Happy Brush

Wikipedia says that the occupation of chimney sweep "is considered to be one of the oldest in the world," along with, I guess, the other obvious one that comes to mind. Wikipedia also says that in parts of Great Britain it is considered lucky for a bride to see a chimney sweep on her wedding day. It is also considered good luck to shake hands with a chimney sweep or to be blown a kiss by one. Here it's considered good luck to rub one of your buttons if you pass one in the street. This fellow was selling little key chain brushes (100 dinars=$2.00), so I bought one. And he let me take his photo, though he didn't blow me a kiss, darn.

Note: "Srećna" means both "happy" and "lucky" here, so I think his shirt should really be translated "Lucky Brush," since chimney sweeps bring you good luck...or maybe he really is just happy when people buy a keychain brush from him...

Sky Watch Friday--gray sky, orange houseboat

I have a fascination for the houseboats that dot or sometimes even line the riverbanks here. Owners express their individuality without having to strictly adhere to building codes like condo owners often do. This is a pretty spiffy little houseboat, complete with an additional terrace. Cute. I'd like to live here.

Gray rainy days...

It's been so cold and rainy. I don't like to drive downtown from my side of the river, so I often use public transportation. Bus tickets cost 32 dinars each (roughly 54 dinars - $1.00) and there's no system of transfers here, so you need a new ticket each time you change buses. Those who work, elderly, and students qualify for a reduced fare. Anyway, I digress...this is a "camera-placed-on-knees-and-snapped-photo" shot, but I think it turned out rather well.

ABC Wednesday--"I" is for "Ivo Andrić"

Ivo Andrić (1892-1975) was a writer of Serbo-Croatian novels and short stories whose literary career spanned some 60 years. He was awarded the awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. A Croat by birth, he became a Serb by choice. Ivo Andrić lived and died in the former Yugoslavia, and after his death and the collapse of Yugoslavia, a squabble developed about to whom Andrić belongs. Andrić was of Croatian origin and in young adulthood declared himself a Croat, and the bulk of his early work was written in Croatian. However, the majority of his later works were written in Serbian, and he was influenced by major Serbian cultural icons as Vuk Karadžić and Petar Njegoš. At any rate, Andrić's work is now in the official curricula of Croatian and Serbian literature programs.


To post an ABC Wednesday photo, go to: http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/

A dog's life

For the last ABC Wednesday I posted "H" for houseboats. Here's part of a boat/cafe along the Sava river in New Belgrade. The pipe you see supplies the boat with fresh water. The boat's guard dog seems happy since his owners were considerate enough to cut another hole in his dog house on the end opposite his entrance door so that he could watch passers-by on the quay. Click on the photo to see him closer; he won't bite.

Where'd the hot weather go?

This past weekend was downright chilly! Yesterday the weather widget on my blog read 10 degrees Celsius, a 20-degree or so drop from this summer's high temperatures. I bundled up and headed for the flea market near me where I had to do some shopping (main flea market here is usually all new stuff), and covered my camera with a plastic bag....

Welcome to Airport City!

Airport City Belgrade, located in New Belgrade, is a complex of 12 glass buildings used for office and retail space. I live not far away. The complex is situated on the site of the old Belgrade airport, which was built before WWII, and later destroyed by the Germans in 1944. Because parking is so difficult in the older parts of the city, many foreign and local businesses like the pictured UniCredit Bank and Telenor are seeking office space across the Danube in New Belgrade.

Note: I was checking out USElaine's http://willitsdailyphoto.blogspot.com/ yesterday, as I often do, and saw that she has been blogging for a half a year. More power to her. Then, since a little bell went off in my head, I checked "Yankee" and see that my first post was on March 14th, so I am also a half-year blogger!

The fungus among-us

Mushrooms or toadstools? The term "toadstool" is nowadays usually used in storytelling when referring to poisonous or suspect mushrooms, so I guess these could be either. I photographed them in late July while visiting "Little War Island," one of the islands on the Danube here. (There's a 'Great War Island', too.) The island used to be significantly larger before WWII, and when construction of New Belgrade began in 1948, the sand from the island was transported to the mainland by large conveyor belts to cover the swamp on which the new city was to be built, and of course therefore reduced the size of the island. What's left of the island is basically a thin strip of land, less than 300 meters long and 60 meters wide. The island is an ecologically protected site, but tours are available and there is also a small beach for swimmers and sun lovers.

Sky Watch Friday--the road to Belgrade

Belgrade, or "Beograd," as it is known here, means "white city." Here is the White City under a lavender sky, viewed from the Belgrade-Niš highway as we returned from a trip the other week.

For more Sky Watch posts, check out: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Have faith.

"Have faith!" is what I thought when I saw this fellow repairing something under his truck. I sure hope he has a good jack or a super-strong guardian angel. This photo is from last fall, but he still parks his truck near our apartment building.

ABC Wednesday---"H" is for "houseboat"

Many Belgraders have weekend homes, small or large, in the nearby countryside, or perhaps a family home in a village farther away. Those who don't often opt for a houseboat, which provides escape from the city especially during the summer, even though you don't have to go far at all. At the present time, there are regulations (safety, sanitary, docking fees, etc.) but like many other laws here, they're often ignored until someone really checks. Not sure of the status of these very different riverside pieces of paradise, but they're second homes to some people! Which one would you like?

To post an ABC Wednesday photo, see: http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/