Run Along the Thames

billkralovec
 Parliament Square and Big Ben

I am at a recruiting confernece in London and after being in front of a computer all day, I went for a long run along the Thames River. It was really cool to see all the famous sites like the London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, etc. There are a lot of tourists here, even in late January.

My hotel is in the City of London, an independent city-state inside of metro London. It is mostly a tax-haven for investment bankers and it is the financial district. There are a lot of business men and women walking around. They were one of the causes of the global economic crisis and it is a group of people devoted to greed.

The city is very well-kempt and really beautiful. A bit too big for my taste however and very urban. I am also impressed with the diversity of people. So much different than Serb-dominated Belgrade.

The Thames is brown and has a fast current. It looks much like the Sava or the Danube. They have done much to develop the banks, and it is loaded with cafes, sidewalks, museums, etc. It was a lovely run along both the north and south banks of the river.

First Big Snowfall Hits Belgrade

billkralovec

 

Nadia, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Finally some snow! Yesterday morning was a winter wonderland in Belgrade. We awoke to a white world as you can see with Nadia above. While I was cleaning the car off (we don’t have a garage) Ocean was dancing around and throwing snowballs. She was very excited for the “sneg.”

Unfortunately, I had to leave Belgrade for a recruiting trip to London and I didn’t get to enjoy the snow. It was still snowing when I called home last night.

Southern Serbia has been hit hard with snow and it seemed like it was all around Belgrade, but not in the city itself.

New Belgrade Skate Park

billkralovec

 

Owen Skateboard, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

My children love going to the New Belgrade Skate Park, located very close to the Ušče Mall and Friendship Park. I don’t have much experience with skate parks but I am impressed with the facilities. The park has a “half-pipe” and a wide variety of ramps of different heights, angles, and curves. Owen is getting pretty good as you can see in the video above. Oliver rides his bike around the park and all three love playing in the half pipe.

It is great that the municipality of New Belgrade built the facilities. They are quite well used as there are always a few kids skating or bmx biking about the park.

What Should Be Serbia’s National Anthem

billkralovec
March on the Drina River – Binički, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

The video above is a recording of the song, Marš Na Drinu or “March on the Drina” by Serbian composer Stanislav Binički from Friday night’s concert of the Belgrade Philharmonic. The concert was part of their New Year’s Cycle which celebrates different New Year celebrations throughout the year. Friday evening was the New Year in the Julian Calendar, which several Orthodox Christian churches in Eastern Europe still follow.

I think the song should be the Serbian national anthem. Binički was inspired by the Serbian army’s Battle of Cer against the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I. The lyrics celebrate the bravery of the Serbian soldiers and the flowing rivers of Drina. The Drina River is a tributary of the Sava River and forms the border between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia. I love the melody when I first heard it played at the stadium during Serbia’s run to the World Cup a couple of years ago. I especially like the haunting rhythms which begin about halfway through the four-minute composition.

The song was overwhelmingly voted by the Serbian public as the national anthem, but due to its use by the Bosnian Serb armies in the wars of the 1990’s and the song was associated with the war. Too bad, because the current Serbian national anthem, is a weak, rip-off of the Monarchist God Save the Queen.

It is somewhat similar to Australia, where Waltzing Matilda is a much more loved song than the Scottish written, Advance Australia Fair, the official national anthem.

The song was the encore to Friday’s concert which featured Russian and Serbian works of classical music. As time goes on and the wars of Yugoslavian Secession move out of people’s living memory, the song will eventually be adopted as the national anthem.

Nadia and I really enjoyed the concert! The Belgrade Philharmonic this year has spiced up their concerts with bringing in opera singers and as you can see in the video, a “stereo” choir on both sides of the auditorium.

Bill and Nadia Relax After the Concert

Book Review: Srdjan Valijarević “Lake Como”

billkralovec

I just completed reading Serbian author Srdjan Valjarevic’s book, Lake Como. I was very curious to read the book because so few contemporary Serbian authors are translated into English. I’ve read a lot of Ivo Andrić and Daniel Kis, but no more recent authors. I would like to thank Geopoetika Publishing Company for translating a series of contemporary Serbian authors. I will definitely read others in the series.

Lake Como is the story of a Serbian writer who wins a month’s refuge at an expensive Villa on Lake Como to work on his novel. The author however, is not really working on the book and a friend helped him fill in the application to receive the grant award. He is a part-time writer and full-time alcoholic. Not much happens in the book and he describes his month at the lake. He does a lot of drinking, sightseeing, eating, and observing the other guest scholars in the villa. He also mingles with the local townspeople quite a bit and is a bit of a ladies man.

