This morning I stopped by and saw the new monument that opened today in Belgrade. It is remembering the people who died during the Yugoslavian Civil Wars of the 1990’s. It honors not only civilian victims, but the Serbian soldiers as well.
It is located on a new Sava Square that is located very close to the train station in downtown Belgrade. Today marks the 13th anniversary of the start of the NATO bombings in 1999. The monument is controversial in that the victims names are not listed and some people feel that the Serbian government needs to recognize more, the crimes committed during the wars.
There were lots of people taking photos and laying wreaths. A very sad monument. It is sad that people died and their surviving loved ones still miss them today, and as well the horror of war.
It is a small and difficult-to-read inscription on the metal wall. I liked the white stones for the base and the little pool, mimicking the Washington Monument in D.C.
The anniversary was subdued today. There was no moment of silence or sounding of the air raid sirens, as in previous years I’ve been in Belgrade on this date.
I took my annual photo on the shores of the Baltic Sea. For the past two years I’ve happened to be in one of the Baltic nations (Estonia, Latvia) in the month of March and this year was no exception. I’ll continue my streak with next year’s basketball tourney in Lithuania.
I’ve never been here during the summer where it must be much nicer. The Baltic reminds me of Lake Superior, with its majestic pine trees, cold winds, and icy waters. The Baltic is brackish (lower salt level than ocean) and one of the largest inland seas in the world. I really enjoyed running on the icy beach in my stay in Jurmala.
The coaches stayed in the resort town of Jurmala, which means “seaside” in Latvian. The town was a favorite of the Soviet leaders when the country was Latvia S.S.R. Today it still has a lot of Russian tourists. The school hosting the tourney this year, the International School of Latvia is about halfway between Jurmala on the coast and the capital city of Riga.
Another highlight of my stay was the extensive spa located at the hotel. After a tough day of coaching, it was nice to relax. The spa featured three different temperatures of saunas, a Turkish-menthol steam bath, a salt sauna, swimming pools and cooling pools. I learned that I break out in red tiger stripes when I spend anytime in the 110C sauna, even when I take crushed ice in and put it on my head and back. It is also cool that my home in the village of Caspian, Michigan is located on Baltic Avenue. Now I just need to see the Caspian Sea to complete my journey. I hope to come back to Latvia again sometime!
Ice Fishermen on the Lielupe (Large) River in Jurmala, Latvia
Last night we took the students to watch a professional basketball game in the first division of Latvian basketball. Turiba College defeated Latvijas University 88-74. Both teams are from Riga and are in the middle of the table. I was really impressed with the level of play. Both teams played with much effort and it was fundamentally sound basketball from start to finish. It was very good for our players to watch. I learned about a new way of stretching (moving instead of sitting on the floor) and a new “circle defense” employed by Turiba and founded by a Russian coach. I need to explore this a bit more. Turiba had much more energy and better outside shooting to defeat LU’s star player, Zanis Pieners. The game was held in an old Soviet gym, with the fans on top in the balcony and the players and benches only on the floor. There were several hundred people at the game, including a couple of drunks, one who ran onto the floor during a time out with his shirt off. He was escorted back to his seat and watched the rest of the game with his shirt on.
Latvia like Lithuania, has a good basketball program. Arturs, the Athletic Director of the International School of Latvia was explaining the youth programs in the country. Every town and village have their leagues with a range of ages. The country only has just over 2 million people, so they need to be organized to produce top talent. The two teams last night, are universities that give scholarships to players so they can study, but still play professional basketball.
I would like to thank Arturs for arranging the game! Go Turibas!
This was the scene on my run on the beach yesterday afternoon. I am in Jurmala, Latvia with the High School Boys’ Basketball Team for their annual CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association) Championships. This is the second time in a row they hosted, and I am enjoying Latvia. It was a busy day and it was nice to relax with a “fresh” run along the snow and ice and the Baltic Sea views. Jurmala is 25 kilometers from the capital city of Riga. On this visit I am seeing the Scandinavian influences in the architecture and the people. Their economy is coming back a bit. After the run, we had the coaches’ dinner at Sue’s Asia Restaurant. As I am getting older, I am enjoying spicy food more. I think it must be my taste buds, like my eyes, are getting worse with age. We then watched the last period of Dynamo Riga’s game against the “Torpedoes” in the Russian Hockey League. They won 3-1 to force a game 7 playoff, and they are the number 7 seed playing against the #2 seed.
