Ocean, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We are in transit for Michigan and I am blogging from the comfortable Budapest Airport. We had to get a flight on short notice and so are flying out of Budapest, Hungary instead of Belgrade because of a much lower cost. We had a nice stay at the Hotel Stacio last night, which is near the airport. I highly recommend it, with free WiFi, beautiful spa/pool, free breakfast, it is a very good deal for 80 Euros a night.

It has been a very sad past couple of days with the passing of my father. I was cheered up yesterday afternoon when I picked up Ocean from school and we spent an hour playing in the yard. I helped her build a “snow house.” She is such a lively, beautiful little girl! It was the highlight of my day!

It has been a tremendous week of early mornings for Goran and me dealing with the snow and cold temperatures. Goran is the head of the maintenance and security at the school. He and his crew started the week plowing the school grounds, parking lots, and nearby roads to make them passable for the community. He also was dealing with getting the buses to the homes through the snow-filled streets of the Belgrade suburbs. Finally today, he was trying to heat up diesel engines on four of our buses as the cold, bitter temps were freezing our fleet at school. That doesn’t include clearing the icicles from the roofs, salting sidewalks and steps for pedestrians, and maintaining the heating system.

We are pictured in the parking lot of the high school, still managing to smile after a crazy, but very interesting week. We are all looking forward to February Break which starts this weekend.

Winter has finally come to the city and it is a snowy wonderland. We had another 3 inches last night. In the past week it has probably snowed at least 1 and 1/2 feet. Temperatures are well below zero celcius (right now 14F). The city is struggling with keeping the streets clear and lending help to the villages and towns in southern Serbia hit even worse by the snow. The government has declared a “State of Emergency” and the local schools are closed this week.

Being from Northern Michigan, USA, I am used to lots of snow so it brings me back to my childhood. I am happy my children can experience the snow! Above is a photo of our apartment and below is a photo of our balcony. It is piling up even more this morning!

Saturday we went out tobogganing to Košutnjak Park and we are looking forward to skiing next week.

I am at a recruiting confernece in London and after being in front of a computer all day, I went for a long run along the Thames River. It was really cool to see all the famous sites like the London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, etc. There are a lot of tourists here, even in late January.

My hotel is in the City of London, an independent city-state inside of metro London. It is mostly a tax-haven for investment bankers and it is the financial district. There are a lot of business men and women walking around. They were one of the causes of the global economic crisis and it is a group of people devoted to greed.

The city is very well-kempt and really beautiful. A bit too big for my taste however and very urban. I am also impressed with the diversity of people. So much different than Serb-dominated Belgrade.

The Thames is brown and has a fast current. It looks much like the Sava or the Danube. They have done much to develop the banks, and it is loaded with cafes, sidewalks, museums, etc. It was a lovely run along both the north and south banks of the river.

Nadia, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Finally some snow! Yesterday morning was a winter wonderland in Belgrade. We awoke to a white world as you can see with Nadia above. While I was cleaning the car off (we don’t have a garage) Ocean was dancing around and throwing snowballs. She was very excited for the “sneg.”

Unfortunately, I had to leave Belgrade for a recruiting trip to London and I didn’t get to enjoy the snow. It was still snowing when I called home last night.

Southern Serbia has been hit hard with snow and it seemed like it was all around Belgrade, but not in the city itself.

My children love going to the New Belgrade Skate Park, located very close to the Ušče Mall and Friendship Park. I don’t have much experience with skate parks but I am impressed with the facilities. The park has a “half-pipe” and a wide variety of ramps of different heights, angles, and curves. Owen is getting pretty good as you can see in the video above. Oliver rides his bike around the park and all three love playing in the half pipe.

It is great that the municipality of New Belgrade built the facilities. They are quite well used as there are always a few kids skating or bmx biking about the park.

