ABC WEDNESDAY "G" is for....lots of words....

Well, let's see...there are gobs of words that begin with G.
Here's a glimpse of a guy in a museum, surrounded by a painting of a grande-dame, a girl, and maybe a sexy girlfriend. But he's totally gone, not paying any attention at all to these gems of the art world or to the gazes of the ladies on the wall. He appears to be engrossed in a crossword puzzle and making very sure he writes the correct grapheme in the right space. And might that be a gabardine he's wearing?

See other G's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

And don't forget today is Leap Year. Make it special. Next one rolls around in 2016.

The Yugo is alive and well...and cold, but running.

Don't laugh anymore at the Yugo automobile, which was the brunt of many a joke (even here) a short while back. This one is still willing to venture out on the streets, unlike its companions on this snowy Belgrade street. Once more, this is a scheduled post, and I sure hope that Yugo is now cruising along a dry street.

Le Rouge et le Noir

An allusion to a novel by French writer who wrote under the name Stendhal, but the flowers have nothing to do with him or that novel, except the title. These are tiger lilies given to me by my son for Valentine's Day.

SUNDAY BRIDGES-Bridging the Gap: "And the seasons, they go 'round and 'round...."

Little Mila again, fervently pulling my son's (her father) chest hair. I spared you his pained expression.

Today is my son's birthday, and I thought of no more appropriate song than this one below by Joni Mitchell. Makes me teary, though.... How about you? It bridges the gap between the visual media and music.

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

REFLECTIONS WEEKEND--Who needs this sign?

Oh, my....who needs this sign, which reads, "Pedestrians, cross to the other side"? Too much snow on the sidewalk and reflected in the fence.

To be fair to the people who put the sign up, I'm sure it was there before the snow, since there is a construction site behind the aluminum fence and cranes are/were in use.

Update: Snow has melted and is all but gone, hurrah.

See other reflections at James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY--frozen...and a very gray sky.

I've used scheduled posting for this photo...I sure hope all this white stuff is gone by the time it appears. Here is the Sava River partially frozen...and a very gray sky.

Don't want any more snow...

See other skies at SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

Old, forgotten, but recycled.

On a path leading up to Tašmajdan Park and to Saint Marko's cathedral, I came across this flagstone that seems to have been some sort of plaque once-upon-a-time. I can only hope it isn't part of an old gravestone. There's no cemetery nearby, but perhaps there once was.

Dear Readers: PLEASE see Jelena's note below and mine just below hers.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"F" is for "Fly"

Cheerful mural! Although there's no snow in this photo (took it a couple of weeks ago), Belgrade has been pretty much covered with snow this month. I wanted to fly somewhere....

Where would you go if you could hop aboard? France? Frankfurt? Fairbanks? Florence? Fargo?

See other F's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Look both ways.

Not easy for old people around town, but the city is slowly adding sloped sidewalks for easier ascent/descent of wheelchairs and carts. This elderly lady never looked right or left as she crossed the street and despite a bus's (after this one) loud honking.

She seems to have a load of firewood in her little cart. Again, this photo was taken before our big snow. I'm sure her firewood came in handy.

Singing his heart out

It was cold, cold, cold a couple of weeks ago before our major snowstorm as I walked by these gentlemen, one playing his accordion and the other singing really, really well in a deep baritone voice. I've made two copies of this photo for them and hope they'll be there again.

Sunday Bridges--Karadjordje's Gate

A view of the bridge leading to and from Karadjordje's Gate in Kalemegdan....before our recent snowstorm....

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

WEEKEND REFLECTION--The Mask

Reflections in a silver mask...and in the window glass.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--Prince Miloš Obrenović

Prince Miloš Obrenović (MEE-lush O-bren-o-veetch, 1780-1860) was Prince of Serbia twice (1815-1839 and 1858-1860). He participated in the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire and later led the Serbs in the Second Serbian Uprising in Takovo, Serbia. Under him, Serbia became an autonomous duchy within the Ottoman Empire. I used to drive down Belgrade’s main boulevard, Kneza Miloša, just about every day and never noticed this statue...until I walked by. Slow down and see.... Photo taken before our big snow...since then, I pick my way along sidewalks, lest I slip or be hit by a falling icicle.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Pat your head and rub your tummy

Can you pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time? Sometimes I can.

