Chestnuts!

Over the holidays, I received a request from Teri in the U.S. who said, "... one of the things that I miss about Christmas in Serbia is the roasting chestnuts. If, in your daily travels around town, you run across a vendor with chestnuts roasting, I would love to see it. I can almost smell them now..." I hadn't gone downtown much then, and when I did, it was either too early or too late to find anyone. Last weekend I found this fellow, Aćim (AH-cheem), who let me take his photo.

ABC Wednesday "B" is for 'bouquet'

It's still cold, and the forecast is for colder weather, but that doesn't stop the mimosa sellers. Acacia dealbata, known as Patio Mimosa or Silver Wattle, is not actually a true mimosa. Be that as it may, the plant's feathered foliage with masses of vibrant yellow flowers are a sign of spring for many. Last weekend I saw many happy people buying these bright yellow bouquets.

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Saint Sava Day

Saint Archbishop Sava (1175 - 1235), originally born prince Rastko Nemanjić, son of the ruler and founder of the Serbian medieval state Stefan Nemanja and brother of the first Serbian king, was the first Archbishop of Serbia (1219-1233), the most important saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church, and an important cultural and political worker of his time. The temple stands on the site where the remains of Saint Sava were burned by the Turks in 1595.

Saint Sava is the founder of the independent Serbian Orthodox Church and is celebrated as the patron saint of education and medicine. Today, January 27th, schools all over Serbia celebrate Saint Sava's Day by singing songs and reciting poems in his honor.

In this photo, you can see part of the temple's dome and two crosses behind nearby houses' rooftops.

If you'd like to read more about this temple, see this site .

The thistle seller

Doesn't this lady have the most wonderful face? This photo is actually from a while ago, though I saw her again not long ago on the street. In this photo, she is selling thistles and some pussy willows. It was quite a cold day and I felt sorry for her, so I bought everything she had, and she let me take her picture.

Big Bad Wolf Grill and Wicked Witch Fast Food

Hmmm....what would you rather have to eat? Roast meat from the Big Bad Wolf Grill or a sandwich, crepe, or pizza from Wicked Witch Fast Food? I think I'd opt for the former---at least I'd be fairly sure I'd be eating some sort of roast animal rather than Hansel or Gretel.

Giraffes in the mist

Very foggy yesterday morning up near the school where I work. I pass through this roundabout every day, and managed to snap this photo while approaching. These giraffes are part of a 'green sculpture' movement, set up bu The Topiary Art Trust, a group founded in 2007 for the purpose of offering to Belgrade a number of inventive solutions and contents for the urban core of the city, park areas, green areas and river banks. They were made to serve as trellises for climbing plants, and when covered, would resemble true topiary shapes. The giraffe on the right has been downed twice by a vehicle, either intentionally or unintentionally, and after its second mishap, has not been set up again.

The Tiniest Leaf

A head of cabbage is made from layers of leaves, which form a ball. Here you can see the tiniest leaf inside a head of cabbage that I made a salad out of. Serbs LOVE cabbage in all its forms, but usually use the white cabbages in salads and for sauerkraut and stuffed cabbage rolls, for example. In the winter, it's common to see a huge plastic barrel filled with heads of fermenting cabbage on people's porches. Red cabbage, much higher in antioxidants, is unimaginatively shredded or sliced for slaw. (Sometimes a head is thrown into the barrel to add color, and the sour cabbage juice is a sure cure, so they say, for a hangover.) I like to jazz up my slaw by adding some shredded carrots, walnuts, and dried cranberries, with a vinaigrette dressing.

Branches for sale

This photo was taken just before Serbian New Year's Eve, which was January 13th. I love this little lady's face, with all its wrinkles that reflect her life. She's selling pine branches, which some people decorate instead of a tree. Not a bad idea; I hate to see trees cut down, and the potted ones I used to buy somehow don't survive.

ABC Wednesday "A" is for "art"

The other day on Chuck's blog in Seattle , I saw a photo of a young artist whose work appealed to me. I checked out Joni's blog and left a comment that some of her art reminded me of the self-taught or naive peasant artists here. Joni wrote back to say that a dealer had once told her that her art was naive, and she wasn't too happy, but now she is! Above is one of the paintings in our small collection, depicting, according to the artist, twin brothers who are helped by an angel to marry twin sisters. (And no, they're not conjoined twins, despite the knife....!) We bought this painting in 1974 when my Serbian wasn't so good, but I believe this is some kind of local legend. In any case, the painting is quite detailed, revealing the artist's other talent: embroidery.

Join ABC Wednesday at: http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

US Presidential Inauguration Day "Burek oboma"

Nope, I haven't misspelled our new president's name. I'm participating in blogger Muse-swings' Inaugural Celebration Events. Each participant is to post something in relation to the US Presidential Inauguration. For a special Serbian something, I consulted my friend Radovan, who accompanied my husband and me on our trip to Greece last summer. When I asked him what I could offer the President and his wife, he replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Burek oboma," which in Serbian means "burek for both of them." I can't think of anything more fitting for Barack Obama and the First Lady!

On this photo you can see Radovan with a plate of the crunchy-outside-but-filled-with-soft-white-cheese-inside burek, which many Serbs eat for breakfast or else late at night...sort of like the French used to do with onion soup at Les Halles. Burek is usually eaten with the fingers or nibbled on in the paper it's wrapped in, but for President Obama, I got out my nicer china and my grandmother's silver!

My bathroom wall; another 'trompe l'oeil'!

Two days ago I posted a photo of a trompe l'oeil mural in Skadarlija, so today I thought I'd give you a view from a "window" I painted about 15 years ago (Oh, my gosh, has it been that long?) on my up-to-then-windowless smaller bathroom wall. Click on both photos to have a closer look at the inhabitants of 'the apartment buildings across the street'.

This post is dedicated to my bloggerfiend, Soulbrush, at: http://soulbrush.blogspot.com/, so please check out her inspiring artwork!

Note: I was awarded the Noblesse Oblige Award by Richies, at http://anarkiesmusings.blogspot.com for a blog that "fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Cultures and Sciences and Beliefs." Thank you! I'll try to keep living up to it! (Today it's the 'arts,' I guess, though you can see some 'culture' thrown in with some Serbian neighbors across the street! Can you find them?)