WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--Staint-Remy-de-Provence

Short on local reflections and this is a baaad phone photo. Bear with me.

Beautiful cafe facade in Saint-Remy-de-Provence where I traveled recently.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--Friday Harbor, Washington

Running short on local skies, so here is one from my friends' place in Washington state. I'll be visiting them again soon!

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Bread and buns

There's a chain of bakers in town called Lebovski, perhaps referring to the cult film "The Great Lebowski," but also because the Serbian word for 'bread' is 'hleb,' often said rapidly as '  'leb.'

In any case, they make terrific bread. Here's their site, only in Serbian, if you'd like to have a read/look.

ABC WEDNESDAY: "A" is for "Alone, but not bored...."

This little old lady was deeply engrossed in a crossword puzzle, and didn't notice I was taking her photo. I love  how she daintily holds her cigarette.

See other As on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Urban still life

I have a whole section of my photo files entitled Urban Still Life...and here is one spotted just yesterday.

Happy School

I think this is a  high school...not sure who painted this jazzy mural, but it's an eyecatcher.

See others on MONDAY MURALS.

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY--Where'd my human go?

Sorry, I just couldn't resist this. Of course the  black figure is not really a shadow (but there ARE shadows in the picture!)

It looks like a shadow wondering where his human went...

See other shadows on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--plum brandy, anyone?

These little glass containers are typical for serving all kinds of brandies here, including Serbia's famous plum brandy.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

Jewish Communiy Center

Long ago before WWI and WW2, Belgrade had a thriving Jewish neighborhood called Jalija. It remains now in memory by certain street names, such as Jevrejska or Mojsijeva streets. There is still one active synagogue in Belgrade, and one in nearby Zemun.

Here is a photo of one such building that remains, that of a Jewish Community Center on Jevrejska 16. This building once served as a place for Jewish societies that took care of elderly members of the community.  The inscription in Serbian and in Hebrew reads:  "Don't abandon me to old age, when my strength falters, do not leave me."

If you'd like to read a bit more, here is a link.

The Main Train Station....or was....

Sadly, this building and adjacent parts were once Belgrade's main train station, where I arrived on my first trip here from Paris in 1976.  Memories abound of that trip, later trips in and out of country, picking up/seeing off friends...

Belgrade's much criticized new project, Belgrade Waterfront, a series of deluxe apartments, walkways, etc. is growing, and spaces is needed.  Apparently this building will remain and some say will be a museum.   All the tracks are gone....  The new station is a pitiful one, not even so close to the city center.

Progress....or rather, money-grabbing.

Fish fry

Last Sunday was my daughter-in-law's mother's birthday. It's customary here for the birthday person to treat others to lunch or some cake and ice cream or both.

So, we all went to a yummy fish restaurant along the Danube, outside of Belgrade.  The kids enjoyed playing on the shore (the tires you see are actually  makeshift boat tie-ups).

It was delish....