"Un fort des Halles" in Belgrade

My first thought upon seeing this man hauling a leg of beef to nearby Kalenic Market here in Belgrade was that he resembled one of the  strong men (les forts), of the now gone Les Halles market in Paris, who were licensed to carry inspected merchandise to and from the daily auctions of fish, fowl, meat and vegetables.  Due to heavy congestion in the city center, Les Halles were transferred from the center of Paris in 1971 to a location outside the city. I feel fortunate to have visited the real Halles many times before that, watching the comings and goings of masses of produce and meat. 

The Pink Lady

This lady, whom I snapped from the hip, is someone I often see on my street.  Sometimes she's not dressed in pink, but always some bright color like fire-engine red or vivid orange. Sometimes she even does her hair in a matching shade.

Seeing her brought to mind another Pink Lady that you see below, and that I saw in Malibu Canyon, California,  before she was deemed a traffic hazard and painted over.  You can read the whole story right here.

SUNDAY BRIDGES: old building, newer bridges

I've often admired this old house below Kalemegdan Park and wonder how it looked and who lived there in its heyday. See other bridges on Louis La Vache's Sunday Bridges.

WEEKEND REFLECTION--playing for free...or maybe a few dinars...

Playing on a sunny afternoon to earn a few dinars from passers-by.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY--nighty-night!

The sun slipping down under a blanket of trees.

Thanks to my friend Marianne for this photo.

See other skies at SKYWATCH.

Jennifer Lopez wannabe?

You decide.

ABC WEDNESDAY''"I" is for "ill-fated"

Yes, it's Serbia, and yes, that's a statue of Rocky Balboa, immortalized on screen by Sylvester Stallone.

But how did a likeness of the Italian Stallion get here?  

Briefly, the little town Zitiste (ZHEE-tee-shtay), about 55k (33 miles) north of Belgrade, said the statue of Rocky was needed to give the village a more positive image because the town Zitiste had suffered serious damage from floods and landslides, earning it a reputation for being jinxed.And so, in 2007, up came Rocky.

You can read more about the statue on this link.

I am not superstitious, but believe that Zitiste, despite Rocky, still brings bad luck. When I pulled over on the main road (entirely deserted) through town, and then pulled away, a policeman stopped me and threatened me with a traffic violation, because I was 'parked' on the intersection.....  I managed to get away with a warning.  So maybe Rocky brings good luck after all.

See more I's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Too much stomping?

Maybe this fellow did too much stomping, like the poster behind him advertises.

You've seen a few things happening in and around this fountain before.

Don't touch my ice cream....

Don't even think of taking this guy's ice cream.

SUNDAY BRIDGES--vertical....

Lots of verticals here, among which are the spire from Belgrade's newest bridge, the Bridge on Ada, and in the foreground, the old Nazi concentration camp watchtower that stands on Belgrade's Old Fairgrounds.  The dilapidated buildings of the former camp are now home to Serbian refugees from the wars across the former Yugoslavia.

See more bridges at Louis La Vache's SUNDAY BRIDGES.

WEEKEND REFLECTION--Meet yourself.

The fellow on the right looks a little heavier....

See more reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.