WEEKEND REFLECTION--The crane on Hotel Metropol

Belgrade's old Hotel Metropol is getting a major facelift.  One of the cranes working on it is reflected on the windows of the backside of the hotel.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

SKYWATCH--streaks over the steeple

Aircraft streaks in the sky over the steeple of Belgrade's main church.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Off the hook.

Off the hook and definitely out of commission, unlike these telephones that I showed you last September.


A predicament like the one in the song  "Off the Hook" by the Rolling Stones wouldn't be possible today unless you have a rotary phone.  Do you?

 Wanna listen?

ABC WEDNESDAY = "D" is for "ducks"

A fuzzy scene of the ducks on the Danube, taken with my little Minox camera.

See other D's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Nature's earrings

I'd like to have earrings like these berries. But only two...I don't have three ears.

The monument, the tower, the film

The upper photo shows you the skeletal tower of what was originally an observation tower on what is now called the Old Fairgrounds, which were constructed just before the outbreak of WWII.  Afterwards, the fairgrounds were turned into a Nazi concentration camp. I've shown you the tower and the monument before.

The lower photo shows director Goran Paskaljevic's latest film, When Day Breaks (Kad Svane Dan), a partially true story (the main character is based on Paskaljevic's co-writer, Filip David's experiences) of a man who suddenly discovers his true identity and that his real parents had died in the camp.  You can read more about this film right here.

The last photo is also a shameless plug on my part. I did the English subtitles, so if it comes to your theater, hang around and read the credits.  :-)

Sunday Bridges--walking away....or toward?

Another one of my photos taken with my little Minox Classic Digital 5.1.  You can see it has a small sensor, but sometimes I like the effect it makes when I dabble with the photo in Photoshop....

Been thinking a lot about people who walk into our lives....and out....and perhaps in again.

Is this person walking away from someone/something or walking toward someone/something?  It's all in how you look at it, like the 'glass is half full' or 'glass is half empty'....

I digress.  There's a bridge in the distance, so I'm posting this not only for those who have walked in and out of my life and perhaps back again, but also for Louis La Vache's  SUNDAY BRIDGES.

My treat!

Hotel Moskva, which I've shown you from outside several times before, boasts an exceptional cafe with scrumptious pastries. Here is just a sample. They're not just beautiful, but they are delicious; made with first-class ingredients.

Have a piece on me. It's my birthday.

And here's a birthday song from The Beatles for you...no, wait, for me, unless your birthday is today, too!

THEME DAY--Umbrellas

Was a bit stressed that I might have to dig in my archives for an umbrella photo for Theme Day, but lo and behold, thanks to my phone camera when it's raining and I don't carry my biggie, I was able to capture these umbrellas (I used the solarize application) that were waiting for their owners to dry out at Cafe Teatro on Republic Square.

Oh...a lapsus...I said 'dry out', which sounds like they're tipsy, but I meant to say 'dry off '...

Check out other posts on THEME DAY.

Tito's Moon rock

Yes, it's a piece of moon rock, presented by the crew of Apollo 17 when they visited Belgrade in 1973, not long after that mission.  The little flag, like those of many other nations, was carried aboard the spaceship and given to Marshal Josip Broz Tito along with the small piece of rock. That's Marhsal Tito in the lower photo, second from the right, and his wife, Jovanka on the left of the astronaut.

Took those photos during a visit to an excellent exhibit on Yugoslavia....a country which of course has disintegrated. 

ABC Wednesday C" is for "cold"

And cold it was on my bus ride up to Kopaonik Mountain during the winter holidays.  Snapped this photo through the bus window.

See other C's on ABC WEDNESDAY.