SKYWATCH--the steeple and the bridge

The steeple of Belgrade's main church with the tower of the bridge over Ada, the river island, in the background.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

At long-last love....

During my 41 years here I've waited for many things that were just not around when I came in 1977.  Since then, I've seen the arrival of peanut butter, various ethnic foods, brown sugar, and now, da-DA, cinnamon buns.

An enterprising young man who used to live in the US,  has started makng them, and they're good....

ABC WEDNESDAY--"H" is for "happy" feet

These feet belong to a clown I've I've shown you before," but it looks like he's changed his shoes and trousers since then....

See other Hs on ABC WEDNESDAY.

No matter how hard I try....

No matter how hard I try to sneak a picture of this cat in the window across the street, he (or maybe she) always, always sees me....

MONDAY MURALS=='creative 'marketing'

These markets of one of Belgrade's main markets make a bit of creative 'market-ing'.

See other murals on MONDAY MURALS.

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY--popcorn

Girls and one boy taking a popcorn break on a very hot summer evening.

See other shadows on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

SKYWATCH--up, up, and away

Soon I'll  be up, up, and away, off to first Montreal, then on to visit my daughter in the US.

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The doorway to heaven?

This beautiful passageway in downtown Belgrade reminded me of what walking toward the Pearly Gates must  be like.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"G" is for "granny"

Here I am shooting people on their balconies again.  I showed you this granny a while back, and here she is again looking a bit more spruced up.

I think she needs a new pair of glasses, though.

See other Gs on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Sitting

A man taking a rest next to a statue who is always taking a rest at Belgrade's Flower Square (Cvetni Trg).

MONDAY MURALS --Father of Serbian Folklore

 VUK KARADZIC was a philologist, linguist, and more importantly, a reformer of the Serbian language. He established the 'one letter, one sound' rule, meaning that one letter could only be pronounced in one way.  If you see the letter A (either in Cyrillic or Latin representation, you know it is pronounced 'ah', and not '/ae/ or /ǝ/, for example.  For his study of Serbian songs, poetry, riddles, and tales, he is also known as the Father of Serbian Folklore. 

In the above mural, he looks like he's eyeing that bread basket... "Vuk" means "wolf", so perhaps he's as hungry as one. 

See other murals on MONDAY MURALS.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS---near Slavija Circle

I've shown this multi-windowed building several times because of its reflections. Never caught it from this angle before.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--looking west

Time for me to be looking west again...soon off to see my daughter in the US.  Thia ia looking west fro my son's terrace, in the direction of Belgrade Airport.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Ommmm...or Quaaack....?

Look what I got as a present from my grandkids yesterday. I love my rubber duckie.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"F" is for "flowers"

You're seeing it in my header, and now here it is as a post.  These ladies found it too hot to stand, so they sat....and one with an umbrella, or rather, a parasol.

See other Fs on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Shoes under a bench

Shoes under a bench, plain and simple, though I don't know why.   The shoes are in good shape.  The writing seems to refer to a soccer match....I don't follow soccer, so it's all Greek to me.

MONDAY MURALS---another school wall

Last week I posted a mural from a high school, and here is another!  Lots around, so it seems.

See other murals on MONDAY MURALS.

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY--THE TEA SET

This is my tea set, bought in Istanbul a long time ago.  The Ottoman Empire ruled Serbia for about 500 years, so there is much influence here in food, music, and vocabulary.

No tea sets though....

See other shadows on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

"We maintain tradition."

The furniture company "Matis" appeals to tradition-keeping.

The maidens

Not sure if this is the correct name of these statues but that's what I'm calling them. Both stand/sit in Bezistan passage  in downtown Belgrade. You may recognize the roof from this post of mine.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"E" IS FOR "EXTRA PRICE"...or "error"...

Thanks to my son for sending me this one from Makarska, Croatia, where he and his family are vacationing.

They decided not to eat at this place until next week, since this week they seem to have added an 'extra price...

See other Es on ABC WEDNESDAY.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR...

Me playing Peeping Tom again, but not really, I guess, since this lady across the way was getting a breath of fresh air after some torrential rains we'd had just over a week ago.

Now it's hot again....

MONDAY MURALS--generation 1998-1999

These murals are in surprisingly good shape, given the time gone by.  On the wall of a building next to a high school downtown.

See other murals on MONDAYMURALS.

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY--Stairway to Heaven II

I posted a very similar shot of this escalator and stairway about three years ago, so this is an update, this time with a passenger...to heaven.

See other shadows on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--'Dobar' kafa

This reflection caught my eye the other day, not so much for the reflection itself, but for the text:  Dobar Kafa.

In Serbian, the word 'kafa' is feminine, so it should read 'dobra kafa,' or so I thought....but then who would make such a mistake?

Turns out that the company's name is Dobar....  so it seems that this is a good marketing ploy. It made me look, and I won't forget 'Dobar' kafa...or 'kafu,' since that word is femine and a direct object here, but I digress...   (wink)

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--through Bezistan passage

This is the ceiling of a passage that runs from one main street in downtown Belgrade to a square on the other side.

Once conceived as a covered square, today it represents a muddle-shaped building with pierced pillars, unguarded premises and damaged sidewalks. The beauty of the central fountain with a bronze sculpture that was reconstructed a few years ago can not be pronounced due to the environment, and the inscription in front of the bank "Caution - falling facade", testifies that the safety of passers-by is not guaranteed.

But you do see the sky!

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Al Pacino's 'palachinkas'

Well, I am fairly certain that actor Al Pacino isn't aware of this take-off on his name.

'Palacinka' is the Serbian word for 'crêpe,' and sounds a bit like  a turned-about pronunciation of Al's name.  

'..opasna dobra' means 'dangerously good...'

Never had them, though they look good!

AUGUST THEME DAY- MUSIC

Another summer month gone by, though it honestly seems like summer didn't quite make it this year, what with all the rain here.

That said, this photo was taken on a trip down to Djerdap (JER-dap) near the Romanian border.

This fellow is playing a gaida," a bagpipe from the Balkan/East European region.

Not as screechy as its Scottish counterpart, not to offend anyone!

See how others have interpreted today's theme on THEME DAY.