FLASH: Couple shot in Kalemegdan Park!!

If you remember this classic post of mine, you'll know that Belgrade is a fairly safe place, and the only shootings you're likely to run into are the kind you see above. I believe these 'lovers' were advertising leather...earlier the photographers were very interested in their shoes, and now it seems they're focusing on their jackets...I guess.

Theme day --Change--Roadside fauna

Today's theme is Change. I'm still in India, and though in some rural areas here it's common to see an elephant in the wild, I hardly ever see any in Belgrade (!), so this is a change for me. This fellow was photographed in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the Karnataka Province that we passed through.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Don't!

Here's a list of what you can't do in some parks in New York. Looks at first like you can't do much, but you can still read, jump rope, talk, sing, dance, sit and watch the passers-by, and smell the flowers.

Students' Square

This post is dedicated to Branka from Canada, who wrote that she often met with her friends in this park during her student days in Belgrade. This square is the city's oldest, dating from 1824 when the first attempt to regulate the city streets was made. Earlier on, it was the “grand market” inside a fortress on the main road to Istanbul. Now it's still on a heavily traveled street, although not one that leads to Istanbul, and the square is the last stop for all buses serving downtown Belgrade. The park is now more of a gathering place for dog walkers than students, though the Faculty of Math and Natural Sciences and the Philological and Philosophical Faculties are nearby. If you're wondering about the hammer and sickle, this is just some graffiti spray-painted by someone longing for days gone by!

Please don't sit on the flowers!

Most people in Belgrade live in apartments that they usually own. However, although they fix up their own terraces, the common property areas around the apartment buildings are not regularly kept up. Those who really have a green thumb that's itching for more garden space take it upon themselves to take care of the grassy plots around their building, as someone has done here. His or her skills are limited to gardening, and it looks like a carpenter might be needed to repair this bench. In the meantime, don't sit on the flowers!

Risk your life!

Last Saturday, Chuck in Seattle at http://almostoneaday.blogspot.com/ posted a photo of a truckload of anchors secured with cables, but there were no sides on the truck to prevent either their possible fall (okay, unlikely, but possible!) or someone's purposely gouging himself on an anchor's hook to make an insurance claim. I know in the US we're always watchful for this kind of thing, and we've all read signs that warn you of "dangers" that could be avoided by common sense. Here you're expected to use common sense, and too bad for you if you don't, since at least so far people aren't litigation-happy. But this sign in Kalemegdan Park surprised me. You can read what it says, but I guess that means, "Go ahead and walk here if you want, but watch out." I'm dedicating this post to Chuck, and to Strangetastes in Saint Louis at http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/ , since he's a lawyer! And thank you to my friend Melissa for letting me borrow her photo from her site; not sure if you can enlarge this one.

Reflecting on the past month

When I walk beside rivers, I slow down, reflect on life, appreciate my surroundings... Along part of the Sava River in New Belgrade is a statue honoring Mohandas (Mahatma) Ghandi, India's major political and spiritual leader, especially his dedication to his philosophy of truth and resistance to evil through active, non-violent resistance, in short peaceful protests. The first photo shows Ghandi's bust along with an exercise group stretching in the background. The second is an earlier photo not far from Ghandi, showing a bicyclist who is, I believe, really meditating or else just lost in thought.

A dose of vitamin D with sunscreen, I hope.

It was quite warm the other day, and as I was walking along the quay of the Sava River, I saw this gentleman enjoying the sun's rays. I think he is actually wearing a Speedo-type bathing suit, but often you'll see men sitting around in the sun their underwear. (I've also seen some ladies in their bras.) People here aren't always so shy about removing articles of what I might deem necessary outer clothing.

"R" is for "ringlšpil"

Decided to participate in Mrs. Nesbitt's "ABC Wednesday" this week. "Ringlšpil" is the Serbian phonetic equivalent of the German word for "merry-go-round." There are many words in Serbian borrowed from German and French, not to mention the hundreds of words that came into the language during the Turks' 500-year stay, which began in 1389. This merry-go-round, photographed quite early in the morning, is awaiting its first little customers.

Beware: No lifeguard on duty yet.

It's hot here now, but Belgrade's beach on Ada Ciganlija, a large island in the Sava river, commonly known as Gypsy Island, isn't officially open yet. Didn't seem to matter much to this family, especially Mom who wanted to cool off after a 7-km bike ride around the lake. Junior looks bored, and Dad has conked out. Unfortunately, two days ago a 13 year-old boy who had gone swimming with two siblings, but without their parents' knowledge, drowned. The sign reads "Dunav" (Danube), the name of an insurance company...

Some "doo" and some "doo" not.

Belgrade has a number of really beautiful parks, large and small. Retired people on benches soak up the sun, lovers kiss in the shade of a tree, mothers keep a watchful eye on their children playing nearby. You can walk or sit on the grass too, if you dare. Up until fairly recently, there was no scoop law, and even now, strolling over the grass requires as much concentration as making your way through a mine field. You're more liable to soil your shoes in a small park; less grass for dogs to go on... The girl on the left is "doo-ing" her duty by picking up after her dog. Some "doo" not, as seen on the right.

The Eternal Flame

The Eternal Flame (Večna Vatra), unveiled by former president Slobodan Milošević on June 21st, 2000, is located in Friendship Park (Park Prijateljstva) on Belgrade's famous river area Ušće (OOsh-chay), In this park during Tito's rule many visiting politicians anddignitaries were invited to plant a tree. Due to its convenient location and wide-open spaces, Ušće, (meaning "river mouth," for it is located where the Sava and Danube rivers meet), has been the site of many meetings and concerts over the years, including the recent Rolling Stones' "Bigger Bang" tour in July 2007. The monument itself rises from behind this wall, not from it.