THE END IS NEAR

 

I have posted this old house before but hadn't been back in a while. Looks like now it really is going to be torn down. 

HELPING HANDS

 Caught this elderly couple carefully walking down slippery stones beside one of Belgrade's main churches, Saint Marko's.

WALKING THE DOG

 Walking the dog....right past the liquor store.

"YOU DON'T SAY!"

 I love the mother's expression ....

GUY LOOKING FOR BRIDE

 The title 'Guy looking for bride' would be the literal translation of part of the red print on the sign

 The other in blue would be 'Inquire within'. Sign's been there for a while....no luck, I guess. 

WOOD PAVING

 

My friend pointed out this entrance to a building on a street I'd passed many times. The large metal entrance gate was open this time, and I guess that's why I was never able to see the inside of this passage leading past the actuall entrance to a garden.

What was most interesting is the wood paving. These are 'bricks' made of wood and apparently they last a loooooong time.  I googled 'wood paving' and it is used more often than you think.

SKYWATCH: TREE, MOON, PASTELS

 Just what the title says, nothing more. I stood and took in the beauty for several minutes.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

SLEEPING IT OFF

 Seems like this holiday gnome has had one long season....too much holiday cheer. I'll check and see if he's still there tomorrow....

CONVERSATION....

 A definite lack of any conversation and so it was the entire time this couple 'enjoyed' their meal at my local Indian restaurant. Not a word was exchanged. I was morbidly fascinated...and saddened. In this photo, the fellow had just put his phone down and perhaps was hoping for a word from his partner, but no.

STARBUCKS PUPPUCCINO?

 A bit fuzzy, but I took this with my 50mm lens at quite a distance and cropped it. I love the dog enjoying his night out with his master. Couldn't make out what the dog was having...perhaps one of Starbucks' famous PUPPUCCINOs.  Not sure they serve them here though....

BRUDERHOF MEMBERS?

Walking home the other day, I caught sight of this mother and her children waiting on a street corner.  She was about to take a photo, and little did she know it, so was I.

I wasn't sure why they were dressed like this, so I googled. The closest I came was finding the BRUDERHOF COMMUNITY, since the clothing seemed to match up. I am sorry now I didn't ask her.  There is no Bruderhof community here, so I imagine they were tourists.

Please correct me if you know what they represent.

HANGING ON

 This wine and brandy seller has a stand on the pedestrian street downtown. Others like him have closed shop for the season, but I imagine he has reason to believe that despite the recent warmer temperatures people still want mulled wine and brandy. 

HOLDING THE BAG

 This couple near an outdoor market caught my eye the other day. The bag contains some pastries and is not heavy. I liked the way they were 'helping each other' carry it. 😃

SKYWATCH--PRINCE MIHAILO

 The statue of Prince Mihailo of Serbia stands proudly on a main square downtown.

You can read more about him iF YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. One fun fact I learned was that he was the first person in Serbia to get vaccinated against smallpox, which claimed the lives of three of his siblings.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

THE TILE LADY

 Took this through a window of a fancy tile shop downtown this evening. Seems like the lady is taking a dinner break. 

CLASSIC

I have passed this entrance to an older building many times on evening dog walks. For some reason it particularly captured my attention last night. Shades of art deco very well maintained.
 

SKETCHER

 This woman comes to the park and sits on the same bench every day, weather permitting. She intently focuses on her sketch pad. I wish I had mustered up enough courage to ask her if I could photograph her hands and her sketch, but my experience has taught me that when I ask for a photo, most people say no.....but I will ask her next time.

OLD....

 If a door is open, I'll look in. That's my photo motto. Here I did not have to look very far inside.

I have always liked old tiled floors, inside or out, and heavy wooden doors. So much more attractice than steel or glass doors and slippery granite floors, which seem to be the standard in Belgrade's newer architecture.

MOCHI!!

 I was invited by my Japanese friend to tea and mochis at a local Japanese pastry shop run by a Japanese friend of hers.

I was first introduced to mochi by my US grandchildren, who love them....and now so do I.

On the photo you see that we shared two mochis:  a lemon-cream cheese one and a pistachio one.  Absolutely scrumptious. I had a case of the guilties because I am supposed to watch my sugar intake, but apparently their sweetness comes from pounded sweet rice flour.  See THIS:

And even better news.....I found this as well:  Mochi is a versatile and healthy sack. It is one of the few carbohydrate sources that is packed with protein and IS FREE FROM CHOLESTEROL.

NIGHT WALKER

 On my way somewhere (I also was a night walker), I caught this fellow in silhouette.

BRIGHTEN MY DAY

 

 

Snatched a photo of this young woman while waiting for the bus. She brightened up my day, even if the sun was already shining.

HALLOWEEN'S OVER

 At first I thought this was a leftover ghost from Halloween, but it's only some material stuck on a tree branch next to the Greek Embassy.

MAJESTIC COUPLE

 The 'majestic' here isn't referring to the couple, but rather their location in Belgrade's HOTEL MAJESTIC. Friends and I have coffee there on occasion.

VILLA FROM THE PAST

 Once upon a time, this charming little villa was once a pearl for someone. Its name is Villa Maca (MAH-tsa), which means 'kitty'.  I actually thought it had been torn down, but today I realized I had been looking for it on an adjacent street. I have a feeling though, given the renovation in this neighborhood, that the bulldozers are not far away.

DRESSED FOR THE URBAN JUNGLE

 All decked out for survival in the urban jungle.

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY--in the alley

 I was walking my dog late at night and came across this fellow on his way home. 

See other shadows on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

SHE'S SEEN IT ALL

 I would imagine this stone lady has seen it all and has just glazed over.  I wonder though if she was just a classic face, or was she really modeled after someone.

BRANDY

 On the walking street downtown, there are still some die-hard stands, offering seasonal wares. Rakija, or brandy, is one of them, and this fellow doesn't look like he wants to quit.

THEME DAY FOR FEBRUARY--STREET CORNERS

 My street corner is a very busy one almost at every hour, and unfortunately has been the scene of many serious accidents and fender-benders. In the first photo you can see that a trolley has hit another, which is bad enough, though not so serious. There were no injuries, but the results were chaotic. In the second photo, you can see only part of a trolley back-up, which included buses, motorcycles, and passenger cars. Awful. I was on foot, so got through just fine. Five city buses and trolleys run on the streets where the trolleys are, so you can  imagine the chaos.

See other street corners on FEBRUARY THEME DAY.