Family Journal – Page 29

Tennis in Belgrade

July 8, 2012July 8, 2012billkralovec

We are loving the newly finished tennis courts at the school. Last month the courts were completed on the roof of the gymnasium and they are absolutely spectacular. The best thing about the courts is they are free to use, which is rare in Belgrade. All tennis courts in the city are privately owned and have rental fees ranging from 6 to 12 euros an hour, depending on quality and time of day. That is if you can find an available time.

With Novak Djokovic and the other Serbian professionals in the Top 20 of world tennis, the game has become very popular in Serbia. It is a shame that the city does not build public courts for citizens to use. Tennis is expensive as it is with equipment, coaching, etc. and to not have access to free courts, Serbia is not fully developing its potential. If I was mayor, I would start putting some courts in.

Most of the courts in the city are clay and the school’s court is a hard court surface. They are perched on the roof, overlooking the valley towards Košutnjak Park and the view is breathtaking. They also have lights so we have been playing every night. I need to get Owen and Oliver into a club and some coaching as all three of my children love the game! Owen and I actually played our first set of tennis on the big courts, I won 6-1. I need to savor this victory as soon enough, the boys will be beating me on a regular basis.

We have been following closely the Wimbledon Championships. Too bad Nole lost to Federer in the semifinals. We are cheering for Andy Murray to be the first UK citizen to win since 1936 in today’s final.

Thessaloniki – Salonica

June 27, 2012June 27, 2012billkralovec

On our way home from Greece we spent the night in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki. I wanted to learn a bit more about Greece outside of the resort areas.

We didn’t have a great first impression. The city was very crowded and I guess the best term that comes to mind is “seedy,” and it had a much different feel than Belgrade.

It reminded me a bit of my time on the north coast of Colombia and the cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla. The uneven sidewalks, the many apartments close to the street, and the hot, humid weather, brought me back to Colombia. We also stood out with blonde children and I really felt we were in a foreign land.

I was also taken aback by the aggressiveness of the people. For example, we stopped at a roadside fruit stand and I inquired about purchasing a watermelon. When I decided not to purchase one, saying it was too expensive, the vendor flipped out, gesticulating with much anger and shouting. His colleague also gave me a dirty look and a masturbation sign. All over a watermelon???

Negative impressions aside, I did see the appeal to the city. It had a sensual side, with many young people, a proliferation of bars and cafes, and I would guess for a young, single, man, that Thessaloniki would have its charms. Across the street from the hotel there was an impressive theater and contemporary art museum. I also would have loved to stay for the International Hellenic University’s symposium on the Jewish heritage of Salonica. So it does have its cultural and intellectual side.

However, I don’t think it would be a good place for children. The crowded streets would be hazardous for running and there was not a lot of green space. I was also surprised at the lack of people who spoke English. I would guess that the education in the local area is not great, or maybe it is something with the Greek culture?

In speaking with the locals about the economic crisis, they were concerned. An owner of toy store said that his business has been down for the past three years. He said with so many people out of work, toys are not one of the essentials. Several people predicted the government would drop the Euro and go back to the Drachma. Others mentioned they couldn’t do anything about it, and were more focused on their daily lives.

Thessaloniki is only seven hours’ drive from Belgrade, but a world apart.

A Relaxing Day

June 26, 2012June 26, 2012billkralovec

We took a day trip to Diaporos Island, the largest of the nine islands off the coast near our hotel. The boys enjoyed snorkeling and exploring the island. It was very relaxing. The islands and the area remind me of the Mochima National Park in Venezuela. The blue waters and hot, dry climate are reminiscent of our times there. I was not impressed with the amount of garbage on the bottom of the sea and on the islands themselves. A cleanup and an environmental consciousness needs to be brought forth in this area.

We left Vourvourou for a day in Thessaloniki. We packed up and said goodbye to the Ekies Resort. I would highly recommend the hotel. It was perfect for kids with a pool, sandy beach in a protected cove, and other stuff for them to do like a trampoline, billiards, etc. The food was delicious and the design of the rooms, restaurant, and beach front was perfect! We would definitely go back.

It is nice to have beaches like this a day’s drive from Belgrade. I can see why so many Serbs travel to Greece for the summer holidays. It would be like driving from Michigan to Cancun, Mexico in one day.

My Thoughts On Greece

June 24, 2012June 25, 2012billkralovec

As you can see, it is quite beautiful on the Aegean Sea. I’ve been reading about Greece’s economic problems and the recent elections recently in Slate and in the Wall Street Journal . I also read Robert Kaplan’s Greek chapters in his book, Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History. Below are my thoughts on the country and the things I have learned. Note that I’ve only been in the resort for a few days and have only spoken to employees, so this is no way an informed or experienced view. The purpose of this post is to crystallize my opinions of Greece.

