Still good for more kilometers

It's the shoes, I think, that are still good for some more kilometers, not the baby carriage that's seen better days. See anything you like? :<)

Two for one today!

I just had to post both these photos today. The first one is one of my "belly shots," taken waist level so the subject won't know I'm snapping away. This little lady is selling violets and a vegetable that I don't know the name of in English, so if anyone does, please tell me! (It's not spinach and it isn't chard.) The poster reads, "Kosovo is Serbia." I bought all her violets and all of the "zelje," (ZEL-yay) as it's known here, which is good steamed, and then you add crushed garlic and sour cream; yum. I persuaded her to let me take her portrait, but as soon as I pointed the camera at her, she put on her mug shot expression. The man selling shoelaces next to her managed to tease her so I could get a smile! (I took his photo a bit earlier on through another "belly shot"!)

"I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do......"

Who doesn't love to see a happy bride? Yesterday in Belgrade you could have seen 400 happy brides (and grooms) at the capital's 10th Collective Wedding Ceremony, a tradition started during the 1999 NATO bombing as a message to young people that love can triumph over hate. During the last 10 years, couples from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Canada, the USA, Sweden, Denmark, and China have exchanged their vows together. If you're planning a wedding, you have time to sign up for next year! (Notice the gypsy trumpeters in the background. No wedding should be without a gypsy brass band; they're great.)

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.

Sign? I didn't see any sign!

This is the side entrance to the market where I took the "Treasures..." photo posted April 29th. Aside from the obvious "No dogs allowed," this sign reads "No selling of old things," which is exactly what the men on the other side of the fence are doing, laying their wares out on newspaper or just on the stones. In this way they avoid paying a fee for a real stand, like the one where my treasures were offered for sale, but they risk a fine if the inspectors come along.

Once upon a time there were two friends...

Earlier on in my posts I'd mentioned Vuk Karadžić (Vook KA-ra-jeech) 1787-1864, a language scholar and the father of Serbian folk literature who reformed the Cyrillic alphabet for Serbian use, and created one of the simplest and most logical spelling systems. Vuk also wrote down many folk tales and proverbs that up until then had only been passed on orally. His German friend, Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), liked these tales so much that he learned Serbian in order to read them as well as Serbian epic poetry in the original. He then translated them into German, and they were so popular in his homeland that they sold out as quickly as they were published. This street sign reads "Brothers Grimm street," named for him as well as his brother (who never learned Serbian, but who helped his brother preserve some great fairy tales...)

I WAS A BILLIONNAIRE ONCE! (And so was everyone else.)

Numbers is the theme today, and the astonishing denomination of this note - five hundred billion dinars - bears witness to the economic chaos that can follow political upheaval. After the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991-92, the newly-independent republics began issuing their own notes. Inflation and spiraling prices forced the government to issue notes for unimaginable sums. People find this hard to believe, but at that time if one was lucky enough to have foreign currency to change, one did so JUST for the amount needed right then and there, since a few hours later the dinars' value had gone down. No kidding. If you visit Belgrade, you can buy one of these big bills for around 100 dinars (now about $2.00), or buy it online for around $22.95. None of the currency featured is in use anymore, except the coins. By the way, the man on the bill is Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj (YO-vahn Yo-VAHN-oh-veetch Zm-eye) 1833-1904, known as the father of Serbian children's literature.

Where's Waldo?

I hadn't started this blog when it was theme day for wall art/graffiti, but I like this photo, so I'll post it now rather than wait until the same theme comes around again. It reminds me of those "Where's Waldo?" books, which are sold in Serbia as "Gde je Gile?" (Guh-DAY yeh GEE-lay)

Treasures...

I love to go to the local green markets here, especially the larger ones that often have a "flea market" section where you can find all kinds of treasures. This is a sample of what was recently available at Kalenić (KAh-len-eetch) market in downtown Belgrade. And no, I resisted temptation and left only with this photo.

Smile...you're on Candid Camera!

I have been practicing photographing people with what I call "belly shots." I hang my camera around my neck, and when I see someone I'd like to capture, I act nonchalant, look the other way, more or less aim, then press the shutter furtively with my thumb, hoping that the angle from my midriff will be a good one. That's what I did with these three ladies, but I think they suspected something. Oh, well. Practice makes perfect.

Happy Easter again!

Happy Serbian Orthodox Easter! I only color eggs for one Easter and this is it. Last night my son and I painted some "family eggs," one for each member of our family or boyfriend/girlfriend, and one for a friend who is coming to dinner. See if you can find me. (Hint: I have a hairline crack on my chin, or rather my egg does!) The blue egg in the front with a leaf pattern is made by putting a leaf on the egg, wrapping it tightly in cheesecloth, and dropping it in the dye. The brownish one with tiny leaf patterns is made in the same way, and boiled with a lot of onion skins to obtain the pretty color. Serbs polish their eggs with a bit of cooking oil to make them shine, and have a fun custom of tapping eggs. If you're interested, drop me a note on the comments and I'll tell you what they do.