MONDAY MURALS--your guess is as good as mine

 I have my friend Marianne to thank for this mural. Your guess is as good as mine. What do you think it represents?

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WEEKEND REFLECTIONS --HOTEL METROPOL

 I walk my dog every morning in the park near Hotel Metropol, which underwent renovation a few years back. Here you see a reflection of part of the hotel reflected in yet another part.

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ALL ALONE AM I

 Here it is Thanksgiving in the United States...and in expat homes abroad like mine. However, this year for a reason we all know too well, I am  not having my son and his family over. I feel horrible about this as do they, but we all agree celebrating in a closed space just doesn't seem like a good idea this  year. They are all seemingly healthy and I think I am, too, but they do have two small children who have been in school...and COVID is insidious; children could  be silent carriers.

So, in order that we can all be together next year (I certainly hope so!) we'll pass on our celebration, at least together. I still plan on making a Thanksgiving dinner, but my son will come and pick it up.

The lady on the bench could be me, minus a few years and the crutches, and the statues could represent my family holding their heads and saying, "Oh, woe!"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU WHO CELEBRATE, TOGETHER OR SEPARATELY.

Last one from Arandjelovac

I think these wall decorations, Secessonist style, I think, are so beautiful.  Fortunately both in Arandjelovac and in Belgrade, the cities do too, and they are being protected.

 

MONDAY MURALS--perception

 Sadly, I think this is how some people view the US.

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SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY -alone with his thoughts

 He wasn't exactly alone. I was just down the same pedestrian street on another bench.

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WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--big, big

 In New Belgrade I spotted two BIG reflections above a new Mexican restaurant. The name of the restaurant as you can see is Buena Vida. Not sure what customers see on the inside, but you certainly get a 'buena vista' from outside.

See more reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

Prince Mihailo's Plane Tree

This magnificent and majestic plane tree was planted in 1867 by Prince Mihailo Obrenovic.  I've posted about him before, and if you like, click here to read about him.  This tree is in Arandjelovac, where I recently made a day trip.

 

Some Sculptures from Arandjelovac

Part of a sculpture Man and Dog, both creatures being embedded deep in the stone 

with only parts visible.

Untitled.

Statue of 19th century Montenegrin poet Petar II Petrović-Njegoš.

Mother and child.

Untitled

Nandi the Bull by an Indian sculptor, 1979

If you can see a bull here, let me know. I see something else. Or maybe that's the point.

 

RENOVATION A'COMIN'

 This is a beautiful old-world hotel in a gorgeous park  in Arandjelovac, a little over an hour from Belgrade. It is currently empty, but signs say renovation, or rather restoration will be soon underway.

Lie down!

"Lie down!" is a basic doggie command.  These two hounds don't need much encouragement. The top one is one of the many statues in the city park in Arandjelovac, just a little over an hour from Belgrade.

The bottom one adorns a gateway near the Greek Embassy in Belgrade and you can see that post right here.

 

MONDAY MURALS--Sax on the roof?

 I am very poor at recognizing musical instruments, if indeed this is a realistically represented one.  I think it may be a saxophone, but please correct me if I am wrong.

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SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY---longing to travel

 Not Belgrade---Warsaw, where I was a year or two ago visiting a good friend.

I know I'm not alone, but I wish I could travel somewhere...

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WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--the antique shop

 I often pass this antique shop and admire what is displayed. I'm not a collector and I don't know much about antiques, but I do l ike that lamp on the right. Had a blue one once just like it. Bought in Prague years ago.

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SKYWATCH--watch your step

 Just some fellow working on the roof...

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LOOKING UP

 I've been looking up recently, both literally and figuratively.  Doing the former, I glimpsed these heads (the upper ones). The one on the left is looking at the one on the right as if to say, "Hey, she's going to take our photo. It's about time."

BLOW IN MY ARMPIT AND I'LL....

 Many of you, at least of my generation, may remember Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in, which ran from 1968 to 1973.  I think I may have never missed an episode. Non-stop laughter.

Phrases like "Beautiful downtown Burbank," "Sock it to me," and my favorite, "Blow in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere" are still around.

I thought of the latter immediately when I was this bas-relief of Pan blowing into a very androgenous woman's armpit. 

What would I do if someone blew into my armpit?  Giggle, I guess.

Also, while researching the phrase, I came across Robert Crowe's post from April 2019.

THROUGH MY WINDSHIELD

 A rain photo...which would have turned out much better had it not been taken with my unsmart phone.

MONDAY MURALS--PARTIZAN SOCCER CLUB LOVES GEORGE ORWELL

 Most of us know the name George Orwell from his famous novel 1984. I never realized that was his pen name and he was born Eric Arthur Blair. 

The quote above his name on this mural translates as "Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."  Not sure what that has to do with Partizan Football Club, but anyway...

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WEEKEND REFLECTIONS---not for Frida

 I'm not sure Frida Kahlo, who is peeking  out from behind this wedding dress, would have chosen it.

I imagine her in something far more colorful.

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SKYWATCH "Holy Smoke" er, uh..."steam"

 Of course the smoke is not coming from Aleksandar Nevsky Church, but rather from the heating plant in the distance.

Does look like holy smoke (actually it is steam!) though.

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GREEN THUMB WITH GLOVES

 About ten days ago we had a period of warm weather. This lady, who lives across the street from me, took advantage of the balmy days to repot her geraniums.

KARL MALDEN

 Karl Malden was an American actor of Serbian origin. My grandmother loved him and I remember him from the film Pollyanna, though other films,  including A Streetcar Named Desire, made him much more well-known.  He's seen here grabbing onto a 'streetcar's' pole which is actually part of Belgrade's cinematheque.

You can read about him right here.

Rasha Popov

One thing about blogging is that you learn stuff. Not just you, but me, too.  I had no clue who this statue was dedicated to, so I googled. (Remember the old days when you had to ask around?)  It is a statue of the Serbian poet, Rasha Popov, who passed away in 2017. He apparently frequently walked around with an umbrella (imagine only when raining....a hat, and a book.

If you google him, you'll see the statue is a good likeness.
 

MONDAY MURALS---flowers cheer me up

 These flowers cheered me up. So did the front of the building, with more flowers, but also with cars parked in front.

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