Boutique that bites

Got a little chuckle out of this while passing over Branko's Bridge a week or so ago.  It was on a Sunday, so I'll have to return to see just exactly what's inside. Looks like clothes...and??

But it'll be a while until I check it out....in two days' time I'm leaving for Round Three of India!!  Can't wait.  But hafta.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"G" is for "graffiti and a girl"

The title says it all.....

See other G's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday to my son today....  I remember exactly when this photo was taken by my good friend, Francois.  My son and I were on our way to buy his first pair of shoes.

Pigeons....

Pigeons on a rooftop with the steeple of Belgrade's main church in the background.

Sunday Bridges--deserted and cold.

Took this photo in Kalemegdan Park the other day when it was really cold. Not a soul around....  That's the steeple of Saint Petka's chapel that you see to the left.

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

WEEKEND REFLECTION--fishermen

This often happens to me. I'm out with one lens or the other and then see photos I could have taken or taken better with another lens. (I don't carry them all at once; just too heavy!)

This time I was out with my 70-200mm rather than my favorite walkabout lens, my 18-200mm.  Anyway, there was a wonderful line of fishermen below Branko's Bridge, but with the 70mm from where I was, it wasn't possible to get a good shot.

So I settled for a shot of two of them, reflected in an elevator that goes from the top of the bridge to the quay below.

See more reflections at James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--spring is in the air?

Last week I posted a tree that seemed to be yearning for spring. I know I am, and I still feel that way.

Not many signs yet, but I remain hopeful.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Winter in the park

The park behind these two urns is Belgrade's Students' Park.  The statue you see in the background between the two urns is of Dositej Obradovic, whom I explained to you last October right here.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"F" is for "Five hundred"

Jovan Cvijić was a Serbian geographer, president of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences, and rector of the University of Belgrade. He was a world-renowned scientist, and considered the founder of geography in Serbia, having started his scientific career as a geographer and geologist.

And now he's on the 500 dinar note, worth as I type, around $7.00.

See other F's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Keep the warmth in

Insulation comes in many forms. Not sure how much warmth these pillows will keep in, given the size of the window.  Judging by the yellow pillow, there seems to be some moisture that got in.

The Charles Gate

The Charles Gate stands in what is called Lower Kalemegdan, part of Kalemegdan  park that lies below the fortress and The Victor statue.

The Austrians built the Gate of Czar Karl VI (1736) in commemoration of their victories.This is undoubtedly the most important Baroque monument preserved to the south of the rivers Sava and Danube.

Sunday Bridges--The Old Sava Bridge

Yes, there IS a bridge here.  It is the green, curved structure just in front of the two buildings on the left in the distance.  I've shown you the Old Sava Bridge several times before. In the foreground, those buildings with the checkered roofs make up Belgrade's Zeleni Venac market.

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

WEEKEND REFLECTION--Chanel No. 5 and Brad Pitt?

I wonder if Coco Chanel would be surprised that her perfume is being advertised by a man, even Brad Pitt.  Popular since the 1920's, Chanel No. 5's celebrity was reignited by Marilynn Monroe the 1950s, when, upon being asked what she wore to bed, replied, "Five drops of Chanel No. 5."  In the '60s, Vogue and Bazaar presented their ads to read, "Every woman alive wants Chanel No. 5" and "Every woman alive loves Chanel No. 5."

I know I did. My first boyfriend gave me a bottle for Christmas.  Chanel No. 5 still remains one of my two favorite perfumes.  (The other is "L'heure bleue" by Guerlain. 

I wonder if Brad Pitt wears five drops of Chanel No. 5 to bed...or does Angelina?

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTION. (See Brad across the street, too....)

SKYWATCH-- Reaching for spring

A tree in Kalemegdan Park yearns for spring.  So do I.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Love in Black and White

Today is Valentine's Day, a holiday that calls for red, the color of love.  I decided to post in black and white today. Love is love, it's black and white to me, along with all the passion, of course.  I could have used a red filter maybe....