The unnamed antihero, or hero of the book I guess represents Serbia and the people of his generation. Valijarevic is my age although the book was written 5 years ago. It made me think about what it would have been like to lose your country (Yugoslavia) and living standards that went with it after years of war and embargoes. It was quite traumatic for people his age who were just starting out in their careers when the whole thing went to pieces. The best review I read on the book is by Daniel Kelleher and here are the other books in the series by Geopoetika.

Titles that fall within the Geopoetika Serbian prose in Translation series under review include: —

 

Friendship Park – Prijateljtsva Park

billkralovec

While waiting for my wife to come out of the movie at the Ušče Mall earlier this week, I explored the Friendship Park. This park in New Belgrade was established in 1961 to commemorate a big meeting of the Non-Aligned Nations Movement. Through the years, when foreign statesman visit Serbia, a tree is planted in the park in their honor. I walked around and noted some of the famous names. These included Fidel Castro, Moammar Gaddafay, Leonid Brezhnev, Hafez El Assad, and of course the first one, Tito in 1961. My favorite is from 1976, Jimmy Carter planted a California Sequoia which must have died because there was a large bush near his marker that certainly didn’t look like a 35-year old Giant Redwood. One of the latest trees planted was by current Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mohamed Kemel Amr in September next to the Serbian Foriegn Minister, Vuk Jeremić in September of 2011.

The other interesting part of the park is the Soviet-style monument erected by Slobodan Milosević after the NATO bombings in 2000. It used to contain an eternal flame. In the background of the photo to start this post, you can also see the former Central Committee building. It was destroyed in the NATO bombing campaign, but is now office buildings.

Christmas Eve Service: A Serbian Orthodox Tradition

billkralovec

 

St. Sava’s Cathedral, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Last night we went to Saint Sava’s Cathedral here in Belgrade for the burning of the badjnak and the Christmas Eve Service. As you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful and culturally enriching night for my family.

Each of the kids had a “badnjak” which is like a yule log. The word badnjak may be derived from the verb, bdeti, which means to stay awake or keep the vigil. The tradition stems from pagan times and the man of the house (domaćin) or sons on Christmas morning went into the woods and cut down a young Oak tree. The yule log is kind of like a ceremonial sacrifice to bring health and happiness to the family for the coming year. The log was burnt over the family hearth. Today, an assembly of twigs with Oak leaves, corn, pine sprigs, and straw is tied together with a red ribbon and sold in markets and street corners around Belgrade. Every church has a bonfire on its grounds where people can come and throw their badnjaks in the flames.

There were hundreds of people there and outside the church a mini-market was set up selling religious and holiday crafts and mulled wine. We went inside the massive cathedral to watch a bit of the service and light candles in memory of lost family members. The service, shown below, had a lot of priests singing and waving incense. There were also lines of people waiting to kiss various icons.

Afterwards we went to have some Lebanese appitizers at the Byblos Restaurant and the kids played in the park.

Happy New Year

billkralovec

 

Ale, Diego, Nadia, Bill, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

I have not been posting much over the holidays. I am spending lots of time with the kids and enjoying the unseasonably warm and sunny temperatures in Belgrade. We have extended holidays in Serbia because the Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the several orthodox churches that recognizes the older Gregorian calendar. Hence, their Christmas is January 7th and new year is January 13th.

Above, Nadia and I are pictured with Alejandra and Diego on New Year’s Eve. Diego left yesterday and Ale will be staying for another few days. It is great to see them and my nephew Sebey. Below is a sample of some of the things we have been up to this week.

The girls get some sun while biking and skateboarding with the kids.

 

The boys last night made their own fire in the backyard.

Backyard Football

billkralovec

We continue to play North American football in the back yard with the kids. I wish I had video of my playing when I was a kid. We played all the time in the Caspian School Field next to my house. Great times following the NFL and NCAA in the 1970s and playing with the kids in the neighborhood.

I took video of the games and you can follow the game by clicking on the links below.We are playing a mock NFL tourney. We have everyone’s favorite teams. Oliver likes the Pittsburgh Steelers, Owen likes the Green Bay Packers, Diego likes the Patriots and Dolphins, and I asked for the Lions to be included in the tourney.The first game is the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There is North American football in Belgrade. The Central European Football League has five teams including the Belgrade Vukovi (Wolves). They play their games from April to June down at Ada Ciganlija.

Merry Christmas

billkralovec

I would like to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas. With four children in the house, we had a great time making the holiday memorable for them The kids were up early on Christmas morning to open their gifts. We also played a football game in the afternoon with the boys. Nadia and Ale enjoyed a bit of art before preparing a delicious traditional turkey with all of the fixings. We finished up the day by having a dance contest and watching the Christmas classic, Love Actually. Overall, a wonderful day.

Kids opening gifts on Christmas morning