It was another great day of basketball, (see my Principal’s Blog for more) and tonight we are taking the student-athletes to the Latvian Basketball League.
This is my final blog post about our time recently in my village of Michigan. The photo above shows Oliver riding my carry-on through Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. All of our children naturally jumped on the carry-ons for years, and I’ve never seen anyone else do this. People always get a big smile on seeing this. Oliver is probably getting one of his last rides as the guy is getting a bit too big for this.The vitality and “circle of life” aspect of being a father and husband has given me much solace during this sad time. I found comfort in knowing that every generation moves over for the next one to take over. I hope I pass on to my children the wisdom my father did to me.
I also found a lot of renewal in getting out in the white, cold, beauty of the northwoods. I grew up in the upper Great Lakes region, and I love getting out in the winter and cross-country skiing. The fresh air, crisp snow, and silence really lift my spirits. Owen and I did the big loop at the George Young Resort near my village. It is also nice to come in from the cold and warm up. A perfect winter day for me is a morning of skiing and a late afternoon of the sauna and swimming.
Warming By the Wood Stove - Sylvania Wilderness
I always enjoy going home to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My brother and I decided to keep our family home and it is comforting to know that my memories are preserved and we always have a place to come to.
I apologize to my readers about not blogging much lately. With the passing of my father and jet lag, I really didn’t feel much like writing. I do want to do two a couple of blog posts on my time in the USA, and then I’ll start again this week with my blogging about Serbia.
The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin is the largest regional airport near my home village of Caspian, Michigan. It is also the closest American Airlines gets to Caspian. Before we flew back to Belgrade, we spent the day in Green Bay and due to my son’s interest in American Football, we took the tour of the Lambeau Field, home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. The stadium is like the Wembely of American Football. The Packers were one of the original teams in the NFL and have more championships (13) than any other franchise. The Packers won seven of those titles in the 1930’s and 40’s, but they did win the first two Super Bowls, in 1967-68, and they won two more in 1996 and 2010. The field has seen many historic games, and being located so far north, it is nicknamed the “frozen tundra.”
They are also a unique major professional sports franchise in that they are publicly-owned team. The league started in small towns in the midwest, and they are the last remaining. It is amazing that such a small city as Green Bay, which has a metropolitan population of just over 200,000 can support one of the best teams in one of the richest leagues in the world. The city and surrounding area are fanatical (borderline obsessed) about the team, and support it both financially and emotionally.
For example, we took the official stadium tour on a Wednesday afternoon in February. Our group had about 20 people and it was one of the six tours going that day. It was a very interesting tour and we got to see the atrium, luxury suites, go down on the field, and even run out of the players’ tunnel, just like the team does on Sundays. I couldn’t get over how much money the team generates! We went into a 25-person suite that charges $102,000 to rent for the season. The stadium seats over 80,000 people and they have a waiting list of season tickets of 96,000 people. Last summer, they wanted to raise funds for a $143 million stadium expansion, and so they printed “stock” certificates and charged $250 each. They sold out immediately, even though the stock is worthless. In the stadium there are restaurants, bars, conference rooms, etc. They even offer to get married in the stadium! The gift shop is two floors and is the size of a Wal Mart.
Owen and Ollie loved the tour and they both bought jerseys. Owen especially loves the game, as Ollie is a bit young. We’ll have to try to make it back for their summer camp one of these years. Unfortunately, I am not a Packers fan. People in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are mixed between supporting the Packers, Detroit Lions (my team), Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears. I say unfortunately, because the Lions have not won any Super Bowls and only 4 championships, despite starting in 1930 and the last championship was in 1957.
There is a small football following here in Belgrade, and there is even a league, the Central European Football League, with the Belgrade Vukovi, the defending champions. We will check out some of the games down at Ada Ciganlija. The season begins in two weeks and runs through June. A
In thinking about the impact of the Packers on the city, they do take a lot of money that would go to other businesses. However, I think that they bring in as much as they take. Without the team, Green Bay would be a non-descript mid-sized town near the Great Lakes. Instead, it is known throughout the nation. The Packers are one of the “national” teams and due to the influence of television and the internet, also have a national following.
