Beer...

It's hot here....and beer is popular.  Wanna grab one?  Price-wise, there are 100 dinars in one US dollar.

MONDAY MURALS== homage to Meda

Meda was a well-loved and cared-for street dog, who always hung out around this apartment building.  He lived to be sixteen and someone also cared enough to paint this for him.

The text reads, "Meda, 2001-2017.  Thanks to everyone who loved me."

P.S. "Meda" means "bear"...he was big.

See other murals on MONDAY MURALS.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--the old candle shop

"BOCKAP" (though not entirely visible here), is the Cyrillic spelling of 'voskar,' or candlemaker.  This shop has been around for years, and produces the best quality candles, long-burning and fragrant from the wax itself.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--Saint Luka's church

A sunny day over Saint Luka's church in the Rakovica neighborhood of Belgrade.

Unfortunately, it looks like there will be very cloudy skies for tonight's lunar eclipse...

See other skies, sunny or not, on SKYWATCH.

Me, too, I guess

This post is for Bob Crowe of SAINT LOUIS DAILY PHOTO, who, according to a recent Facebook posting, likes expressive t-shirts.

I've become quite the night owl myself, so I could go along with this one.

Bob?

ABC WEDNESDAY--"C" is for "chatting and canes"

Two ladies with their canes, engrossed in deep chatting ....

See other Cs on ABC WEDNESDAY.

'tis the season....

No, not THAT season, but the summer season, when fruit is at its very best. Lots of eating of fresh fruit, making jam..... 

Would you like to try some of these apricots?

MONDAY MURALS--Mona Lisa!

I suppose this can qualify as a mural, even if it is on a roll-down storefront cover.

Ah, how easy it is nowadays to duplicate great works of art...

See other murals on MONDAY MURALS.

SKYWATCH--swallows and a dove

Just swallows and doves on power lines!

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

No more NOLIT

NOLIT (short for Nova Literatura, or New Literature), was one of Belgrade's oldest publishing houses, founded in 1928.  This particular store had been in this place since 1958....  NOLIT was privatized in 2007 and unfortunately, is no more.

ABC WEDNESDAY: "B" is for "beach"

"Beach" may conjure up for some a much bigger body of water than the Sava River shown here, but for city dwellers, this beach in the town of Sremska Mitrovica is a godsend when temperatures soar.

See other Bs on ABC WEDNESDAY.

"Spark plug with a roof"

"A spark plug with a roof" is how some used to describe the East German Trabant, produced from 1957 to 1990.

Not sure when this one was made, but it's missing some parts....and maybe some spark plugs.

MONDAY MURALS--Ilija Bosilj's Museum

Another road trip, this time to the northern town of  Šid  (Sheed) , where we visited two museums. The mural is on the wall of the museum and home of Ilija Bosilj, (EEEL-ee-ya BO-seel-ya) a Serbian naive painter who passed away in 1972.  If you read the above link, you'll find out more about him.

See other murals on MONDAY MURALS.

RANT, RANT

I just absolutely positively HATE IT when people smoke (in general, I have to admit) and especially where it is clearly marked that they should not. That's what the sign says, and there is also one a bit farther down from the uncaring woman with the cigarette in her hand:  "Smoking is forbidden inside and in front of the building."

And the building is the Institute of Oncology...

I was seated on a bench by myself, waiting for my friend to finish her chemo session, when I snapped this woman.

Over a period of about 20 minutes, four people sat down next to me and pulled out cigarettes. I politely showed them the sign. One was profusely apologetic and left, whereas the others gave me looks that 'said', "I can smoke where I want," to which I replied verbally that I had been asked by the man at the reception inside to photograph persons who were smoking. (Hurrah, I always have my impressive big camera with me.)

They left....

ABC WEDNESDAY "A" is for "architecture"

Lower down, a lot of buildings here have their walls defaced by graffiti.  Higher up, however, one can really see some untouched pearls of architecture.

See other As on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Bubbles!

Who the heck doesn't like bubbles?  Whether you're young or young-at-heart, bubbles are a lot of fun. I find just blowing bubbles is sooo relaxing....

Out of commission

Not me....but my computer phone and monitor are, making life a bit more difficult. Using my little computer now.

My friend is out of commission, having fallen and seriously sprained her ankle. I am walking Roki, the Chihuahua seen here....I had never cared much for that breed before, but Roki's doing his darndest to change my mind.

SHADOWSHOT SUNDAY--a street in Bela Crkva

The charming town of Bela Crkva (White Church) has a lot to offer:  beautiful surrounding countryside, lakes, river, colorful houses, elaborately decorated buildings, ethno and fish restaurants, and of course several churches, not just a white one.

If you'd like to read more, this site will probably tell you what you want to know. See more shadows on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--the observer

Besides me and the fellow in the boat looking in my direction, there is another observer....see?

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH---pigeons on the market roof

This red and white checkered tile roof crowns Zeleni Venac (ZEL-eh-nee VAY-nahts) one of Belgrade's oldest (1926) outdoor and partially covered markets, right downtown.

Zeleni Venac means 'green wreath,' and is so named because it was built in the area that was previously part of the trench which surrounded nearby Kalemegdan fortress in the 18th century.  When the trench was covered, a pond was formed. As Belgrade grew around it, the pond became a popular hunting attraction (for fowls, ducks, etc.) for the inhabitants of Belgrade.

Want to read more? Read this.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

POPCORN

I love these popcorn stands. This one, so neat and tidy, struck my eye, and was struck by my lens.

ABC WENESDAY: "Z" is for ZANY PICNIC DRESS FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY to my American friends.

There is a Fourth of July celebration at the American ambassador's residence, but I was not invited.  We local Americans used to be invited in the good-old-days, until at one point we were deemed personae non gratae....seriously.

I will eat a hot dog by myself and watch our president sink deeper and deeper....I hope.  Okay, enough.


But ladies, would you wear this zany dress to a picnic?

See other Zs on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Three women, three sundaes

There really are three sundaes here, but one is hiding behind another....

NATIONAL MUSEUM'S OPEN....

So what's new about the National Museum being open?  Well, it's been closed for 15, yes, FIFTEEN years, for renovation....

From last Friday through Sunday there was free entry, 24 hours, and beginning today the tickets cost 300 dinars (around $3). Where is the line, you may ask? There is one, but on the entrance to the right of the one pictured behind Messieurs Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec, who each have one (or perhaps more) of their works inside.

I'll get there. Just not one for lines....

THEME DAY--Spirit of Gandhi

"Spirit" is the title of this month's Theme Day.  I may have published this photo before, but here it is perhaps again.  Taken in Pushkar, India, a few trips back.

The shadow is of course not that of Mahatma Gandhi, but it reminded me of him, and the spirit that he imparted to every single Indian, which lives on today.

Check out how others have interpreted Theme Day at THEME DAY.

Actually I can also add this to SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.