Now that Belgrade has enforced its no-smoking law, it's hard to find a place to take a legal puff. Parks are still okay to do so, and this couple, or at least half of the couple, is enjoying a nicotine moment.
Parking spaces are precious in a big city, and although it's not permitted to park on 'green areas', some do... This space is far from green, but it's been staked out and locked up. Who's got the key?
Near is where I was to these two Seattle policemen. Looks like they're well-equipped, though the fellow on the right needs a new pair of trousers.
Do you walk against the red light sometimes? I do.... Now that many people are on vacation, this normally very busy street has less traffic.
Yesterday's photo talked of Riding the Duck, the zany land/water tours. This post may be even zanier, and we have Captain Tristan Shout (see yesterday's post) to thank for this bit of info. On Lake Union there are houseboats, floating homes, and some buildings along the shore. The Lake Union Crew Club in the middle looks like a permanent building, no? No! It's a boat! Its owner installed propellers in the rear, and to maintain its boat status, it has to be a boat once a year, i.e. break away from the shore and sail over Lake Union. That would be fun to see....
Drab is this scene, except for the 'pretty' icicles. They are pretty, but dangerous as well. Several people in Belgrade have been injured by falling snow or icicles in the last couple of weeks. As I type this, we still have about 8 inches of snow, and some more fell today. By law, tenants or owners must clean the sidewalks in front of their buildings and knock off icicles (I hope they look first...) before they grow too long. I helped a friend get rid of these...and we looked down first....
No, it's not Moscow, as you might think from the red poster behind these members of Belgrade's special forces. The poster is advertising renovations to Hotel Moskva, (Hotel Moscow) which I've shown you several times. These well-padded boys were stationed for possible reactions to a recent political protest meeting. All was peaceful....
Hmmm....irony of ironies. The sign on this smoke shop window reads "No smoking" and reminds potential offenders of the newly-adopted law about not smoking in public places....even in a smoke shop.
I liked the composition that Mother Nature made, and she even included some reflections for me. I also like the 'smoking kills' warning on the ashtray. New laws are coming into effect forcing cafe and restaurant owners to make non-smoking sections in their places of business. I've posted 'smoking' photos several times, like here, and can only hope Those In Power will enforce the law.
Yesterday a Gay Pride parade was held in Belgrade. A few years back, things turned very nasty, with several participants being beaten up by indignant citizens (a euphemism I'm using for 'huligani' or hooligans, as they're called here.) Last year when members of the Gay Pride movement wanted to march, they were told that the police could not ensure their safety...lame excuse. This year, the City of Belgrade made every effort for a peaceful parade to take place, with the aim to tell the world that all minorities are respected here, and assigned around 5000 police to make sure things went smoothly. The parade itself did go smoothly. However, since in every society there are people who are just waiting for any excuse to smash windows, overturn garbage bins, create general unrest, and provoke the police into using tear gas, some such incidents did take place. In the above photo you see part of a cordon of special police who have blocked off two main streets to vehicle traffic. (taken from my window)
If there's anything worse than returning to your car and finding a ticket, it's finding two tickets. Downtown Belgrade is divided into several parking zones. If you live in one, you can pay a monthly fee to park for unlimited hours. Otherwise, you need to pay per hour. Zones are one hour, two hours, or three hours. If you don't pay, apparently like this Deux Chevaux owner didn't, you'll find a parking ticket or two...or three....tucked under your windshield wiper... 
Yugoslavia (all of it) used to be ranked third in number of smokers in Europe. I'm not sure where Serbia stands, but there are still lots of people puffing away....but not in this photo. The 'smoke' is actually mist that is sprayed to cool off diners on this restaurant on the Danube. I took this photo while on a river cruise. I must say I did a double-take before I zoomed in on this scene. I thought it really was smoke...
They say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but for many people in Belgrade, there has been a free ride. For a long time, many commuters risked their luck (read: cheated) by not punching or even buying a bus ticket. There were plain-clothes 'controllers' who occasionally confronted passengers and fined them, or at least attempted to, but this was often unsatisfactory and unsafe for the controllers.... Now new controllers are on the prowl, clearly identified with their fluorescent green vests and traveling in pairs if not packs.
Don't park where you're not supposed to. I am actually pleased that Belgrade is stepping up with removal and ticketing of illegally parked cars. It's quite costly though, for the thoughtless driver. Having your car released can cost around 12,000 dinars or about $150.00, which is quite a chunk out of someone's local salary. The fellow on the left is having his car written up, but he may get out of paying a towing fee, unlike the unfortunate Audi's owner, who is nowhere in sight.
The City of Belgrade is becoming more strict in regards to illegal parking. Here a policeman is writing a ticket for a vehicle parked on the sidewalk just out of the photo to the left. In the background you can see some taller monuments in Belgrade's Jewish Cemetery that you can read more about right here.
This is one of a pair of statues in front of the National Assembly of Serbia and is entitled Black Horses Playing, though I don't think I'd like to play with a horse this way. The National Assembly's construction was started in 1907, with the cornerstone being laid by King Petar I. The sculpture was placed in front of the building in 1939.
Stefan Uroš Dušan IV (c.1308 – 20 December1355), now called Dušan the Mighty, was King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks (from 16 April 1345). Under his rule, Serbia reached its territorial peak and the Serbian Empire was one of the larger states in Europe at the time. Apart from significant territorial gains, in 1349 and 1354 he made and enforced Dušan's Code, a universal system of laws. He is also the only ruler from the house of Nemanjić (a medieval Serbian ruling dynasty) who has not been canonized as a saint. Dušan was also noted as a man of gigantic proportions, and according to Papal ambassadors, he was the tallest man of his time, estimated at close to seven feet tall. Today he would be on Serbia's national basketball team, and we hope, still mighty.
Well, I thought I'd heard it all until I read in the paper the other day that there had been stipulations on the size and shapes of certain vegetables and fruits sold in the EU. Although certain ones of these standards have recently been revised, a cauliflower used to have to be at least 11 centimeters in diameter and a wreath of garlic had to have 16 heads. Worse, small carrots couldn't be any lighter than 8 grams and large ones had to weigh 50 grams with at least a 2 centimeter diameter, and could not display more than one root! So, if even in the fruit and vegetable world, if you weren't good looking, you just weren't going to make it to someone's table. Now that's been changed, EXCEPT for bananas, which have to still be at least 14 centimeters long with a 2,7 centimeter waistline. All I can say is I'm glad I live outside the EU, since I frequently browse the markets for odd fruit that reminds me of artwork....
