If these look a teeny familiar for you longer-term readers of mine, you saw them all in blue right here. Passing by this shop the other day, I saw these seltzer bottles in different colors, with the sun reflecting through.
The tower on the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God rises in front of Janos Hunyadi's tower in the Belgrade municipality of Zemun (ZAY-moon). Read more about
Last week my traveling companion to India treated me to lunch for her birthday. (Yes, you read that right. People who have birthdays here treat others to lunch or cake, and not the other way around!) We went to one of the few unrenovated, old-style restaurants that still remain. By this I mean that the restaurant is very unpretentious, the tables are covered with simple white tablecloths, a lot of people are smoking, and the waiters, dressed in dark pants, white shirts, and black vests, are professionals, but without the snootiness. This particular restaurant hasn't changed since I moved here over thirty years ago. The white plates with the blue trim and the paper napkins under the serving dish took me back in time, as did the salt, pepper, and toothpick holder. That's a mulled wine you see to accompany my sarma, rice and meat wrapped in cabbage leaves, with a piece of pork, potatoes, a corn muffin, and homemade bread in the basket. The only things that are atypical are the the bottle of balsamic vinegar and the olive oil that replaced the regular wine vinegar and sunflower seed oil!
These bizarre little toys hop and squeak and their fiendish eyes light up. I was almost tempted to buy one for Bibi, but I thinks she'd have been scared.... They did draw quite a crowd though on Belgrade's pedestrian street, Knez Mihailova.
...but fortunately not 'deeper in debt,' as goes Tennessee Ernier Ford's song, "Sixteen Tons." (Just saw on Wiki that he was an Aquarius, too; Feb. 13th!)
Meet just a few of my favorite 'homies,' whom I've adopted over the years, and they're all made out of wood. You probably recognize Radovan, the little guy to the right of the turtle, who accompanies me when I travel. Around him is a selection of figures from Russia, Poland, the USA, Serbia, India, and in the turtle's case (it was purchased on the flea market), I think Indonesia.
I did crack up when I cracked the shells on these eggs. Got more than I bargained for...the 'yolk' was on me. (Oh, that was baaaaad...) 
Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (NYEH-gush)was a Serbian Orthodox Prince-Bishop and a ruler. However, he is most famous for his poetry. Both my kids had to learn by heart extensive passages from his works in grade school (no, they can't recall much....), but Njegos is still considered to be the best poet in the Serbian language.
It's been below freezing for a while now, and I don't venture out too far...but Bibi dragged me to the quay beside the Sava River where I almost froze like this puddle in which are reflected the cold, gray sky and a tree trunk.
...or so goes the saying! But hey, it's not even April yet and these flowers look more like the fully-blossomed summer variety. This rainspout next to a butcher shop on a local market was really pimped up with the kind of flowers that bloom all year long, in any weather... :)
Okay, I know that's not good English, but I needed a 'B,' because I wanted to post this photo. There sure aren't many of these specialty stores around, though there are still lots of shoe repair shops in Belgrade.Well, you can't keep a good blooger down. Said I wouldn't be posting for a while since I am 'out of town, ' but here I am.....