The video above is a recording of the song, Marš Na Drinu or “March on the Drina” by Serbian composer Stanislav Binički from Friday night’s concert of the Belgrade Philharmonic. The concert was part of their New Year’s Cycle which celebrates different New Year celebrations throughout the year. Friday evening was the New Year in the Julian Calendar, which several Orthodox Christian churches in Eastern Europe still follow.

I think the song should be the Serbian national anthem. Binički was inspired by the Serbian army’s Battle of Cer against the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I. The lyrics celebrate the bravery of the Serbian soldiers and the flowing rivers of Drina. The Drina River is a tributary of the Sava River and forms the border between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia. I love the melody when I first heard it played at the stadium during Serbia’s run to the World Cup a couple of years ago. I especially like the haunting rhythms which begin about halfway through the four-minute composition.

The song was overwhelmingly voted by the Serbian public as the national anthem, but due to its use by the Bosnian Serb armies in the wars of the 1990′s and the song was associated with the war. Too bad, because the current Serbian national anthem, is a weak, rip-off of the Monarchist God Save the Queen.

It is somewhat similar to Australia, where Waltzing Matilda is a much more loved song than the Scottish written, Advance Australia Fair, the official national anthem.

The song was the encore to Friday’s concert which featured Russian and Serbian works of classical music. As time goes on and the wars of Yugoslavian Secession move out of people’s living memory, the song will eventually be adopted as the national anthem.

Nadia and I really enjoyed the concert! The Belgrade Philharmonic this year has spiced up their concerts with bringing in opera singers and as you can see in the video, a “stereo” choir on both sides of the auditorium.

Bill and Nadia Relax After the Concert

St. Sava’s Cathedral, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Last night we went to Saint Sava’s Cathedral here in Belgrade for the burning of the badjnak and the Christmas Eve Service. As you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful and culturally enriching night for my family.

Each of the kids had a “badnjak” which is like a yule log. The word badnjak may be derived from the verb, bdeti, which means to stay awake or keep the vigil. The tradition stems from pagan times and the man of the house (domaćin) or sons on Christmas morning went into the woods and cut down a young Oak tree. The yule log is kind of like a ceremonial sacrifice to bring health and happiness to the family for the coming year. The log was burnt over the family hearth. Today, an assembly of twigs with Oak leaves, corn, pine sprigs, and straw is tied together with a red ribbon and sold in markets and street corners around Belgrade. Every church has a bonfire on its grounds where people can come and throw their badnjaks in the flames.

There were hundreds of people there and outside the church a mini-market was set up selling religious and holiday crafts and mulled wine. We went inside the massive cathedral to watch a bit of the service and light candles in memory of lost family members. The service, shown below, had a lot of priests singing and waving incense. There were also lines of people waiting to kiss various icons.

Afterwards we went to have some Lebanese appitizers at the Byblos Restaurant and the kids played in the park.

Ale, Diego, Nadia, Bill, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

I have not been posting much over the holidays. I am spending lots of time with the kids and enjoying the unseasonably warm and sunny temperatures in Belgrade. We have extended holidays in Serbia because the Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the several orthodox churches that recognizes the older Gregorian calendar. Hence, their Christmas is January 7th and new year is January 13th.

Above, Nadia and I are pictured with Alejandra and Diego on New Year’s Eve. Diego left yesterday and Ale will be staying for another few days. It is great to see them and my nephew Sebey. Below is a sample of some of the things we have been up to this week.

The girls get some sun while biking and skateboarding with the kids.

The boys last night made their own fire in the backyard.

I took video of the games and you can follow the game by clicking on the links below.We are playing a mock NFL tourney. We have everyone’s favorite teams. Oliver likes the Pittsburgh Steelers, Owen likes the Green Bay Packers, Diego likes the Patriots and Dolphins, and I asked for the Lions to be included in the tourney.The first game is the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

• Game Part 1
• Game Part 2
• Game Part 3
• Game Part 4
• Game Part 5

There is North American football in Belgrade. The Central European Football League has five teams including the Belgrade Vukovi (Wolves). They play their games from April to June down at Ada Ciganlija.