Author: billkralovec

Visit to the Belgrade Museum of Aviation: April 25, 2009

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Yesterday we toured the Museum of Aviation located on the grounds of the Nikola Tesla International Airport in Belgrade. The kids loved it and we spent an entertaining two hours in the museum. I highly recommend a visit to anyone with a interest in flight, military history, and with children.

Ollie and Owen are shown above in a cockpit of one of the planes. They were impressed with being able to move the tail and wings with the controls. The building is very cool and upon entering, is like going back into a time warp of the early 70’s. I told Owen, “This is what it was like when I was a kid.” They still had that 70’s fake wood paneling, credit card stickers from long ago, and the funky desks and furniture from the era. They had an impressive amount of planes with many having English descriptions. On display was also a tail of an US F-16 that was shot down during the NATO bombing (the pilot ejected and was rescued) and a British unexploded bomb found in Kosovo, also from the NATO bombing. Here is a link about the history of the building.

The Museum of Aviation
The Museum of Aviation

All eras of flight are on display including the World War I fighters, World War II, Communist Yugoslavian Air Force, and the history of JAT Airlines. As I said, a very impressive and complete collection! The boys were totally punped and were running around outside on the planes and helicopters, pretending to be James Bond.

The F-16 Tail
The F-16 Tail
Ocean next to the Mig-20
Ocean next to the Mig-20

I think the visit will generate an interest in aviation for the boys. We may buy a model plane and put it together for them. We also have to watch the ultimate in fighter jet movies, Top Gun with the boys.

Ollie’s New Bike: Family Journal April 25, 2009

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Ollie’s New Bike, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Another wonderful and busy day yesterday with the family. I took Oliver down to get a bike for his birthday. He has seen his older brother Owen riding around Ada and he wants to join him. Yesterday afternoon, we went to the Marconi Bike Store located in the May 25th Sports Complex on the banks of the Danube River in Belgrade. Ollie picked out a “Mustang” 16 inch bike made by the Hungarian company called Capriolo. He was so excited! He went for a ride immediately from the shop and I snapped a picture. What a good little guy! Before he went to bed, he was concerned that he fell while riding on the side walk in the yard because he wants “to ride at Ada like Owen.”

We also met our favorite player for the Red Star basketball team, Vladamir Štimic,   who happened to be walking along the bike path near the bike shop. He is a young player who I think should get more playing time with the team.

Vladamir Holds Up Ollie
Vladamir Holds Up Ollie

 

He is not the most graceful player, but the three games I saw this season, everytime he got in, something good happened. He plays hard and gets a lot of rebounds. I am not sure why the coach prefers the other big men. He is only 22 years old and I expect to see more from him next season. 

After we got back, we had a BBQ at home. I bought hamburgers and chicken shish-ka-bobs from a store that specializes in meat for the grill. You have the option of having them cook it there or taking it out. I also bought some of that delicious bread that goes with the Serbian hamburgers. Serbs are great with meat and they put some sausage into the hamburger to give it an extra kick. 

Nadia has been in a painting frenzy lately. We visited a nice art store downtown and purchased a lot of canvases for her and the boys. The weather has been beautiful and so she painted outside yesterday as the boys watched on. 

We are nearing the end of our Spring Break holiday. I am ready to go back to work, but enjoy the extra time I can spend with the family, projects around the house, and stimulating my intellectual curiosity with extra reading and Serbian lessons. I must make time for more exercise during the work week, but am not sure how. 

It was another beautiful day in Belgrade, with literally, not a cloud in the sky and cool temperatures. 

 

The Kralovec Family Flower Garden
The Kralovec Family Flower Garden

 

 

 

Family Journal: Friday April 24, 2009

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We are still enjoying our glorious week of holiday! It sadly comes to an end on Monday, but we have been having some wonderful family time.

