Category: Uncategorized

The Beautiful Women of Obrenovac

billkralovec

 

Gordana, Zhana, Nadia, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Lots of gorgeous women in the city of Obrenovac! These three friendly ladies made for a delightful afternoon. Zhana (middle) and her husband Hido hosted a wonderful party at their home. We went with the family and a classic Serbian BBQ (pork, gibenica, roasted peppers, etc.) and a warm, sunny day poolside. Couldn’t have ask for a better day! Thank you!

 

Šumidija Road - Obrenovac, Serbia
Šumidija Road - Obrenovac, Serbia

 

 

Obrenovac is about 30 kilometers south of Belgrade located in the region called Šumidija, which means “land of forests” in Serbian. This is the heartland of Serbia where the Hadjuks sought refuge from the Turks and where Black George began his rebellion. The area is exactly like the guidebooks describe it, a land where time has forgotten. There are bucolic scenes of old men tending their cows and sheep, bontiful orchards of apples and peaches, and lovely farmhouses. It is an area that harks back to a more rural, agricultural, past and this is how it must have been a couple generations ago.

 

The Kids and Adults Enjoyed the Pool
The Kids and Adults Enjoyed the Pool

Administrative Retreat – Kovačica “Relax Center”

billkralovec

 

Tim and Bane, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

This week we took two days and one night to get out of Belgrade and the school for our annual administrative retreat. Above are Tim M. the lower school principal and Bane N. the IT Director. They are enjoying the Dr. Evil like white Naughyde chairs in one of the conference rooms of the hotel.

We stayed at the Relax Center in Kovačica which is a small town located about 50 kilometers north of Belgrade. It is located on the Pannonian plain of Vojvodina. Kovaćica is one of the few towns that have a non-Serb majority. While Serbia is 85% Serb, Kovaćica has a majority Slovak population. When we went for a run around the town, we noticed it to be a big farming community, with many fields of corn, beans, pumpkins, sunflowers, etc. It reminded me of Iowa, with its flat topography and rich soils.

I couldn’t recommend staying at the Relax Center. It was Eastern European in design and quite modest, but it did have a nice pool. We also enjoyed the outdoor restaurant. We got a lot of work done and got ready for the year.

 

Najda Higl Is Featured on a Billboard in her Hometown of Pančevo, Serbia
Najda Higl Is Featured on a Billboard in her Hometown of Pančevo, Serbia

Above is a billboard in the city of Pančevo, Serbia, about 30 kilometers outside of Belgrade. Nadia Higl won the 200 breaststroke in last week’s World Swimming Championships in Rome. She came out of nowwhere, literally, from the first lane and mostly unknown, even in Serbia. Her father tatooed her winning time on his bald spot on his head. Serbia celebrated her and the water polo team that also won gold in the championships. They defeated Spain, 14-13 in a tremendous game. Water polo is big here and everyone was following the team, as well as the duel between Milorad Čavić and Micheal Phelps. I didn’t like Phelps after he won, he didn’t shake hands with Milorad.

Goodbye Michigan

billkralovec

 

Ocean and Owen, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We are now back in Belgrade after a wonderful holiday. Owen is carrying his little sister into the house last week. The best part of any time off is I get to spend heaps of time with my children and wife. 

 

Lunch at the Airport
Lunch at the Airport

 

 

I would like to thank my father and Andy for putting up with us in the house and all of their help. It was great to see my brother Jim, sister-in-law Shelly – thanks guys. It was also nice to get in touch with the Bonettis, Bocieks, and other friends.

Fishing With Grandpa Kralovec

billkralovec

 

Grandpa and the boys, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Yesterday my father helped the boys go fishing for a second time this summer. We went to the nearby Caspian Mine Pit. It is a former open pit iron ore mine. The Caspian Mine had its heydey back about 100 years ago. In the 1960’s, my grandfather and mine employee, Arthur Heikkila, was the last man in the mine and as he shut down the pumps, the water began to fill in. The Iron County Museum is based in one of its buildings and the city of Caspian has turned it into a recreational area. The DNR planted trout in the pit this spring.

We had a few bites off of the fishing dock shown above. Owen is getting good at casting and even Ollie managed to bring a shiner up to the surface. Owen was so excited to get a shiner out of the water. I can imagine his reaction if he ever catches a fish.

It was a very cold and rainy day. Nadia went for a run in the afternoon and took Oliver and Ocean out in the wagon following her. Last night we watched movies.

Family Journal: Hike to Timber Lake

billkralovec

 

Yesterday I took the boys on a hike to Timber Lake. The lake is located about 10 miles west of Iron River, just off of US 2. I really like Timber Lake because there is no public access to the lake for boats. There are also no cottages on the lake. The only way to get to the lake is to take the 1 mile+ hike in from the trail head.

We spent a wonderful afternoon on the shores of the lake. We were sitting around the house and my brother was watching television in the lazyboy. I don’t like the kids to watch too much television so I put them in the car and headed west. They enjoy hiking, as they pick up sticks and pretend they are weapons. We went for a swim and drank pop and I read from the “Choose Your Adventure” series. Owen had a leech on his sandal and we tried to identify it. We also saw a squirrel, woodpecker, and a slug. The highlight was when we were packing up. We had talked about all of the animals that could possibly kill you in the northwoods, such as a pack of wolves, bear, cougar, etc. All of a sudden a German Shepard dog came running up to us. It was a friendly dog and just wanted to play. It had a big red collar on it. But it terrified Oliver as he was caught on the shore of the lake and the dog between him and us. All of our talk on how we would defend ourselves against a hungry pack of wolves didn’t help him as he just paniked. I quickly intervened and put him on my shoulders. The dog was owned by a woman who was also coming to the lake.