Happy Valentine's Day to lovers everywhere....old, new, past, present, future...

ABC WEDNESDAY "E" is for "enamoured"

Spring is coming.  These pigeons were about to get a head start....

See other E's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Chess break

Any time's a good time for chess, even when it's cold.

New Belgrade's flea market is shrinking, since a new bridge has taken over some of its space.  These two sellers are taking a chess break.

Here's an example of what my little Minox can do when conditions are right---no fuzziness, fairly clear!

"Happiness is when we're together!"

"Happiness is when we're together!" reads the Coca Cola ad behind these not-so-happy people standing together at a downtown bus stop.  And it wasn't even cold that day to be waiting.

Only the bear looks happy....but then, he's got a Coke.

Sunday Bridges--two in the mist

Two bridges for the price of one today.

Happy Sunday...it's snowing here a bit....I don't want any more snow...

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

WEEKEND REFLECTION--The crane on Hotel Metropol

Belgrade's old Hotel Metropol is getting a major facelift.  One of the cranes working on it is reflected on the windows of the backside of the hotel.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--streaks over the steeple

Aircraft streaks in the sky over the steeple of Belgrade's main church.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Off the hook.

Off the hook and definitely out of commission, unlike these telephones that I showed you last September.


A predicament like the one in the song  "Off the Hook" by the Rolling Stones wouldn't be possible today unless you have a rotary phone.  Do you?

 Wanna listen?

ABC WEDNESDAY = "D" is for "ducks"

A fuzzy scene of the ducks on the Danube, taken with my little Minox camera.

See other D's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Nature's earrings

I'd like to have earrings like these berries. But only two...I don't have three ears.

The monument, the tower, the film

The upper photo shows you the skeletal tower of what was originally an observation tower on what is now called the Old Fairgrounds, which were constructed just before the outbreak of WWII.  Afterwards, the fairgrounds were turned into a Nazi concentration camp. I've shown you the tower and the monument before.

The lower photo shows director Goran Paskaljevic's latest film, When Day Breaks (Kad Svane Dan), a partially true story (the main character is based on Paskaljevic's co-writer, Filip David's experiences) of a man who suddenly discovers his true identity and that his real parents had died in the camp.  You can read more about this film right here.

The last photo is also a shameless plug on my part. I did the English subtitles, so if it comes to your theater, hang around and read the credits.  :-)

Sunday Bridges--walking away....or toward?

Another one of my photos taken with my little Minox Classic Digital 5.1.  You can see it has a small sensor, but sometimes I like the effect it makes when I dabble with the photo in Photoshop....

Been thinking a lot about people who walk into our lives....and out....and perhaps in again.

Is this person walking away from someone/something or walking toward someone/something?  It's all in how you look at it, like the 'glass is half full' or 'glass is half empty'....

I digress.  There's a bridge in the distance, so I'm posting this not only for those who have walked in and out of my life and perhaps back again, but also for Louis La Vache's  SUNDAY BRIDGES.

My treat!

Hotel Moskva, which I've shown you from outside several times before, boasts an exceptional cafe with scrumptious pastries. Here is just a sample. They're not just beautiful, but they are delicious; made with first-class ingredients.

Have a piece on me. It's my birthday.

And here's a birthday song from The Beatles for you...no, wait, for me, unless your birthday is today, too!

THEME DAY--Umbrellas

Was a bit stressed that I might have to dig in my archives for an umbrella photo for Theme Day, but lo and behold, thanks to my phone camera when it's raining and I don't carry my biggie, I was able to capture these umbrellas (I used the solarize application) that were waiting for their owners to dry out at Cafe Teatro on Republic Square.

Oh...a lapsus...I said 'dry out', which sounds like they're tipsy, but I meant to say 'dry off '...

Check out other posts on THEME DAY.