I learned that the Greeks refer to themselves as Hellenes and the country Hellas. “Greek” is a corrupted form of the Turkish word for dog or slave.
I agree with Kaplan that Greece is more Balkan than Mediterranean. That is if you can define a place with those two “adjectives.” He means Balkan in that Greece is the mother Orthodox Church, from which the other Balkan Orthodox Churches were developed (Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania), the Byzantine Empire, which shaped the cultures of the Balkans, was basically a Greek Empire, with its capital being Constantinople, and also the Cyrillic Alphabets in the Balkans are also of Greek origin.
Salonika, or today known as Thessaloniki, used to be a predominately Jewish city. Jews found refuge in the city from 140BC to 1500 AD. 96.5 percent of them were wiped out by the Nazis at Auschwitz and other camps. With hundreds of thousands of Greek refugees fleeing Ataturk filling the city, any trace of the Jews in Salonika is gone.
I can see why the Greeks hate the Turks so much. I didn’t realize that Constantinople was a Greek city and the Hagia Sophia was built by the Byzantines in 500 AD. Ataturk wreaked havoc on the Greeks living in Asia Minor and the Greek city of Smyrna is today 100% Turk and named Izmir.
Most people do not know much about the recent history of Greece. The 20th century had lots of war and bad government. Kaplan had a good quote, “It had become just another Eastern European country: its population emerging, completely bewildered, into an unsentimental world where efficiency and hard work, rather than notions of past glory and philotimo were all that mattered.”
Like many nations, or states, or city governments, Greece needs to balance their budget. They spend wastefully and owe Germany and the European Union a lot of money, with a huge debt. This past quarter, unemployment in Greece was over 22%, which is twice as much as usual. It is however, a quite developed nation and I’ve seen good infrastructure and definitely not Third World. Greece has come a long way since the days of terrorist bombings in the 70’s and 80’s. I don’t envy the new Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras’s job. He and his colleagues need to make the government more efficient, protect the poor, find jobs for young people, and negotiate with the IMF and European Central Bank about the bailout and balancing the budget over time. Yikes!

I’ll share more thoughts if we stay longer.

Kralovec Family Holiday in Greece

June 23, 2012June 24, 2012billkralovec

We are enjoying our time on the north coast of Greece. We are staying at the Ekies Resort in the village of Vourvourvou which is on the middle “finger” of the three peninsulas of the Halkidiki region. It is our first time to Greece and the Aegean Sea. It is absolutely beautiful and the kids are enjoying swimming all day. The hotel is situated in a protected bay so the water is calm and perfect for young children learning how to swim. A highlight for me was Owen and Oliver learning how to snorkel. I don’t understand how children can spend so much time in the water. Between the beach and pool, they were in the water from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM today.

European Soccer Championship 2012

June 19, 2012June 19, 2012billkralovec

Germany versus Denmark, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

The boys and I are following the Euro 2012 soccer tourney from Poland/Ukraine. Every night for the past 10 days there have been games. I took this screen shot from the Radio Television Serbia broadcast, and it shows DAN (Denmark) and NEM (Nemačka – Germany in Serbian) in action.

Despite Serbia not qualifying, everyone is following the matches. I didn’t know who to support because Serbia is not there, so I chose the Czech Republic in honor of the Kralovec heritage. They surprisingly won their group and now have Portugal in the knockout round.

I love the passion of the fans but still feel it is too difficult to score in soccer. I also loathe seeing the players flopping on the pitch, trying to draw a foul or penalty. That is cheating and unmanly and should be harshly punished! I suggest a red card and they are forced to wear a pink tutu for the next game.

The boys and I are playing our own version of the tourney in the yard outside. It was cool the other night to have Owen help me take out the garbage. The kids are at a perfect age right now. They are old enough to have opinions and appreciate new experiences, but not old enough to be surly teenagers and refuse to do stuff. I am thoroughly enjoying spending time with them.

This is my last day of work in the office and then summer officially begins!!!!!

Family Journal: June 16, 2012

June 17, 2012June 17, 2012billkralovec

Oliver, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Oliver, Ocean and I played a bit of basketball last night. Ocean was not feeling well yesterday, she picked up a virus from her nursery school and was vomiting all day. She finally perked up in the evening. Owen was on a sleepover, so Ollie and I hung out last night. I am reading “The Curse of the Titans” a book by Rick Riordon in the Percy Jackson series. Ollie is quite enjoying it.

It was a sad day as well yesterday as Owen said goodbye to his friend Devin. That is one bad thing about international schools is people in your life come and go quite quickly. This is the first really good friend Owen has had, so I was interested in his reaction. He was quite good about it, giving Devin a big hug before leaving his party. I really hope to keep in contact with Devin and his family. They will be in Slovakia next year which is not that far away.

Weather was in the 90’s yesterday and I am loving the summer! We are getting ready to host a BBQ today.

Summer Holiday Begins

June 16, 2012June 16, 2012billkralovec

Nadia and the boys had their final day of school on Thursday. Ocean had her last day yesterday and we are starting our summer holidays this week. I still have a couple of days of work, but the office is winding down.

Yesterday we went to a BBQ at our friend’s home in Obrenovac, a small city about 20 miles west of Belgrade on the Danube. It was a classic sunny summer day and we all enjoyed the pool, and this being Serbia, they also had a roast pig (below).

it was a nice way to end a hectic week! A big thank you to Hido and Zhana.

Family Journal: June 12, 2012

June 12, 2012June 12, 2012billkralovec

I have not been blogging much lately because I am so busy at work. There is too much to do at the end of the school year!

Above are the kids with water balloons. They went to a birthday party where the kids played a game of catch with water balloons, so it has been two days of me tying balloons for them.

This is the last week of classes, so only two more days of school left! Ocean got another set of class photos, below is her class.

I’ll be blogging more once the students leave school and we begin our summer holidays!

French Open Fever

June 5, 2012June 5, 2012billkralovec

We’ve been following Novak Đoković in the Roland Garros Tennis Championship this week. We were so inspired that we went down to his tennis center. Oliver is shown above on the red clay of Belgrade. It is also the home of the Belgrade Open, one of the stops on the ATP tour. I really want to get the kids into tennis this summer. It is a great sport.

It is something that Nadia and I can play together. It is so much better than golf in the fact that it is much quicker to play and it is more physical, although I do like the walking in “nature” aspect of golf.

I am excited for the second week of the French Open. Let’s hope Novak can pull it out, although Nadal and Ferrer look like the favorites right now.