What Money Can Do

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Owen and Oliver are shown playing in a park in front of the Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnaces. We are visiting the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania for the holidays. The Lehigh Valley is located about an hour’s drive from New York City and Philadelphia in south eastern Pennsylvania. The valley consists of three cities, Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton which are considered one urban area. The population of the three cities is around 800,000 people.

A couple of days ago we visited the SteelStacks, which is a 10-acre campus dedicated to the fine arts, education and entertainment. It was developed on the land formerly occupied by the Bethlehem Steel Company. For centuries, the company, as well as others in the state, were the industrial backbone of the USA. In 1999, the company finally closed and the city of Bethlehem rallied together to develop the site into an amazing community cultural and entertainment center. Only in America could 70 million dollars be raised to turn what could have been an eyesore, into a thing of beauty and fun.

Lehigh Valley Iron Pig Stadium – Coca Cola Park

We are going back today to visit the Christmas Market and listen to some live music. There also are some art galleries and education centers run by the non-profit, ArtsQuest.

The entire area has really impressed me! They have taken many of the old factories and mills and turned them into fine arts centers, restaurants, night clubs, etc. One of the steel company’s former site is now a baseball stadium, home to the Triple AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

I’ll be blogging more about the area and our travels this holiday.

The Magic of Movies

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I finally wrapped up shooting for the Montevideo sequel last week. They are filming the final game of the Yugoslavian team. They lost to the host Uruguay in the semifinals of the 1930 World Cup. The game was filmed in the beautiful Pink Studios, a large complex located outside of the Belgrade near the airport. The huge complex has nine sound studios and several Hollywood films have been shot there. The most famous movie being The Raven (2012).

The producers made the stadium, field, and locker rooms in the big #2 sound stage. It is a massive room with the green back drop. It was strange to do my parts without seeing a field or game. I watched the raw footage of the scenes before going into the booth.

It was an incredible experience and I thank all the extras, directors, make-up, costume, cameramen, etc. who helped me get through my scenes.

The Thermal Baths of Budapest

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Szechenyi Bath and Spa, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We had a really nice weekend in Budapest. The highlight of the visit was our trip to the Szechenyi Bath. The city is famous for its thermal pools and this one is its most famous. As you can see from above, the pools are inside a beautiful. old building from the turn of the century. You can see the steam rising from the outdoor pools. The spa is located in a big park near the zoo and the statue square.

It is a strange experience for an American. They are open to the public and it costs around 10 Euros to enter. You can either get a private cabin or a rent a locker. There were probably about 500-600 people, but the pools are so big it didn’t feel too crowded. It was a cold night (-2C) and it is a bit dodgy heading out to the pools from the locker room, but once you hit the 38C water, it is quite heavenly.

The Spa is a great example of Neoclassical architecture.

The kids absolutely loved it. We went to the various pools, both indoor and outdoor. My favorite was the “whirlpool” that sends out a fast current that pushes people around in a circle. It is hilarious to be bumping into people.

I highly recommend visiting one of the many thermal pools in the city. It is a great thing to do on a cold winter’s evening. It is very relaxing and got us very hungry.

Nemi and Kralovecs Feeling Refreshed

It was a great day indeed, which included drinking mulled wine at the Christmas Market and a Mexican dinner at Iguana’s, one of our favorite restaurants in Budapest.

Roasted “Kurtos” Bread is a Kralovec Family Favorite

Snowstorm of Dec 2012

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Snowstorm of Dec 2012, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We had a crazy amount of snow this week in Belgrade. It snowed last weekend and a couple of times earlier this week. The temperatures have stayed below zero all week so it stayed around.

The picture above is what I faced for several mornings. Sweeping the car, scraping the ice off the windows, and shoveling the drive. I don’t mind it at all! The city does not plow the side streets so parking and navigating is a mess. It is also a hassle to put on and take off the snow clothes of the kids.

In speaking with the kids however, and watching the joy they found in playing in the snow, I am so happy that Serbia gets so much snow. Owen’s class at school built a really cool snow cave and all three of my kids play out in the snow every day.

Volim sneg! Hoću još snega!

Owen Turns 10!

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Thursday night we celebrated my son Owen’s tenth birthday. We traditionally do it together with his friend, Bor, who was also born on the same day. We went to the Intergalatic Diner, a 1950s-themed restaurant with excellent shakes, onion rings, big hamburgers, and mini jukeboxes at the tables. It is located by the Saint Sava Cathedral in Vraćar.

Bor and Owen’s other friend, Tudor slept over that evening. The boys were laughing late into the night. The adults had a great time as we invited Aleš, Jasmina, Claudiu, and Vesna. The night was full of laughs, hugs, arm wrestling, and camaraderie.

I can’t believe that it is 10 years since the birth of Owen. They went by so fast! Happy Birthday Owen – we love you!

Let It Snow!

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Oliver, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Belgrade was dumped on over the weekend with a big snowfall. We probably have at least 6-9 inches of snow with a bit more expected today (Tuesday). The temperatures have also been extremely cold for Belgrade with -4C currently as I write this.

As you can see above, snow always provides fun for the kids. Not so much for the adults as it is a chore to take off and put on the winter clothes. Boots, hats, mittens, snow pants, etc. Our house looks like a ski chalet with all of the drying snow clothes.

I love it and if it is winter, I would rather have snow than just cold weather, grey skies and wet, brown conditions. The covering of snow gives Belgrade a different look. I’ll try to take some more pictures today and tomorrow.

Snow Storm in Belgrade

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As you can see from our balcony, the first snow of winter is falling. It began Friday evening and continued through the day Saturday. On Sunday morning we awoke to even more snow.

Time to go shopping on foot… more later.

The Excitement of Christmas

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The holiday season has officially begun with two Christmas parties this week. On Thursday we attended a party for the kids hosted by the school. Oliver, shown above, was ecstatic to learn he was a good boy this year and would receive a gift from Santa. Ocean, below, was a bit more concerned if she was going to get something.

The holidays have a new meaning for me as our children are in the prime age to experience the traditions. The snow is falling outside my window as I write this and one more week of school before we vacation!

Montevideo II Filming Nearing the End

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Last weekend the crew from the Serbian film, Montevideo, took advantage of the warm weather and finished filming some of the soccer scenes at the stadium in Paracin. The sun came out during the afternoon. Although it was much colder than this summer, it was nice to be back.

I had to shoot a couple of the transition scenes. The film is still in post-production and will hopefully come out this spring. The first Montevideo: Bog Te Video (God Bless You) was one of the biggest Serbian films in recent years. It is incredible the amount of time and effort the directors have put into getting this film right. I admire their attention to details in even the minor scenes. I’ve gained a new appreciation for the craft of movie making and I promise never to buy a pirated film again. They work too hard not to get the full financial rewards of their work.

My View From the Commentator’s Booth

Family Journal: Single Dad Weekend

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Ollie and Owen, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

I survived being a single dad for a weekend when my wife had a “girls” trip to Budapest. I ended up really enjoying the time with the kids, even having a couple of their friends stay over. I successfully supervised five children by my self.

On Sunday we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and played soccer and tennis at the school. As you can see above and below, the kids and adults really enjoyed ourselves.

It was nice to see mom again on Sunday evening, but I also enjoyed being forced to spend 100% of my time with them.