Skywatch Friday...it's foggy...

'twas foggy the other day. Even the birds look like they're confused about which way to fly.

See other skids on SKYWATCH.

Keeping warm...

These bench pads, here being aired out on an outdoor cafe in Belgrade's 'Silicon Valley', will keep the part of you that sits on the bench warm.

And the 'silicon' that gave its name to this street with many popular cafes has nothing to do with computers, but rather the abundance of silicon found on many of its cafes' female customers.

ABC Wednesday "R" is for "reality"...

In these days of world-wide economic crisis, the above is a too-common sight. Here the REALITY is if you have a job, even one you hate, you keep it. Hard times affect of course the unemployed and elderly people like this woman. (Yes, I did give her some money.)

See other R's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Whose shoes are more comfortable...?

"Comfortable" is the key word here. I know which kind I usually wear...

A true dog lover....

Not a true dog lover because this lady has two gorgeous standard French Poodles, but if you check behind her (and I didn't see him/her until I uploaded the photo at home), you'll see she also has a mutt! I often see people here with some upscale pooch...and a street dog.

Sunday Bridges--sunset over the old and the new

A photo taken at sunset from Kalemegdan Park. Belgrade's newest bridge spans nearly the entire photo, dwarfing the old tower that still stands in Belgrade's old fairgrounds, site of what was during WWII a concentration camp. Branko's Bridge is in the foreground.

See other bridges at LOUIS LA VACHE'S SUNDAY BRIDGES.

WEEKEND REFLECTION--the shoe repair robot

Cute little guy, but I'm not sure how many shoes of this size he gets. Sadly, this shoe repair shop has gone out of business since I took this photo, and the robot is gone, too.

See other reflections at WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--statue of King Peter 1st of Serbia

This statue of King Peter the 1st of Serbia stands before the Town Hall of the city of Zrenjanin, Serbia.

See other skies at SKYWATCH.

Where's the Marquis?

"What Marquis?" you ask. Who else but the Marquis de Sod.....?

Before you go groaning about my bad pun, which I really hesitated to use, but finally did, I found out that it isn't even an original one. I Googled "Marquis de Sod" and found out that there is a landscaping company in Sherman Oaks, California, by that name. Click here if you leave near Sherman Oaks and want your lawn done by Marquis de Sod, since the original Marquis de Sade devoted his life to other pursuits...

ABC WEDNESDAY "Q" is for "quotation"

Had dinner with my good friend the other night at Tri šešira (Three Hats) restaurant in Skadarlija, Belgrade's Bohemian quarter. My finger is never far from the shutter button, and I snapped this candle, which brought to mind a quotation attributed to Prince Gautama Siddhartha, known as Buddha, founder of Buddhism (5th century BC):

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. "

How true. This past year I've shared happiness with my family in the US and some good friends from my student days in France. Although another Buddha quote says, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment," I can't help but look forward to sharing more happiness with others I haven't seen for a long time.

See more Q's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Flower child or Venus de Milo aux fleurs?

Couldn't think of a better title for this torso in a perfume shop downtown....any suggestions?