GRAZING RAM

 On my weekend trip recently, my friends' rural garden was invaded by a flock of sheep and a couple of rams.  Chomp, chomp.

IN GOOD HANDS

 I took a short bus trip a few days back to visit some friends. This particular bus route involves a winding drive through big hills. Road was good, though there were some blind curves.

I got a kick out of the icons...so many. I wonder if the driver and passengers ever prayed to them.  The blue heart reads "To the best driver".  Someone was thankful.

MURAL

After having the lunch I showed you yesterday, we took a walk alon the river. There was no explanation on this mural, but it recalled similar ones on Belgrade streets, which are dedicated to (mainly) young people no longer with us.

FISH LUNCH BY THE DANUBE

 

It was a young relative's birthday yesterday and we went for a delicious fish lunch upstream on the Danube. The top photo shows pike, and the bottom one features two sterlet. Sterlet is now my favorite fish.

YOU'VE MISSED YOUR LAST CHANCE

 Belgrade's iconic cafe, Poslednja Shansa (Last Chance), has  been bought out and is now closed for renovation. It's been bought by a person who for sure will not respect its history and its part in Belgrade's heritage. It was opened in the Sixties and was home to writers, tourists, visitors, and others who enjoyed its class and absence of loud music....Notice the Mondrian-style motif in the bar. Mondrian had a comeback in the mid-sixties, so his inspiration was noticeable here. I doubt that the designn will endure, and for sure those yellow and white tiles in the other photo will disappear.

PEEKING OVER THE FENCE PART TWO

 Wow....I remembered having taken a photo of this artist's yard downtown, and when I looked it up, it was waaaaay back in 2009. Here is THAT PHOTO. Seems like he or she is still painting....

HOT, HOT PINK

 If it weren't hot enough here in Belgrade (been close to or just above 100 degrees Fahrenheit/39 C for quite a while. I took this photo about a month ago when temps were not so high, but this woman really loves hot pink.

ATTACK MOON

 That was my first thought when I saw this moon very close (at least from my angle) to the high-rise across the street. 

NATURE'S ARTWORK

 

It's been super-hot the last week and there are more scorching days to come.

About 10 days ago, we had two days of torrential rain, which left this runoff pattern in the sand under a bridge. Quite lovely, I think.

MUSHROOMS!

 

Here in stores you usually find 'champignons de Paris, ' oyster mushrooms, or shitake mushrooms, but the selection is expanding, even if one has to buy from a street seller who picks them and loads them into the trunk of his car.

A BIRTHDAY

 

Went to a landmark birthday party yesterday. This cake was spectacular in appearance both inside and out. Didn't get a chance to take a photo of its smooth, pure-white exterior, but when cut it was eben more attractive. Layers of thin, yellow cake, cheeries, nuts, and light pudding. NOT sweet at all! I loved it. 

POET AND LAUNDRY

 Bust of 19th century Montenegrin poet Njegoš Petrović. With laundry. 😆

100 YEARS AGO....

 

This is well worth the read. It is the last page of a Bride's book, given to grandmother on her wedding day, September 10th, 1923. My mother was born nearly a year later on June 21st.

Read through it and tell me what you think.

SOUNDPROOFING? PROBABLY NOT...

 Hmmmm....I have heard of egg cartons being used as an inexpensive way to soundproof walls, but they need to be placed all over and close together. This passage between two buildings has some artsy patterns on the sidewalls, so I am thinking the cartons are just for decoration.

GAZPACHO

 One tends to think more of thick beef or chicken soups, sarma, lots of roast meat, and potato dishes when thinking of food from this part of the world. However, over the last 25 years or so, more international dishes are on the menu. This absolutely delicious gazpacho, spiced just right, and with garnishes of basil, small chunks of feta cheese, and cubes of watermelon really hit the spot on a 95-degree day.

FAN...OR PARASOL?

 There are many impromptu street sellers in this underground passage downtown. Here's one of them. The lady in the pink in the mirror was watching me take this shot... 

FILMS NOIRS

 This long sidewalk that runs along entrances to apartment buildings in New Belgrade reminded me of a scene from a 'film noir'. That said, quite a few crime films are shot in this area.

TO EACH HIS OWN

 One creature alert, one texting, and one, well, just dog-tired.

FRESHLY LAUNDERED

 Seen today in the yard around my building.

MONSOON....

 We have had three days of heavy rains....Belgrade monsoon. Hot, humid. This is a view from my new apartment where I am now living. Unpacking boxes these days... Because the weather made me think of India (I think of India anyway!) I made myself a masala tea.... Still planning to travel to India in October.😊🙏

A BIT OF BEAUTY

 I have been unpacking moving boxes for days, interspersed with dog walks here in a neighborhood where I used to live. It has been overcast and rainy, but I thought the light enhanced these flowers.

WHAT'S THIS?

 

Not a clue what this structure is. It's been at one end of Belgrade's pedestrian street for quite a while. No plaque. To me, the tubes look like some sort of wind chime arrangement, but that is all I can think of.

FOLDED UP

 Šansa, an iconic Belgrade café, has been bought out by a, how should I say this, less than desirable businessman. If it is doomed to be like others that suffered such a fate, gone will be its clientele, décor, and overall atmosphere.

And of course these lovely curtains will go too. They're already folded up, as has the café.

SILHOUETTES

 I'll be leaving this apartment we own tomorrow to move into another one my son bought; it has an elevator!  I will miss many things, including this little kitchen window with a sill.  I rarely feed the birds, but had some leftover  sunflower seeds, so I put them on the window sill. This morning two pigeons appeared.

THE DOG IN THE FLOWER

 I thought this rose on a back street nearby was so lovely. It even had a scent. When I got home and looked more closely, not only does it have a fragrance, but I see a dog's head in the center looking toward the left. Do you see it?

