I was intrigued by these Tibetan prayer flags, not only because I've hardly ever seen them here, but also because they're displayed around a dwelling way up on top of these stairs, like Lhasa is high in the Himalayas. The chain link fence that I had to photograph through symbolizes for me that Lhasa was once known as The Forbidden City.
Boy, am I glad I had my camera with me (but I always do...) Look who I saw downtown yesterday! He's a bit early, considering that Serbs celebrate Christmas according to the traditional church calendar on January 7th. In any case, Santa distributes presents on New Year's, not on Christmas, which is a quiet family holiday. 
Nope, I didn't have a close encounter of any kind with a spaceship. This is the ceiling of the main exposition hall at Belgrade's Fairgrounds, but it sure does look as if little green men could descend from it....
These dolls are made by wrapping dried corn husks to form their shapes. Depending on the artist, the dolls are made of natural color husks or combinations of natural and vegetable-dyed husks. Some have painted faces, such as these. These dolls are not very expensive, and are favorite souvenirs among Belgrade visitors.
If you're single and live in Jagodina (YAH-go-dee-na), you might want to take advantage of the City's offer. If you get married by the end of 2008, you'll be offered a job, 200 euros for your first child (not necessarily before the end of 2008...), and up to 200 euros monthly for every fourth child until he/she is 18. Any takers?
Still cold, but sunny now. This couple is walking in part of the vast Ušće park in New Belgrade. Visible behind them are several landmarks that I've shown you before. From left to right you have The Eternal Flame, then the Beogradjanka building, which used to house a department store and offices, the rounded dome of Saint Sava Cathedral, the Ušće Tower, which had been bombed in 1999 and now is a fancy office building (renovated!), and under the crane is the site of a huge new shopping center, which will feature IKEA, among other shops. WOO-hoo. 
It's getting cold....and I guess the fish are still biting. I think both the man and the dog are waiting for a bite here. And speaking of bites, Happy Thanksgiving to you who celebrate. I do, but only this Saturday, since I don't have off today.
Found this on a wall downtown the other week. Yes, on a wall, and that little yellow leaf was just hanging there, probably blown onto the wall when one or the other was damp, and it just stuck there. Street art loves you, but do you love street art?
I'd kind of like to have this abstract on my wall. In fact, it could actually be the wall. I found this piece of serendipidous art not long ago down by the river at a construction site. It's a large metal fence/wall panel that had been probably used flat at one time, since it bears traces of rust and paint that form abstract patterns. I actually have a whole series of these photos, and can't make up my mind which one I like best!
Not easy even being a bush these days, especially a lovely topiary creation like this one. Seems as if the statues behind him had other plans for this little guy and didn't want him just standing idle. Water those petunias! (Can you believe this photo was taken just three days ago in nearby Pancevo? It was a freezing cold day, with a major wind...I wonder if the flowers survived.)
From time to time I do restaurant reviews for a local English-language newspaper and a column on places foreigners may want to visit around Belgrade. It's getting pretty cold, and people may not want to go far, so yesterday I visited the nearby town of Pancevo (PAHN-cheh-vo), about 16 kilometers away. While there, my friend and I stopped in a restaurant and had some spicy fish soup. We even had some extra red pepper on the side, as you can see, some warm bread, and shared a salad, topped with feta cheese. Fairly light meal, since I had to do another review that evening at the Hyatt...oh, la belle vie.
Well, no, not really, but this woman waiting for cell phone help reminded me of warriors of the North.