My Three Golden Cherubs Watch James Bonds Casino Royale
My Three Golden Cherubs Watch James Bond's Casino Royale

Nadia and I have dedicated ourselves to running daily. Two days ago we ran in the Friendship Park area of New Belgrade. Owen and I stopped to take some photos and had a great challenge of trying to catch Nadia on the way back to the car. Yesterday Nadia and I ran in the Banovo Brdo park. We’re heading out again this morning, taking full advantage of having a nanny hear to watch the little ones.

Nadia Runs Along the Danube River
Nadia Runs Along the Danube River

It feels good to get so many consecutive days of running in. Our busy work schedules and having little children really cuts into our exercise time. I wish we had time to exercise every day. Oliver and Ocean are just too small to take both of them with us.

“We” completed a flower garden yesterday in our yard. It is a spot that is protected from the soccer and play of the kids and is really unused. I put the pronoun in quotes as Nadia envisions gardens, but I do the actual work of putting them in. It is quite relaxing and gives me a sense of accomplishment.

We are using the week also to do things around the house and in our financial affairs. I completed the medical claims for this year. Since August, Ocean is in the lead with $472 worth of medical costs, and Nadia is in second place with $330. We have a family total of $803 worth of bills. The school provides us with AETNA insurance and they will reimburse us for most of it. I forsee using more with Ocean and Oliver’s vaccinations. Today my goal is to repair the cabinents in the kitchen and boys’ bedroom.

We went to the Usce Mall last night and went bowling. Great fun!

Ollie Wills the Ball Down the Lane
Ollie Wills the Ball Down the Lane

Military Medical Academy

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We were driving from the Partizan Club Pool in the neighborhood of Banjica when we saw this funky building below.

After doing a bit of research, I learned that it is the Miliary Medical Academy (Војномедицинска академија – Vojnomedicinska Akademija in Serb.) This is the largest hospital in Serbia and was constructed in 1982. It is like a VA hospital in the USA, but it also serves civilians also. We drove around the parking lot a bit and there were lots of cars and people. It was designed by the award-winning architects, Colonel Josip Osojnik and Slobodon Nikolic.

For more information you can visit the hospital’s web site in English or see this 3-D model on this architecture web site.

Am I rich? Serbian Hyperinflation of the 1990’s

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Yugoslavian Bank Note – circa 1993, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

With all of the talk of the global economy and media buzz about the global recession, I was very curious to learn more this denomination of Yugoslavian currency I bought at a market in Belgrade.

The bank note is real and it was issued in 1993 at the height of the hyperinflation during the chaotic times of the breakup of Yugoslavia. It was the largest denomination of the ex-Yugoslavia and nominally worth 500 billion (US terms) dinara. At the time, it was virtually worthless by the time it was printed and released to the public.

I thought I had lived through tough economic times the past 6 years in Venezuela under the economy destroying policies of President Chavez. But the 30+% annual inflation and currency exchange controls pale in comparison to the craziness of 1990’s Belgrade. A bit of background…

When Yugoslavia was breaking up into the separate nations of Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Serbia, it not only generated political chaos, but economic chaos. The economic output of Yugoslavia dropped 70% from 1990 to 1994. The government tried to compensate by printing more money and passing laws making it illegal for businesses to lay off employees. On top of this were the war and UN sanctions making it more difficult manage the economy. The result was an inflation rate that peaked at 313,563,558 % per month which comes to 851 with 78 zeros behind it. Amazingly, this was not the highest inflation ever! In neighboring Hungary during WWII, they had an inflationary rate of 4.16 trillion per month and they also had the largest bank note. Serbia does have the record for the longest sustained hyper inflation. 

As you might have guessed, this made people’s lives very difficult during this time. People survived through a variety of creative measures. Thankfully, Serbia has rich soils and most people have relatives living in the countryside to feed their extended families. Eventually, the Dinar died as a currency and was replaced by the German Deutschmark. Today, Serbia has an inflation rate of around 10% and a stable Dinar currency. Tim Judah, in his book “The Serbs: History, Myth & Destruction of Yugoslavia” has an excellent detailed description of this time in Serbian history. 