With his usual class and goodness, my father had a “royal exit” for his death last Thursday. He died of a heart attack while serving on the altar at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church in our home village of Caspian, Michigan. Father Gregory Veneklase, the parish priest called it a royal exit because of the circumstances of my father’s death. The morning of February 9th, my Dad, who volunteered at the church countless hours as a lecturer, catechism teacher, etc. helped at a funeral earlier in the morning. He then left church and delivered groceries to an invalid elderly person in our community and then came back to help at a second funeral. He was seated on the altar during the service. A member of the deceased’s family gave the first reading and as she returned to her seat, my Dad gave her a thumbs up, a smile, and a “good job” with his usual positive and support attitude towards others. Shortly thereafter, he passed out in his seat and died of a heart attack. There was a nurse and doctor in church who tried to revive him, but by the time he made it to the North Star Hospital in Iron River, he was gone. He went peacefully and as he would have wanted, on the altar of the church where he had spent so much of his life.
Charlie was born on September 6, 1932 in Menominee, Michigan to Charles James Kralovec, Sr. and Marie Anne Bernardy. He grew up in Menominee as “Jim” because of sharing the same name as his father. He loved fishing and sports, and was very much affected by the end of the Great Depression and World War II. He graduated in 1950 from Marinette Our Lady of Lourdes High School in nearby Marinette, Wisconsin. He was captain of the basketball team, quarterback of the football team, and class president. He was the catcher on the 1950 Menominee American Legion Baseball Team which won the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Championship and played in Tiger Stadium in Detroit in the State Championships. He went on to graduate from St. Norbert’s College (DePere, Wisconsin) in 1954 with a B.S. degree in Biology.
Kralovec Family Photo – Marie, “Jim”, Loretta, Joan, Charles Sr.
After graduation, he served his country as a medical aide in the US Army’s occupation of Germany from 1954-1956. At his funeral, he was given a 21-gun salute and military honors by the two Veteran of Foreign Wars Posts in Iron River.
Upon his honorable discharge from the United States Army, he enrolled in Northern Michigan University (Marquette, Michigan) and earned his teaching certification. Later he went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Education from NMU in education. Mr. “K” worked at the Stambaugh Public Township School District, later to be named West Iron County Public Schools for 39 years, retiring in 1993. He touched the lives of thousands of young people and his students remember him admiringly for his gentle demeanor and engaging classroom stories. During his time in the district, he was a director of the Head Start program, special education teacher, elementary classroom teacher, Junior High Basketball Coach, Teacher of the Year in 1985, and the last Principal of the Caspian School, which closed in 1971.
My Mom and Dad with Me at our home in Caspian, June 1967
Charlie married the former Yvonne Heikkila on December 29, 1962 at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, Caspian, and the couple made their home at 508 Baltic Avenue in Caspian. The couple celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary in 2008. Yvonne preceded him in death on January 31, 2009.
Charlie was loved by all and his selfless dedication to others will be greatly missed by the community. He helped many elderly people in the area during his later years. He was also dedicated to youth sports at West Iron County Public Schools. He was the camera man, and public address announcer for the sports teams since 1965. I had the honor this past Monday night to announce the starting lineups in his place for the Wykon girls’ high school basketball game against Hancock. They left an empty chair at the game with his picture and rose on it. I even gave his trademark, “soph-a-more” tagline when announcing the final starter for the Wykons. I would like to give a huge thank you to Athletic Director Mike Berutti and everyone at WIC who organized that special night! I even used a blank line up card that he always completed in preparation for games. At the game and the next day at the funeral home and church, my family received hundreds of warm condolences from our friends and family in the community. Former St. Cecilia pastor, Father James Bracket once called my dad an “earthly saint” and the outpouring of thanks and fond memories of people’s relationship with my father is a testament to that. I would also like to mention his special friends from the school, especially his teaching buddies and their times together at Mac’s Camp. He had a wonderful, full life, with much laughter and love!
My dad in front of his first house in Caspian – circa mid-1960s
He was also preceded in death by his sister Joan Rudd.
Charlie is survived by three sons, William (Nadia) Kralovec of Belgrade, Serbia, James Kralovec (Michelle) of Iron Mountain, Michigan, Andrew Kralovec (Chantalle) of Quito, Ecuador; sister Loretta (Fred) Schaucht of Marinette, Wisconsin; six grandchildren, Scott Youngren, Tony, Beau, Owen, Oliver, and Ocean Kralovec; and numerous neices and nephews.
Memorials can be made to the Yvonne & Charlie Kralovec Memorial Scholarship Fund, 303 4th Avenue, Iron River, MI 49935. The scholarship is awarded annually to female athletes from West Iron County High School for furthering their education. We will have a burial service this summer at the Stambaugh Cementery where he will be buried next to my mother.
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.
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