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....

Here we go again.

This location on a street near me has changed faces a number of times in the last few years.  You might want to have a look at this post and this one to see what I mean. 

Now it appears to be a pub....stay tuned.

THEME DAY-- BLUE

It's July and in July there are at least two national holidays, July 4th and Bastille Day, whose countries have a red, white, and blue flag.

Hence this post, snapped in Nimes. Not sure these ladies were celebrating at least Bastille Day early, but they're certainly red, white, and BLUE.

See how others have expressed BLUE THEME DAY.

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY--the canal in Nimes

Another road trip shot!  The canal in Nimes, France, which has, as you see, locks.

See other shadows on Shadow Shot Sunday.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--The Roman bridge in Padova

Another photo from my recent road trip to Provence. This is the ancient Roman bridge in Padova, Italy, that is still in use.   Those Romans knew what they were doing...

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--

View of the campanile, or free-standing bell tower, in Aix-en-Provence, with a nineteenth-century column (replacing a 17th century one) that stands above a fountain in Aix's Place des Augustins.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Aix-en-Provence

A recent trip to Provence, and also to my old student days' town of Aix-en-Provence, yielded his 50s-type gal in front of the Monoprix, which is the same one we used to shop in.

ABC Wednesday--"Y" is for "youth"

Alternately, it's been soaking wet or very, very hot here in Belgrade. This photo was taken on a hot day while visiting the Belgrade zoo.  My granddaughter was spending a few days with me, so we decided to hit the zoo early, and I am glad we did. Just us and the animals for quite a while.

Here she is giving the statue of Sami the Chimp a sip of water....  Sami was a Belgrade zoo legend, and you really should read about him right here.

Ah, youth...but I have to say the youthful Mila and her not-so-youthful grandma held up well.

See other Ys on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Cooling off

You're  not really allowed to go dipping in public fountains, but these two boys did. For a while they sat on the bench across from me, hesitating whether or not to take the plunge.  As you see, they did, and were soon joined by a four-legged friend who was not so hesitant.