We've had warm weather a bit and as soon as the temperatures rise, the people are in the park.... Each to his own preferred activity: Kickin' it like the man on the bench, or simply reading like the man in the background. I guess he's kickin' it in his own way.
On a path leading up to TaĊĦmajdan Park and to Saint Marko's cathedral, I came across this flagstone that seems to have been some sort of plaque once-upon-a-time. I can only hope it isn't part of an old gravestone. There's no cemetery nearby, but perhaps there once was.
Dear Readers: PLEASE see Jelena's note below and mine just below hers.
It may be a cold sit on this park bench, but sometimes it's good to listen to the Buddhist advice: "Don't just do something; sit there."
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.
These reflective walls are located in Tasmajdan Park downtown....they can throw you off a bit if you're not careful, or if you are a dog. Bibi barked and chased herself for a minute before she realized what was going on.... and that bird on the right looks like it may have had a close call, too.
"What Marquis?" you ask. Who else but the Marquis de Sod.....?
Belgrade's Institute for Neonatology currently has a photo exhibit in Tasmajdan Park, dedicated to all the prematurely-born babies who, thanks to the Institute's care, made the transition from fragile newborns to healthy children. On each board, as you can see, are one or two photographs, with information about the child and his or her (or their, in the case of these twins) family. Sunny skies in store for them and pretty soon they'll be strolling through parks like the children you see on the sidewalk.
Maybe this baby on the ground wouldn't make you look twice, but here it would...and did. As a rule, Serbs do not put crawling infants or even very young children on the ground no matter how clean it may be...even usually in their homes. So, I was somewhat shocked to see this little guy, all dressed in white, too, make his way along the ground in Tasmajdan Park. His grandmother (yes, grandmother, whom I thought would not do this) watched him as he crawled.
Although Belgrade is a large, cosmopolitan city where older people (at least) still try to 'dress up' when they go out, you still see people in downtown areas rather casually dressed, as these three fellows. I love the ties on the man's pants on the left.
I am always fascinated by Serbs' ingenuity, and if you remember this other post of mine, you'll see what I mean.
I could say that my dog, Bibi, took this photo, and from this perspective, she could have. I took this with a little fish-eye attachment and stooped way down low, Bibi-level.
I've shown you Tasmajdan Park downtown several times before, but it has recently (and thankfully) been renovated, making the entire park much more enjoyable. New walkways, fountains, a small dog park, chess tables, playgrounds...wonderful. There are two new statues. The one in the foreground is of Milorad Pavic, a rather unorthodox writer, style-wise, who passed away at the age of 80 in 2009. I've never read his books, but what Wiki says about his works is intriguing:
Not the same hands as you saw right here," but there's some similarity in the tattoos! Who's he texting? His buddies? His girlfriend? His mom...?
Just a pretty shot, nothing more, of a man silhouetted at Elliott Bay Park.
Took this photo shortly after my arrival when there was a bit of sun, but that's all some Seattleites need to get out in summer wear. This girl skater reminded me of this one I photographed in Belgrade.
Valentine's Day is past, but love is still in the air, or so it seems. At least it's in this park downtown.... I discovered both of these hearts not long ago. The one in the foreground is an attempt to have something to put Love Locks on. I haven't been able to find out who put it there, but imagine it was the City. The locks are on, and somehow those little papers are available to write the lovers' names on.... But passers-by who must not be in love tear them off... Better to use an indelible marker....
I know it isn't autumn, but that's the first thing that came to mind when I saw this lady in Kalemegdan Park. I envy people that can carry this off. People would stare at me if I attempted to go out like this.
This old man, walking along hands in his pockets, was deeply absorbed in thought, and I wonder if he appreciated the warm sunlight and the beautiful sky. Life isn't easy for old people just about anywhere, and pensions are shrinking....
Across the street from Belgrade's New Cemetery and actually part of its complex lies the Liberators Memorial, a tribute to the Russians and Red Army soldiers and Yugoslav Partisans who liberated Belgrade in 1944. The sculpure seen here and the relief in the background are the works of sculptor Rade Stankovic, whose work I showed you (although then unknowingly, and thanks to reader "Knez," who told me!) last August.
Another hip shot, but just had to catch these two women who were about to pass me by. I love the contrast in their clothing, juxtaposed....Sneaked this shot of a girl with fancy nails, totally oblivious to me in the bus. I can't help but wonder how she types or texts with t...