Pictured on the front of the note is the Serbian poet, Jovan Jovanović. He lived in the late 1800’s – early 1900’s and was born in Novi Sad. He is famous for his children’s poetry. Below is an example of one his poems,

DARKNESS

You could think that darkness 
is so scary strong, 
powerful and dreadful, 
and–you would be wrong.

Fortunately, it is 
not at all this way: 
You just light a candle 
and it runs away.

Jovan Jovanović Zmaj 
Translation: Dragana Konstantinović

Another translated poem can be found on Dragana’s website. On the reverse side, pictured below, is the Serbian National Library. The library is still open today and is located next to Saint Sava’s Cathedral in downtown Belgrade. 

Ollie and Ocean with the Čuvarkuća

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A shopkeeper at the paint store gave Oliver a Serbian Easter egg! It is one of the Serbian Easter traditions and I love following the local customs. It is one of the nice things about living in other countries. The Serbs keep one of the Easter eggs, called the čuvarkuća in their homes for the entire year until next Easter. It is supposed to protect the home. The translation is čuvar means guard/watchman/keeper and kuća means home. 

Ollie carefully handed it to me and we put it on a shelf in the kitchen. We’ll see if it makes it the entire year. 

Family Journal: April 21, 2009

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My dad and brother Andy are extremely handy with their hands. Both of them are excellent carpenters, electricians, plumbing, etc. I am not quite so handy and like to blame my genetics and scenes like this above.

Yesterday, our head of maintenance Goran and his crew came over to the house yesterday to do a few odd jobs. They reinforced one of our benches in our outdoor furniture and then took down this unused satellite dish that has been sitting in our yard for years. It was attached to our fence and quite an eyesore.

The school treats its expat employees extremely well. The maintenance crew has done much work in our house this year. They have re-wired our kitchen and outdoor lights, repaired our telephone outlet, moved a big couch, etc. All we need to do is complete a web-based form work request and they are there the next day. We appreciate their care, and it allows us to focus on school work rather than house work. It is one of the advantages of living overseas. Nadia and I have greatly benefited from having help with domestic chores such as cleaning, washing clothes, shopping, cooking, etc. All of our utility bills are paid for, etc. It really frees up time to maintain a blog, spend more time with the kids, reading, etc.

I have pledged to get better at home upkeep and repair. I recently fixed an extension cord and bought an adjustable wrench! Yes, small steps compared to what my dad and brother can do, But, I am using the wrench quite often and see that a good tool kit is essential. I plan on my dad consulting me this summer on the perfect tool kit. I see the need to learn how to drill a hole to hang stuff or put up shelves, to repair cabinets with wood glue or screws,

We are relishing the time off from work. Yesterday Nadia and I went for a run together around the lake at Ada Ciganlija. We then played soccer, basketball, and ate lunch outside in the yard. In the late afternoon, we went to the US Embassy Commissary for shopping. We also went down to the pijaca “Zeleni Venac” which in English is the Green Circle Market to get our watches repaired and buy some flowers for the garden we are making.

Today, April 22, marks the one year anniversary of my blog, billkralovec.com. I did 250 posts this year! I renewed my subscription to wordpress.com and will continue the domain name for another year.

Family Journal: April 20, 2009

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We started our week of holiday at home. For Nadia and I it truly is a holiday as we can use the nanny and our resources at home to relax. Sometimes, traveling with young children is more work than our jobs.

Yesterday Owen and I started the day with a run around the lake at Ada Ciganlija. We went shopping in the afternoon for summer things, like an outdoor broom, sprinkler, etc. We had a nice picnic in the grass and in the evening, Nadia prepared a good meal of pasta and we had a fire.

Owen and Ollie Enjoy Ice Cream In Front of the Fire
Owen and Ollie Enjoy Ice Cream In Front of the Fire

Ollie and Owen are shown above playing a game of egg-tapping. This is a Serbian Easter tradition. Serbs boil eggs with onion skins to produce a nice, burgundy color. Many paint intricate designs on the eggs. Vera brought over some eggs she made yesterday. We played the egg tapping game where opponents tap the top of the eggs together. The egg that does not crack wins. In a family competition, Oliver had the strongest egg and won!

