)

Alexa said...

Gorgeous shot, Bibi. Glad you're back safe. We have gypsies here in NYC too, but they're pretty well-integrated. I know some who live right on West 14th Street.

jay said...

I didn't know that gypsies came originally from India! I knew they'd come here from central or eastern Europe, but that's all.

Sadly, we have two types of 'gypsy' here now, and the other type - the 'New Age Travellers' are not so easy to live with.

Shaista said...

Hello Bibi, I am a new follower, and so interested in your very fascinating snapshots into life in Belgrade... this image in particular feels a novel is about to unravel, and we are about to tumble into an extraordinary albeit poignant world.
A Happy New Year to you, and I look forward to reading you!

THE MARKET AFTER HOURS

 Merchants have all packed up and gone home....