And the temperature is....

...minus three Celsius! That's what it really was this morning when I got up. I took this photo last Sunday from Branko's Bridge that I've featured several times. The Sava and Danube Rivers are currently very high, due to melting snow, and in this photo you can see what is actually a modern-shaped cement bench on the quay, part of which is submerged. The improvised walkway behind it leads to one of Belgrade's floating restaurants. Where you now see water you would normally find a grassy area that extends to the sidewalk next to the river.

International Women's Day

International Women's Day is marked on March 8th every year. It started as a Socialist political event, and then blended into the culture of many countries. In some countries' celebrations like here in Serbia, the political aspect has faded and the holiday has become occasion for men and children to express their love to the women around them, similar to Mother's Day or Valentine's Day.

Women come in all shapes and sizes and ages! The above ladies are just a sample. If you'd like to read more about IWD, click here.

S.O.S. Market

A chain of S.O.S. Markets opened about a year ago in Belgrade, with the intention of helping citizens with low incomes to save money on groceries. There are several of them around town. This one, with its "S.O.S. Market" sign in Cyrillic, stands beside a green market downtown, next to a 'Pekara" (bakery), whose sign is also in Cyrillic.

If you read Serbian, you can find out more about S.O.S. Markets right here.

Message in a bottle?

I don't know if there was a message in this bottle, but doubt it, since it appears empty. This green wine bottle floats on the quay on the Sava River in New Belgrade. Recent rains and melting snow have made the water levels rise and cover part of the sidewalk.

This post is for Newtown Daily Photo's Reflection Weekend. Hop over and have a look!

SKYWATCH FRIDAY =My moon and...?

Well, when I uploaded this photo, it came as a surprise to me. First of all, the moon was photographed with my new 70-300mm VR lens that I was trying out. It is a hand-held shot, obviously taken at night. Instead of making minor adjustments with Photoshop on my big computer, I was using my little ASUS computer using GIMP, an image manipulation that my Linux-operating ASUS uses. All this while watching a bit of TV. I hardly ever use GIMP, so I think what happened is that when I adjusted one of the filters for light or dark, somehow that mysterious 'spaceship' light got thrown in. I must have inadvertently clicked on something else, too. I only saw it when I uploaded the photo to my blog, but I left it, since I kind of like it, even if it isn't natural....unless it really IS a spaceship.

See if anyone else has accidentally goofed their post for SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

Parking ticket

The City of Belgrade is becoming more strict in regards to illegal parking. Here a policeman is writing a ticket for a vehicle parked on the sidewalk just out of the photo to the left. In the background you can see some taller monuments in Belgrade's Jewish Cemetery that you can read more about right here.

This is a special post for BSquared at Fort Lauderdale Daily Photo. He and I have been exchanging 'Yugo' comments!

ABC Wednesday 'G' is for 'Go, Greenie!'

It's fairly rare to see a Deux-Chevaux model like this green and white one, even in France anymore. This one has the little half-windows that you can stick your arm out of like this fellow did. I was unable to see if the doors open 'backwards,' i.e. the hinges would be where the door handles usually are on other cars. This car is really well taken care of, and quite peppy. I love Deux-Chevaux.

And hey! Look at the insignia on the rear of the Peugeot! Save for a crown on his head, it looks just like my beer bottle lion from yesterday!

See what others have posted on ABC WEDNESDAY.

The stalker

What was behind Nikola Pasic the other day? As some readers guessed, it was a very large inflatable, newly-designed bottle of Lav (lion) beer which you can see right here. In this photo you can see the old brown bottle and label, for try as I might, I couldn't find the new green bottle in the stores yet. Murphy's Law will have it that I will find it tomorrow, but in the meantime, just check the 'right here' link above! I went back yesterday to see if the great big bottle was still there, but alas, it had wandered off.

On the double-towered building in the background, you can just make out an advertisement for another Serbian beer, Jelen (stag).

Theme Day--Passageways

This is a passageway in downtown Belgrade that leads from the Zeleni Venac market under a major street with several exits. This passageway is usually jam-packed with what I call 'pack and run' sellers, who carry their merchandise in large bags and display it on cardboard boxes. They're always on the alert for the police, and once I was caught in the midst of a stampede of exiting sellers. This photo was taken on a rainy day, which you can probably guess at by the wet floor where people have walked, and I imagine the sellers thought business wouldn't be good.

But this street musician remains hopeful.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Never on Sunday...or even Saturday....

This weekend I am attending a workshop at our school....9 to 4 both days....need I say more? Even these bright markers didn't cheer me up!

Three crosses and a gull

A seagull down by the Danube. There appear to be three crosses on this photo, though one is actually the top of the mast of the ship where the seagull is perched. The two real crosses are on Belgrade's main church and patriarchy, which stand across the Danube from where I took the photo.