And now, by special request...

This isn't a photo that will probably attract a lot of attention from most of you in Bloggerland, but I received a request from a Serbian gentleman in the U.S. for a " view from center of sidewalk in front of Albania building toward London intersection - sort of a wide angle view of both sides of the street," so here it is. Terazije is Belgrade's designated center, and derives its name from when the Turks had water brought in from the springs from a nearby community. A water tower was erected on the location of the present fountain at Terazije and the square was named after the Turkish word for water tower, terazi (literally, water scales). On this photo you can just make out the green-tiled pointed spires of Hotel Moskva.

I hope you like the photo....

I finally found some mailboxes!

This post is for Marie at Vintage Postcards, who wanted me to show her what Serbian mailboxes looked like. The more I thought about, I realized I hadn't seen a mailbox on the street/wall for a long, long time, so I went hunting. These are two that I found, but they are right smack in front of post offices. This got me thinking of my experiences when I first came here 32 years ago when you could actually find mailboxes all over. However, most people I knew then preferred to take their letters directly to the post office, since they said the wall boxes weren't reliable, i.e. the mailman never picked up the contents or else did so very sporadically. I guess it must have been true, for the only ones I've seen now are right in front of post offices...but then why bother putting your mail in when you can be sure it gets picked up if you take it inside? Hmmm. Point to ponder.

Like my new banner? Thanks goes to Adam from Balkan File for resizing my photo!

Happy Birthday to my Baby Boy

At 31, my son is hardly a baby anymore, but as all mothers who read this know, we always tend to think of them as "baby boy" and 'baby girl". Above is an arrangement I made for my son's birthday, similar to the one I made for my daughter last October. You can see his first bunny, tiny moccasins, a cat/fox (never could tell), his much-loved Curious George (original nose was chewed off), a soap carving, a carved owl, a dragster, a Swiss Army knife, and a little Serbian boy candle, all arranged on his first knitted blanket. Gosh, how time flies. Happy Birthday, "Baby Boy," and many, many more. Your sister and I love you, and I know your father is with us all today.

ABC Wednesday "F" is for "Fruška Gora Feline"

Fruška Gora (FROOSH-kah GORE-ah) is a mountain in the north of Serbia, sometimes also called the Jewel of Vojvodina, for its beautiful landscapes, nature and countryside. It's not a full-blown mountain, but rather a mount whose name derives from the old Serbian name for the Frankish people: Fruzi. The full translation of "Fruška Gora" would be "Frankish Mountain," and it received this name due to its function as a natural border during Frankish campaigns. During the time of the Roman Empire, its name was Alma Mons "Fertile Mount". Today this mount is best known for its wonderful fruit, nuts, and honey, and is also home to over 12 Orthodox Monasteries.

My photo wasn't taken on Fruška Gora, but rather on Fruška Gora Street in Belgrade, where the other 'f,' the feline, happened to pose nicely for me.

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Waiting for the water taxi

In the top photo, a man awaits the arrival of the yellow water taxi, which arrived a few moments later, and he hopped on. He'll be transported across to the river island you see in the background, where he may have a houseboat, or might just be visiting friends. The cat didn't go with him...

Note the killer icicle in the bottom photo. Though this one doesn't pose any clear danger*, there have been a couple of cases of icicles falling on passers-by downtown.

*Although in the photo it appears likely to fall on boats passing by, the icicle is hanging too close to the deck's outer side to be of any real danger.

Beware of the crows!

Life is tough for Belgrade's street dogs, especially in the winter. This fellow is holding tight to his bone that the crows seem to be attracted to...unless they want the dog himself. I've seen crows dive-bomb dogs to divert them from their food, then snatch it.

In Austria and on the Titanic

Bermet (BEAR-met) is an elegant dessert wine, produced according to recipes held secret by a handful of families in the town of Sremski Karlovci (see the sign on the van) in Vojvodina, Serbia, about 50 kilometers north of Belgrade. The red or white wine is sweet, usually between 16 and 18% alcohol, with a pleasant mixture of spices and herbs. Every family has its own recipe, so you won’t find two Bermet that are the same.

Bermet but can also be served as an aperitif. In the old days, Bermet was very popular among the aristocracy of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the Viennese court purchased it in large quantities. Several varieties of Bermet were found on the Titanic's wine list on its maiden and ill-fated journey.

This lady has saved her customers the trouble by coming to Belgrade in her van and setting up a street stand.

Africa in Belgrade

Located in Senjak (SEN-yak), one of Belgrade's most beautiful residential areas, the Museum of African Art is the only museum in the country dedicated entirely to the culture and arts of the African continent. After many years of having acquired art throughout West Africa, Veda and Dr. Zdravko Pečar formed an extraordinary collection, which they donated to the City of Belgrade, and in 1977 the Museum of African Art was established. The collection now consists of over 1700 authentic objects of art from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Togo, Cameroon, and Congo. Along with numerous masks and wooden sculptures, the Museum's permanent exhibit displays other objects made of various media for magical or decorative purpose.

This photo shows a typical West African dwelling, which stands on the grounds of the Museum.

Read more about the Museum here

P.S. I would like to thank Jacob of FloridaFotos for the Creative Blogger Award on the sidebar!

Two walkers in the snow

I'm always intrigued by people using umbrellas when it snows. For me, umbrellas are just for rain, but then a bumbershoot IS perhaps practical for snow. Try as I might, I just can't get the smaller walker shown here to carry an umbrella.

Through my windshield

It's snowing, snowing, snowing, and it's the wet kind. This photo was taken a couple of days ago when I ventured out by car with Bibi to the river park along the Danube. This is a view through my windshield, but of course I was parked....otherwise you'd have gotten a close-up of tree bark.

ABC Wednesday "E" is for "expectations"

These workmen are looking at a billboard of the complex that will occupy the plot in front of them where one building is already going up. After many years of stagnancy, new buildings are mushrooming all over Belgrade. Some are locally financed, while others like the one you see her, are from foreign investments.

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