25 YEARS AGO

 A child and his parents stop at a monument to the children who perished during the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia 25 years ago.

COOL PLACE ON A HOT DAY

 Ah, summer....by the calendar not quite yet, but it's hot. One of my favorite places to go is just across the street from me. I enjoy coffee there on colder days and an ice cream when it's hot. Petković Sweet Shop, founded in 1901.

MORDECAI IS LEAVING

 A few years back I went with a friend to Krakow.  Visited places in this beautiful city including the Jewish Quarter. I came across this little hand-carved, wooden rabbi that I bought to accompany my then pocket Serbian traveler,  Radovan, whom you can see RIGHT HERE.

Up until recently they have shared shelf space and Radovan has come along on a couple of other trips.  

But now, because I am downsizing and trying to gift some of my 'stuff' to friends who might give it a good home, a Jewish friend of mine is going to take Mordecai to the BELGRADE SYNAGOGUE where he will be appreciated.

ALL LAID OUT

 Morning is time for a strong Turkish coffee.

DRYING OUTDOORS

 Few people own dryers here and I believe that is true for most of Europe. People use drying racks indoors or clotheslines that are on their terraces. I do have a dryer, but use an indoor rack to save electricity, wear and tear on clothes.

INVASION

 Starbucks is everywhere and now here in Belgrade. This photo is of classic Serbian cakes in a local sweetshop...but look what is also offered...

GLORIOUS

 Every year in later spring, the linden trees bloom in all their glory and intoxicating scent. I just can't get enough of bith their magnificence and fragrance.

TRAVEL IN STYLE

 

For those of you who like to flaunt something really different at the airport, now about some Nikola Tesla luggage covers? And you don't even have to fly Air Serbia. 😜

SERBIAN BREAKFAST

 I love to go out for breakfast. Today I went with two friends to an old- school Serbian restaurant.  It serves classic dishes like moussaka, stews, a variety of soups like nettle soup, roast meats, and a score of other mouth-watering dishes. Few people go out for breakfast here or if they do, they look for a more western breakfast. Above you will see what I had:  yummy polenta made with a creamy cheese (not visible; melted!) and chunks of a kind of feta cheese.  Strong black coffee. One of my friends' feta cheese, two eggs, small salad, and Serbian sausages is just across the table.

BOTANICAL GARDEN

 Peeking through the iron railings thst cover one side of Belgrade's Botanical Garden, I caught this lovely scene. The wooden structure there is, I believe, birdhouses for sparrows.

GUARDIAN

 If you check MY POST FROM LAST SUNDAY, you will see that I warded off three young hooligans who were intending to steal some chocolate and 200 dinars from this sleeping homeless person. Today I see he has a new guardian; a plastic lion someone left there.

WHEN YOU NEED SOMETHING SWEET...

 Bad phone shot. My favorite café only serves coffee, tea, soft drinks,and some alcoholic ones. That didn't stop this fellow from dashing to the pastry shop across the street and returning with something sweet.

VINTAGE GLASS

 For photographers, 'vintage glass' could refer to an old but still useful lens. This glass is a flashback from my recent trip to Warsaw. I love this collection of this kind of vintage glass.

FEED YOUR INNER CHILD

 Walked the dog this evening and then sat in the little park adjacent to my building. This young man was really enjoying himself. He'd been swinging when I started my walk (I walked the dog for about half an hour) and then I sat and watched him for a half an hour before going home. Looked out the window about 15 minutes later--still at it. And the show ended when it started to rain. 

You have to feed your inner child.

I LIVE IN FEAR...

 

This was my fortune cookie's prediction....looking over my shoulder now, and of course upwards, too.  If I don't post for a while, you'll know why.

ELEGANCE

it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, but this young lady was all ready for some special occasion.
 

UP TO NO GOOD

 When the weather was as good as it was last week, there are always a few homeless persons sleeping on benches in parks. One such was just to the left of where I took this photo. Some kind person had left 200 dinars ($2.00) with a lsrge chocolate bar beside his bare and callused feet on the bench. 

I saw these 'kids' spot the chocolate and the money. The one in the middle picked up a large stick and all tjree headed toward the bench. I stood by the bench and stared them down. They stopped. It was a case of who will back down first. I pulled out my phone snd pretended to take a video at which point the kid with the stick pulled up his hoodie and walked a distance away. Little kid was still smirking and the biggest one just stood there, mumbling his innocence. 

I told them to move on. No reaction. At that point I said I was calling the police. They instantly disappeared.

DEDICATION

 

Just noticed this mural on a nearby street where I don't usually walk. Looks freshly done. On the upper right it reads "Street Hero" and on the upper left it says "To those who loved me."

SO UNCOMFORTABLE...

No more bus photos, but now an airline one. I flew to and from Warsaw with the Polish airline, LOT. Very efficient, and quite comfortable if you are of standard human size. This poor fellow, who must have been at least 6'6", was really uncomfortable. He was only sitting like this at the very end of the 2-hour flight. Otherwise, he'd have blocked the aisle.
 

HAPPY DELIVERIES!

 Like yesterday, I took this photo while in a bus in Warsaw. I looked out the window, ever on alert for a shot, and lo and behold, this very happy delivery guy saw me and posed. A cutie he was.

LILY OF THE VALLEY

 On a recent trip, I asked a lady sitting next to me on the bus in Warsaw if I could take a photo of her bouquet. Usually Lilies of the Valley are given on May 1st, but their beauty allows them to be displayed all the time.

FUNGI

 I have not posted for a while and now I am back in Belgrade dealing with packing for an upcoming intracity move. May not be able to post regularly for a while. 

These toadstools were growing on the rotting side of a maple tree. Wondering if they are edible....