The Old Sava Bridge

At the present time, there are six bridges in Belgrade spanning the Sava and Danube rivers, and construction of two more bridges is planned over the next three years. The Old Sava Bridge was built in 1942 for military purposes by Axis occupational forces. Since WWII, it has been used by Belgraders as both a traffic and tram bridge. The bridge had a face lift in December 2007, and you can see that it is now a nice shade of green, reminding us that spring (I am optimistic, I know) isn't really so very far off...sort of. When I took this photo, I was intrigued by the reflection in the water, but now I see there's an Evergreen railroad car/container in the background under the bridge. If you'd like to have a look at the ultra-modern bridge that Belgrade is planning to build in another location, see this site .

Žika Obretković plays the flute

The street in Skadarlija that I posted on January 11th also boasts several trompe l'oeil murals, including this one. In this mural you can see one of Belgrade's popular street figures, Žika Obretković, playing his flute. Žika, who is developmentally challenged, has been playing around the Skadarlija area for at least 15 years, where he entertains passers-by.

Lost in LOST...

So...how does an ex-pat like me spend her spare time? Obviously, I have a blog, and second to that, a full-time job, :<) so I don't have a lot of spare time and don't spend most of it watching television, but when I think there were only two channels when I first came to Belgrade, TV has come a long way. Currently I receive 63 domestic and international channels on my cable installation, plus another 20 local ones on my regular TV set-up. Like a lot of 'entertainment,' not all of it is worth watching. However, I must admit I am addicted to LOST. My son bought me the entire first four seasons, and I am working my way through Season Three at the present time, trying to catch up with Season Three every evening on local TV...I'm almost there....and then it's Season Four. Waiting for Season Five, which you in the US may already be looking at.

Dogs on Thursday: The doggie in the window

Finally: yesterday was Serbian New Year's Day. Here's a pent-up, bored-with-the-holidays pup! Lemme out of here!

ABC Wednesday "Z" is for "Zen"

The simplest definition for Zen is 'contemplation.' I found this quote while searching more about Zen, in order to tie Zen in with my 'ice' photo. (Addendum after posting: I'm always a bit bothered when I believe to have posted something with no direct relation to Belgrade/Serbia. I ran another search about "Buddhist thought in Serbia" and surprisingly, I found this site for you to check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barlaam_and_Josaphat Looks like this goes waaay back.)

"All beings are from the very beginning Buddhas.

It is like water and ice: Apart from water, no ice,

Outside living beings, no Buddhas.

Not knowing it is near, they seek it afar. What a pity!

It is like one in the water who cries out with thirst;

It is like the child of a rich house who has strayed among the poor.

The cause of our circling through the six worlds

Is that we are on the dark paths of ignorance.

Dark path upon dark path treading,

When shall we escape from birth-and-death? "

- Hakuin, 1689-1769

Song of Meditation

Join ABC Wednesday at: http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

Anybody home?

A very frosty and misty morning along the Sava river. Some of these houseboats may be inhabited throughout the year on a regular basis, but most are summer weekend homes for Belgraders. Mighty chilly now, I bet.

The phantom chimney

Does a smoking shadow contribute to pollution?

Cold morning on Skadarlija street

Skadarlija (skah-DAR-lee-yah) is an area in the Belgrade municipality of Stari Grad (Old town) and generally considered the main bohemian quarter of Belgrade, styled as the Belgrade Montmartre. The history of Skadarlija began in the 1830s with a settlement of gypsies. in the mid-1800's, the gypsy hovels had been replaced by brick buildings into which artisans, caterers, petty clerks and others moved. The whole locality was referred to as the Gypsy Quarter until 1872, when the street was named after the town of Skadar, which was part of the Serbian medieval state (today Shkodër in Albania). Skadarska ulica, Serbian for "Skadar street", is still the official name. Skadarlija began to acquire its bohemian character in the last few decades of the 19th century, and particularly after 1901,when the well-known Dardaneli inn was demolished and its guests, prominent writers and actors, moved to the Skadarlija inns or kafanas. In this photo, the snow covers the original cobblestone streets.

Serbia calling!

What is it they say about fashion? You want something because everybody has it or nobody has it. This cell phone holder in the form of a Serbian 'opanak,' would definitely fall into the latter category. Make yourself the envy of all your Serbian friends with one of these...and if you don't have any Serbian friends, you're bound to make some when you carry your phone like this! (Maybe Maxwell Smart would like one for his collection.)

Burning the Yule branch

The badnjak (BAHD-nyak) is a central feature in the traditional Serbian Christmas celebration. It is the log that a family solemnly brings into the house in the evening of Serbian Christmas Eve (January 6th), and puts on the fire. The tree for the badnjak, preferably a young and straight oak, is felled and stripped of its branches early in the morning of Christmas Eve. The burning of the badnjak is accompanied by prayers so that the coming year may bring plenty of happiness, love, luck, riches, and food. The ideal environment to fully carry out these customs is the traditional multi-generation country household. Since most Serbs live today in towns and cities, the log is symbolically represented by several leaved oak twigs that can be bought at marketplaces or received in churches.

My son and I burned ours on our terrace on Serbian Christmas morning (January 7th), as you can see in the photo above.

Dogs on Thursday: 250+ and counting...

Meet Katja, who lives on a strip of land about 12 x 80 meters (approx. 39 x 263 feet) outside of Belgrade with over 250 dogs that she cares for by herself and with the help of a few occasional volunteers. Katja has a heart of gold, and cannot refuse a dog. Some are left at her gate, some are thrown over the fence (yes...) and some she finds while walking to buy her bread. Conditions are pretty bad, and worse, it's almost impossible for these dogs to find homes, for few people would want to brave entering to choose one. Katja knows all the dogs by name, and they respond to their names. By law, she has to have them vaccinated and neutered, though accidents happen. She feeds them largely through donations of bread, bones, and fat. Believe it or not, this place was Bibi's first home. She was abandoned here with her two sisters as puppies, and an old female developed milk to nurse them. Then along I came, and the rest is history.

Some say these dogs would be better off fending for themselves on the street. (Belgrade has a stray dog problem, and there are many strays.) What do you say?