ABC WEDNESDAY- "T" is for "tick-tock..."

A watch repair shop near where I live. You can still find these shops, since here most people still opt for repairing their timepiece rather than buying a new one.

See other T's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Solarized...

Ordinary enamel coffee pots looking not so ordinary... These are from Kafana Daco (Da-cho),
a restaurant popular with tourists. I couldn't see where on the link info was in English, but if you don't read Serbian, you can just have a look at the photos.

Big Brother...

...is watching you... Have you been naughty or nice this year? Oh, wait...that's Santa. Well, he's probably watching, too.

Interesting that this sign is in English, not in Serbian!

SUNDAY BRIDGES--What kind of a name is that??

You may remember Belgrade's newest bridge that I showed you several times before. You may also remember that there was a contest to give it a name. This bridge joins New Belgrade and Cukarica, passing over the river island Ada Ciganlija ('ada' means 'river island').

Lots of names were suggested, some silly, some for famous Serbian figures, such as Patriarch Pavle, Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla, and others. Belgrade's airport is already named for Nikola Tesla, but the other choices were good ones.

Well, you'll never guess what its name will be! "Bridge On Ada"! (Most na Adi) Linguists were quick to point out that the bridge should at least be called "Bridge Over Ada" (Most preko Ade), since of course that's where it passes, and not 'na Adi', since it isn't on the island.

Personally, since I frequently see it as in the above photo, I'd have called it "Bridge Whose One Entrance is Near the Inflatable Dalmatian".

Definitely a better name.

See other bridges, no matter what they may be called, at Louis La Vache's SUNDAY BRIDGES.

WEEKEND REFLECTION--ruffled

I've never seen pigeons sitting in moving water before. (It's still very foggy here; this photo was when we had sun!)

See more reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--sun through the fog

The title says it all. The sun, the fog, and and a modern building downtown.

See other skies at SKYWATCH.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the US and to those Americans abroad who are celebrating today. I always 'do' Thanksgiving on the following Saturday, since it's just easier for me, because people here don't have today off.

I've done my shopping already, but didn't get myself all decked out to do so like this lady in her fur coat.... Though there have been recent animal rights' protests, so far it's still safe to wear fur. And is that a crocodile or lizard bag....?

(No, I do not have a fur coat or a leather bag....)

ABC Wednesday=="S" is for "Spejbl"

I was recently in Prague for a wedding and saw the puppet Spejbl in many places. Spejbl and his son, Hurvinek are a Czech puppet comedy duo, conceived by Czech puppeteer Professor Josef Skupa. Throughout the years these two characters have gained international success.

The bald puppet is on the left, and I just couldn't help taking this photo of a young man whose ears reminded me of the puppet.

See other S's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Three men

Three men from different walks of life: a model, an ordinary guy, and an Orthodox priest.

Hairdo

I was fascinated by this woman's hairdo when I spotted her along Belgrade's pedestrian street, Knez Mihailova. I've had my hair short for years, and have now let it grow longer. The growing-out phase required many little clips, but I wasn't as daring as she to use colorful ones.

SUNDAY BRIDGES--Fogged over

Our major fog continues....

See other bridges, maybe fogged over, too, at Louis La Vache's Sunday Bridges.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--Dress warmly

It's getting cold, and it's no fun being a naked statue, either, I guess. Someone put a hat on this bird-loving young girl to keep her head warm.

See other reflections at James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

Skywatch Friday...it's foggy...

'twas foggy the other day. Even the birds look like they're confused about which way to fly.

See other skids on SKYWATCH.

Keeping warm...

These bench pads, here being aired out on an outdoor cafe in Belgrade's 'Silicon Valley', will keep the part of you that sits on the bench warm.

And the 'silicon' that gave its name to this street with many popular cafes has nothing to do with computers, but rather the abundance of silicon found on many of its cafes' female customers.

ABC Wednesday "R" is for "reality"...

In these days of world-wide economic crisis, the above is a too-common sight. Here the REALITY is if you have a job, even one you hate, you keep it. Hard times affect of course the unemployed and elderly people like this woman. (Yes, I did give her some money.)

See other R's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Whose shoes are more comfortable...?

"Comfortable" is the key word here. I know which kind I usually wear...

A true dog lover....