But I can't walk and read the newspaper, like this man.

ABC WEDNESDAY "E" is for "eliminated"

Recycle time. I came across a huge truckload of these colorful cardboard file boxes that were being tossed. Guess another business has gone (finally) computerized and doesn't need paper files much anymore.

Somehow file storage just isn't so pretty on your hard drive, but files sure do take up less space.

See other E's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Happy Valentine's Day from a Book Lover

Time for an updated granddaughter Mila (MEE-la) photo. Here she is at 6 1/2 months. Mila is a great book lover. She squeals and does this funny little excited shake when she gets one. I could even say she gets so excited that her hair stands on end, but it's always like that, since she sleeps first on one side, then the other.

Happy Valentine's Day to all those whom you love!

Renovation at last

In 2009 I posted a photo of this passageway off of Knez Mihailova and wished someone would restore it, for it contains beautiful artwork. My wish has been granted.

This Secessionist-style passageway, begun in 1889 and finished in 1912, named after politician Nikola Spasić whose statue I showed you here, will be restored over a two-month period and will then link Belgrade's pedestrian street to one behind it.

Now I'm wishing that the building in still another post of mine will be restored as well.

SUNDAY BRIDGES-=Building Gazela Bridge

Gazela Bridge, built from 1966-1970, is an important bridge in Belgrade across the Sava River. It is a part of the city network connecting Belgrade with cities to the south and north and is the chief connection between Old and New Belgrade. Because traffic was so congested, the bridge was almost completely redone in 2011 and it now supports up to 200,000 vehicles per day. This is an old postcard with a view looking north.

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

WEEKEND REFLECTION--the reader in 'purple'

Not too crisp a shot, but it was from far away. Kind of cool how the sides of his head are shaved, all but for some pony tail hair.

See other reflections at James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--shades of Edgar Allan Poe

Can you hear the crack of thunder and see the flash of lightning? There wasn't any, of course, since this is a winter photo and those phenomena usually don't occur in the winter. Perhaps this crow, perched on a very gnarled tree, reminds you of this previous post of mine?

This does remind me of something Edgar Allan Poe might have used as an illustration for one of his stories or poems.

See other skies, some poetic, some not, at SKYWATCH.

The blonde, the brunette, and you've seen the red-head...

Last December on the same street and in front of the same store but walking in the other direction you saw the red-head. Now I give you the blond and the brunette.

Such beautiful hair!

ABC Wednesday "D" is for "Dalí " look-alike?

Laza Kostić (1841-1910) was a Serbian poet, prose writer, lawyer, philosopher, polyglot, publicist, and politician, considered to be one of the greatest minds of Serbian literature. I do not think he ever picked up a paintbrush, but I do think this bust of him is reminiscent of the eccentric Surrealist Painter, Salvador Dali.

According to Wikipedia, Laza Kostić was characterized as an eccentric but had a spark of genius all his own. His writings abound in coined words, and in devious turns and twists of expression. He was the first to introduce iambic meter into the dramatic poetry, and the first translator of Shakespeare into Serbian. At a European authors' convention at the turn of the century he once tried to explain the relationship between the culture of Serbia and those of major Western European cultures using the scenario of a phone conversation, in which the speaker in Belgrade keeps repeating, “Can you hear us? We hear you. Can you hear us?” with the other end of the line not responding whatsoever. His scenario accurately expressed the frustration the smaller European cultures at not being heard, or not being understood.

There exists a Laza Kostić Fund, with offices in Belgrade and London.

See other D's on ABC WEDNESDAY.