Ollie is tierno with Mama
Ollie is "tierno" with Mama

Family Journal: Easter Sunday Lunch

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Sunday Lunch, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We discovered a really nice place for lunch yesterday. We visited Salaš 137 just outside of Čenje, a small village near Serbia’s second city of Novi Sad. Salaš, pronounced, salash, is the Serbian for country ranch. These places often have a restaurant, country museum, and activities for kids. This particular salaš was particularly nice, a perfect place to take the family.

The boys take a break from soccer.
The boys take a break from soccer.

I spent the morning doing yard work and playing with the kids. I managed to take Ocean for a run in the jogging stroller, I was definitely feeling the Belgrade marathon in my legs. We finally got the kids and car packed and left for ranch in the afternoon. It was warm and overcast, perfect weather! The food was traditional Serbian cuisine. We ordered the house specialty, lamb, as well as salads, potato dishes, roasted vegetables, and the special Serbian “gutbomb” of chicken wrapped in bacon and filled with cheese.

Ocean on the Teeter-Totter
Ocean on the Teeter-Totter

The ranch was recommended by various mothers in the ISB community and thanks to them. The ranch also had a huge soccer field and playground. Perfect for three hyperactive kids waiting to eat. We also went on a horse ride in a cart around the property. Cenje is in the heart of Vojvodina, the northern part of Serbia. Vojvodina is an rich agricultural area, flat as a pancake. It looks like Iowa.

I highly recommend the place for a weekend afternoon get-a-way. They also have a hotel for longer stays. The ranch is located just north of Novi Sad, about 90 kilometers away from Belgrade. If you type in Čenje into a GPS, it will take you to right to the place. For more information, you can visit their web site.

We Did It! : Belgrade Marathon 2009

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Ready to Go!
Ready to Go!

 

Nadia and I had a wonderful run in the 22nd Belgrade Marathon yesterday. One could feel the excitement as the gun went off to announce the start of the race. Thousands of runners shouted and raised their hands as we moved in unison up Queen Aleksandra Street. It was a thrilling rush to be part of such a mob activity. There were people cheering and watching along most of the route. The sunny skies and cool (70 F) temperatures made for beautiful sites and nice running conditions. 

We decided to run together instead of me chasing the Kenyans. Below is as close as I got to the elite runners. They swepts the top spots as expected. We ran 15 kilometers, the most we have ever done together in a time of 1 hour and 38 minutes. Vera our nanny watched the kids at home so Nadia and I treated it as a running date again. The views of the city were spectacular, such as the shot I took from Branko’s Bridge below.

 

 

I Am Trying to Pscyhe Out the Kenyans
I Am Trying to Pscyhe Out the Kenyans

 

The first 5 kilomters on the old side of Belgrade, south of the Sava River went by extremely quickly. The next 10 kilometers were the tough part as we crossed the bridge into New Belgrade. The nice thing about New Belgrade is that it is former swampland that Tito’s socialists developed and it is completely flat. We ran along the Danube all the way to Zemun and then separated from the marathon course at the 10 kilometer mark. We then finished the last 5 kilometers by crossing the main high way overpass near the Mercator Shopping Center. 

 

The View from Brankov Most
The View from Brankov Most

 Nadia had the best orange juice she ever drank immediately after we stopped. We then luckily found a taxi near the highway and we were back home in 5 minutes. We both pledged to train more next spring and run the half marathon (21 kilometers). 

After the race, I was extremely tired and as I write this my legs are still a bit sore. I’ll go out for a run this morning with Ocean as soon as she wakes up. We took the kids to McDonald’s and played in the yard for the rest of the afternoon. Nadia made a nice risotto and then we went for a walk for ice cream. Belgrade reminds me of Michigan summertime right now. 

We are beginning our Spring Break and have the next week off of school. The Orthodox Christian Easter is today and so we have our break later than most countries. 

 

Survived! Ready for the 21 kilometers in 2010!
Survived! Ready for the 21 kilometers in 2010!