Let me out....it's Halloween.

Hey!  It's Halloween and I'm stuck in here....

SKYWATCH--new Mariott Hotel

The new Mariott Hotel downtown contrasts with the National Theater next door.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Just a little nip.....

A tiny bottle of vodka stands proud beside two wall ornaments on a building downtown.  These little bottles are commonly called  'unučićl' (oo-NOO-chee-chee), which means 'grandchildren' and can be easily purchased from kiosks on the street or of course in grocery stores.  Just a little nip.....

ABC WEDNESDAY-"P" is for "poignant"

Poignant is a word that comes to my mind when I saw this old man in Kalemegdan Park.

See other Ps on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

Who plays here anymore?

No one has used this court in a long time, so it seems.

The Victor's Little Brother

 This is The Victor's little brother! The original statue stands in Kalemegdan Park, and this little one in Tasmajdan Park. It's only about a foot or 30 cm high.

 See the spider web? Imagine though how big the spider would have to be to make a web on the original statue. Probably something like this one.

SKYWATCH--sunset over the market

A woman sits reading, catching the last rays of a sunset over Zeleni Venac (literally:  green wreath) Market.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

And a big Happy Birthday to my daughter, who never reads my blog, but whom I love anyway...  :)

Slipping away....

There are so many beautifully decorated old facades in Belgrade, many of which are slowly slipping into ruin, as the one above.....

ABC WEDNESDAY - "O" is for "On the bench"

This man and his Chihuahua are sitting on a bench in what they call here 'Little Tasmajdan," the part of the park across the street from the big park where Saint Marko's church stands.

 See other Os on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

Not any more...

Beautiful old entrance to a crumbling, but still lived-in building.  They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Explanation

Sitting and explaining!

A little rain, a lot of rain

The rain's been light, the rain's been heavy....but the dog's got to go out.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--The National Bank of Serbia

A reflection on one of the entrances to the National Bank of Serbia.
And you can see me....

 See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH --cyclists on Branko's Bridge

And there they go, from New Belgrade to the old part of the city.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Kiss me....

And maybe play me a little tune.

The painting on the upper left is of this tower in Zemun.

ABC WEDNESDAY == 'N' is for 'New but old'

When I first came to what was then Yugoslavia, you always got a bottle of seltzer water on your table to mix with white wine for spritzers.  Now you hardly ever see these old ones anymore. This is the newer version....which do you prefer?

See more Ns on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

Just waiting....

Just waiting for his human.

Leopard lady

There's something about a leopard print that appeals to me....but not enough to buy a coat like this, though I do have a leopard-print sleep mask and pair of gloves.

This lady had a full-length coat, and I think she might do well to ask this girl where she bought her tights.

SKYWATCH --just watching....

A stone lion in Kalemegdan Park watches the early-morning sky over New Belgrade across the river.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Dali in the window

It wasn't until I got home and enlarged the first photo that I realized that the kitty bears a striking resemblance to the Surrealist painter Salvador Dali. I think he'd have found that amusing.

ABC WEDNESDAY--Missing Milica

You may have forgotten the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia, but people here have not. Many memorials and statues have been erected around the country.  The one above represents a little girl, Milica Rakic, who along with 79 other children, was killed in the bombing.  The original statue (the memorial behind it was there earlier) was placed over 15 years ago, and a few months after, was stolen; thieves never found and the whereabouts of that statue are unknown.

The words on the memorial read in both Serbian and English, "We were just children."

See other Ms on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

Desensitized

During my travels this past year, I have seen many people begging...  I have to admit that I have become somewhat desensitized to their plight.  Her sign reads, 'Help me (buy) medicine.'  True or not, who knows?  I gave her  a few dinars.

Do you give to those who beg?

If they don't have it, it doesn't exist

I often pass this shop that's been around for years, and am always amazed at the selection of remotes they have, old and new. I think they repair them, too.  At least some people don't just toss their remotes and get a new one.

SKYWATCH--a wide welcome

Used my fish-eye to get this wide welcome to Kalemegdan Fortress.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

THEME DAY--shelter--The Smederevo Fortress

Was hard-pressed to find a shelter shot, since I've had little free time to roam the streets.  This was taken a while back in Smederevo, about 45 kilometers southeast of Belgrade.  The fortress was build in the early 1400s and withstood several attacks by the Ottomans before being seriously damaged in WWII.  As you can see, it's been restored.

Sheltered a lot of people!  If you want to read more, see here.

To have a look at other shelters, click right here.