Not a true dog lover because this lady has two gorgeous standard French Poodles, but if you check behind her (and I didn't see him/her until I uploaded the photo at home), you'll see she also has a mutt! I often see people here with some upscale pooch...and a street dog.

Sunday Bridges--sunset over the old and the new

A photo taken at sunset from Kalemegdan Park. Belgrade's newest bridge spans nearly the entire photo, dwarfing the old tower that still stands in Belgrade's old fairgrounds, site of what was during WWII a concentration camp. Branko's Bridge is in the foreground.

See other bridges at LOUIS LA VACHE'S SUNDAY BRIDGES.

WEEKEND REFLECTION--the shoe repair robot

Cute little guy, but I'm not sure how many shoes of this size he gets. Sadly, this shoe repair shop has gone out of business since I took this photo, and the robot is gone, too.

See other reflections at WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--statue of King Peter 1st of Serbia

This statue of King Peter the 1st of Serbia stands before the Town Hall of the city of Zrenjanin, Serbia.

See other skies at SKYWATCH.

Where's the Marquis?

"What Marquis?" you ask. Who else but the Marquis de Sod.....?

Before you go groaning about my bad pun, which I really hesitated to use, but finally did, I found out that it isn't even an original one. I Googled "Marquis de Sod" and found out that there is a landscaping company in Sherman Oaks, California, by that name. Click here if you leave near Sherman Oaks and want your lawn done by Marquis de Sod, since the original Marquis de Sade devoted his life to other pursuits...

ABC WEDNESDAY "Q" is for "quotation"

Had dinner with my good friend the other night at Tri šešira (Three Hats) restaurant in Skadarlija, Belgrade's Bohemian quarter. My finger is never far from the shutter button, and I snapped this candle, which brought to mind a quotation attributed to Prince Gautama Siddhartha, known as Buddha, founder of Buddhism (5th century BC):

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. "

How true. This past year I've shared happiness with my family in the US and some good friends from my student days in France. Although another Buddha quote says, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment," I can't help but look forward to sharing more happiness with others I haven't seen for a long time.

See more Q's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Flower child or Venus de Milo aux fleurs?

Couldn't think of a better title for this torso in a perfume shop downtown....any suggestions?

Boots and stockings

I was praying these two young girls wouldn't notice me snapping away at their footwear and legs, and they didn't. They were too busy consulting a street map.

These boots may not be as fashionable as the ones I showed you here or as practical as the others I'd shown you even earlier, but I couldn't resist...and those stockings are an extra.

SUNDAY BRIDGES--Despot Lazarevic's castle

This small reproduction of Despot Stefan Lazarevic's stands in Kalemegdan Park, right behind The well-known statue of The Victor. If you take the time to click on the first link in particular, you can read more about this 'despot', which lacked the negative connotation the word bears today.

Two bridges here! A tiny one in the foreground, and the new bridge I showed you here last August.

See other bridges at Louis La Vache's SUNDAY BRIDGES.

WEEKEND REFLECTION--Baby Mila's eye...

There IS a small reflection here in her left eye. My son's daughter, Mila, is now nearly four months old, but this photo is from a bit earlier. And if you're not happy with that reflection, you can check out the one in the photo below: my daughter in Seattle is expecting for next May! New cousin for Mila! What will it be? If you've had children, were you able to know if they were going to be a boy or girl? If you haven't, would you like to know?

See other reflections on WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--Institute for Neonatology exhibit

Belgrade's Institute for Neonatology currently has a photo exhibit in Tasmajdan Park, dedicated to all the prematurely-born babies who, thanks to the Institute's care, made the transition from fragile newborns to healthy children. On each board, as you can see, are one or two photographs, with information about the child and his or her (or their, in the case of these twins) family. Sunny skies in store for them and pretty soon they'll be strolling through parks like the children you see on the sidewalk.

See other skies at SKYWATCH.

Knight by day...

....and maybe some lucky girl's prince by night? Isn't he cute? He couldn't resist posing as I walked by him next to a souvenir stand in Kalemegdan Park, and asked me in English to take his photo. He thought I was a tourist, with my camera.... Little does he know....

I'm going to make a photo for him.

ABC WEDNESDAY-- "P" is for "poodle's posh paws"

Taken in early September when the weather was warm. It hadn't even rained, and I wondered why this Poodle was wearing these shoes...

See other P's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

THEME DAY--FENCES

Back in Belgrade, but this fence is from farther south in Serbia.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants