INTO THE SUN

 Dog's-eye view of our walk the other day along the river.

HEELS

 I'm afraid this shop is one of the last true shops of its kind.  I can't remember the last time I needed this type of heel for my shoes.

FOUR STOOLS

 Just what the title says, nothing more, nothing less....except maybe some leaves....

WHILE WAITING....

 While waiting for a friend, I sneaked photos. I am never bored with my camera...

STREET ACTION

 Got off the bus on BRANKO'S BRIDGE, looked over the railing, and with my camera I froze all the action below.

ANTIQUE SHOP

 I pass this antique shop quite often and have even sold a few things to them. To tell the truth, it isn't completely an antique shop anymore. It's been turned into a cozy cafe. Kind of an old-school feel....

SHARING

 I watched this couple for quite a while. Each was engrossed in their phones....but then suddenly they shared something. A text, a photo, who knows?  But it actually got them talking to each other....

PANORAMA FROM THE PARK

 

Weather permitting, I take my dog for a looong walk along the Danube in New Belgrade toward Old Belgrade. In this photo you can see, from left to right, Kalemegdan forteress, the steeple of the main church, the dome of the bishop's palace, waaay behind that the dome of St. Sava's  temple, an old high-rise landmark, and the the far right, newly- constructed apartment buildings in an area called Belgrade Waterfront. In the foreground is a monument called The Eternal Flame.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

 Dropped by my framer's the other day to pick up two photographs I had framed. While he was wrapping them, I took a few photos around his shop. Here is one.

HINT OF SPRING

 We're not that close to spring. Though it is just a month away, spring seems to take its good old time to really arrive.

Had some friends over last Saturday and one of them brought me these beautiful tulips. They were more attractive when fresh, but do quite nicely faded.

STARK

 Just what the title says. Cold here; not a bud in sight.

HOUSEWARMING

 Had a mini-housewarming yesterday. I asked for no gifts since I have already downsized.

But these tulips were beautiful!

SOME VALENTINES HAVE FOUR PAWS

 Yes, indeed some Valentines DO have four paws.  Case in point. Here I am with Madhu, not long after I adopted her five years ago.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL, including those with four paws.

A DIFFERENT VIIEW

 Last summer I moved from downtown Belgrade to New Belgrade, just across the river. Above was my view from my bedroom window before the move. I lived in a loft, and loved it. I  have a different view now, but the curtains are the same. And a terrace, which I like.

WAFFLES, BELGIAN ONES AND REAL ONES....

 

Digging back into my archives since I haven't been out shooting so very recently.  The sign on the waffle stand on the left reads "Belgian Waffles" and the sign on the stand on the right reads "Real Waffles."  I'll let you figure that out.

WOULDN'T CUT IT....

 I had a hankering for Serbian sauerkraut. It's different from the kind I grew up with, which was sauerkraut from a can warmed up. Here you can buy cabbages and let them ferment in a large barrel, then when they're ready, slice/chop them thin as you need them. Most people (yours truly included) don't have either the place for a large barrel or time to chop.  You can buy packages of already chopped saukerkraut in the store. I rinse that sauerkraut to remove a lot of the salt, squeeze it so all the water is removed. Then in a heavy cast iron pot I put a  little oil, a couple of bay leaves, peppercorns, and the sauerkraut. Stir and cook until it is a bit brown. Then I add meat of some sort:  chicken legs, pork pieces or chops, sausage, or smoked ribs like on the picture. I bury whatever it is in  the sauerkraut, cover, and bake until it appears nearly done. Then off comes the lid and I leave it brown a bit.

I wanted this time to buy some ribs, as above. I would not need that many (just me, folks), but the farmer outside our market who comes in from a nearby village only wanted to sell the ribs in entirety....so no ribs for me. (Frown) I don't use meat or even smoked meat that much and would take forever to use it all. So I bought chicken legs and buried them.

IMAGINING A REPLY

 Another bus shot. This young woman had just read a text. It looks like she's trying to come up with a response.

LADY IN THE BUS

 Another pensive soul in the bus.

CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

 Grove in a nearby park. Not a real forest, but as close as I'll get within city limits.

NOT A SERBIAN CUSTOM

 Well....during COVID I stayed with an Irish friend in a suburban part of Belgrade. She has a lovely old house, and both our dogs appreciated the yard and each other's company. My friend, who was about 90 then, and I appreciated keeping each other company, too, and improved our Scrabble skills.

We took turns cooking. I had always noticed that she had a wash basin in her sink where she put her dishes before she washed them. I had never seen anybody do this before, but I have since learned that many cultures do this, and I have adopted the habit. I stack my dishes during the day, run hot water and add dishwashing liquid (which of course my friend called 'washing up liquid', washed them, returned them to the basin, then rinsed them under the faucet and stacked them in a rack. Above is my set-up.

I was pleased to notice that the hot water stays hot longer since the plastic of the bin doesn't absorb the heat as a metal sink would, and I actually end up using less water.

NEVER DO THIS...OR ALMOST NEVER

 It is not a good idea to leave a small dog, even safely fastened, alone in front of a store.

So I didn't. My dog was inside the entrance in plain sight of me when I dashed in to buy something close to the exit. We kept a close watch on each other!

COLD TOOTSIES?

 As temperatures drop, I am always curious about water birds' feet. I finally looked up the reason why they don't just get their feet frozen, if not very cold. You wouldn't catch me floating blissfully on the water in the winter. This pair though seems to have opted for a piece of driftwood.

Here' the reason: Birds in general  have specialized scales on their feet and legs that help minimize heat loss. Many ducks, geese, pelicans, gulls and swans further conserve body heat by standing on one leg or even sitting down.

ZEMUN FACADE

 

Another photo of a facade in Zemun (ZAY-moon), a close municipality of Belgrade, known for its cafes, late-night bars ,and fish restaurants along its riverside (Danube) promenade. Zemun once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its arhitecture reflects the then-popular SECESSIONIST ART STYLE.

LOST, BUT 'TWAS FUN

 After a smashing lunch at my favorite Indian restaurant, son and family took me bowling, something we had not done since just before COVID, when I beat everyone. No luck this year, sadly, but it was fun. These are bowling shoes to rent, marked in European sizes.

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

 I love this photo and don't think I have posted it before. I ran a few search words on my blog and nothing came up, so here it is.

This is a phone (and not an iPhone) shot. Last April I was walking with my granddaughter and spotted these sheets. They called to me saying, "Take out photo!" so I did. I have recently had the photo enlarged and framed. Better yet, a local photo professor of mine a number of years back goes to the same framer. When I picked up the photo a few days ago, the framer told me that Prof X had come  in with some of his photos to  frame, and he admired my photo. Whee!

It's my birthday today and his compliment made my day, albeit a a few days early!

FEBRUARY THEME DAY: MOTORS

 Not the entire motor nor is this Belgrade!  Here is my favorite tuk-tuk driver in Delhi. I stepped out of my hotel one morning and was about to flag down a tuk-tuk, when Sonny zipped up and shouted, "Madame, you are back!" Hard to believe that in such a huge city he found me, but I knew he lived in the area near my hotel.

Sonny is hard-working and honest. Tuk-tuks are my favorite way to get around and if I had my way, I'd ship one back. I did learn however that they are not sold to anyone who is not a tuk-tuk driver, so I guess I may have to move and pass a driving test. Tuk-tuks have either a two-stroke or four-stroke engine, which is Greek to me. I just learned this through the Internet.

See other MOTORS on THEME DAY.