We had the lake to ourselves for 4 hours. We also heard the call of the loon. A great day together and introducing the boys to the rejuvenating effects of wilderness. I wish Iron County had more lakes like Timber. Most lakes have cottages on them or one can hear the drone of motor boats. That is what makes Timber Lake special.

Can Anyone Identify This Species of Freshwater Leech
Can Anyone Identify This Species of Freshwater Leech

Kralovecs Celebrate Independence Day

billkralovec

 

Yesterday we had the traditional 4th of July BBQ in our backyard. The kids ran through the sprinkler and around the neighborhood. The adults laughed a lot and we ate a tremendous amount of food and drink. It was a nice way to reflect on 233 years of USA independence. I had a copy of the Declaration of Independence for us to read. It is one of the sacred documents of our country. In reading it yesterday, the authors are pretty clear in their opposition to King George and England’s policies. I can see why war ensued after the King received it. I wonder how long it took him to get it?

In the morning we went to the parade in downtown Iron River. It was pretty lame with only the West Iron County marching band and fire trucks. Ollie and Beau liked grabbing candy that many people were throwing out.

 

Two Famous Icons - Smokey the Bear and Riverside Pizza
Two Famous Icons - Smokey the Bear and Riverside Pizza

Summer Holidays Begin

billkralovec

 



This is my last post from Belgrade until August. We are going on our annual summer holidays. This year we will be spending it in my hometown of Caspian, Michigan, USA. I’ll be blogging about our experiences there.

Above I am pictured with Oliver at the Dinosaurs Argentina Exhibition which is currently being held at the Continental Hotel Exhibition Center in New Belgrade. I highly recommend it for families. The boys loved it and learned a lot. Gigantosauras and the dinosaur eggs were especially a hit. You can click on the photo to see more of the exhibition. It features the fossil finds in the deserts of Patagonia in central and southern Argentina. The species found there are just as impressive as the more famous North American finds like T. Rex, etc. 

 

Heaven in My Hand
Heaven in My Hand

I also wanted to share the photo above. Great fresh produce in the various markets around Belgrade. Raspberries are my all  time favorite fruit (the other 4 in my top 5 fruits are blueberries, mangos, bananas, and watermelon). The Kralovec family are “fruit alcoholics” and we are consuming punnets of raspberries at a rate of 8 per day. My personal record is 3 and 1/2 in one sitting. 

Well, I must finish packing as we head west across Europe and the Atlantic.

ISB Faculty Calls It A Year

billkralovec

 

We hosted the International School of Belgrade’s  annual end-of-year party last night at our home. There were over 100 people in attendance and everyone had an enjoyable evening. The school honored the people leaving and celebrated the end of a rewarding school year. In the education business, our year runs from August to June and we are all excited to embark on our travels during the summer holidays.

Owen and Ollie are shown above pushing the glow lanterns. Ethan and Jamie lit 8 of these big paper lanterns that after the brick below gets going, they soar upwards and away. One got caught in the tree of our neighbors and another almost hit their terrace, but all made it out of the neighborhood. A nice tradition started! Ethan saw these used for New Year’s celebrations in Thailand.

The Faculty Band
The Faculty Band
Several faculty members have a rock band that plays in pubs in the city and they graciously played for us last night. It was impressive how much original music they have. Nadia and I felt like we were finally experiencing the legendary night life of Belgrade – in our back yard. I would like to thank Chris, Kay, and Sava and their bandmates for playing. Having live music at a party brings it up a notch!
The goodbyes were done well. The Sunshine Committee of the school organized it with a friend of the departing person speaking about them. A much better method than having administration talking about each person.
The school provided the food and drinks and the maintenance crew worked hard with the set up and arrangements. There was a big wind storm last night that blew over many of the tents but none were lost or broken.
It was a fantastic way to give closure to my first year at ISB. I am looking forward to the summer holidays and refreshing my mind and body for 2009-2010.
Goodbye!
Goodbye!

Military Medical Academy

billkralovec

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.

ISB Wins A Trophy!

billkralovec

 

Team Photo With Trophy in Helsinki, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Doron and Zoki are holding the third place trophy outside of the International School of Helsinki. The team was celebrating an important victory over the Kiev International School in the consolation match, 50-47. The victory earned the team the third place trophy. There were 8 teams competing so it was quite an accomplishment. It was appropriate the cup was filled with snow, as it represented the team venturing to the frozen north of Finland to compete in the tourney.

Misa Goes for the Rebound
Misa Goes for the Rebound

The Dragons led the entire game against the Cosaks of KIS. ISB used a full court pressure defense to disrupt the opponents. The strategy worked as many fast break layups were scored by Doron and Nikola. Panayot played with an injured foot, and despite the pain, he had his usual outstanding game. A special mention also goes to Mik for his defensive efforts on their best player. Coaches Sands and Kralovec thank the team for their efforts. It was a fitting end to a great season. The boys played close to 20 games! They developed their individual fundamentals of basketball, learned the strategies and finer points of the game, increased their fitness, and interacted with students from all over the world and Serbia.

Things are looking bright for 2009-2010, as the entire team that traveled to Helsinki returns. We will also get some excellent players from the Middle School team that finished in second place in their tourney. We will also be hosting the high school boys’ tourney, so there are many things in our favor. Job well done gentlemen!