Bill's Blog

Silver Lake – Srebrno jezero

June 22, 2009billkralovec

Ocean at the Dock of the Silver Lake Resort

While visiting the Golubac Castle, we stayed at the Silver Lake Hotel. The “Lake” is actually an extension of the Danube, or an “oxbow” in technical terms. Silver Lake is cut off from the Danube by a dam and the place is a popular holiday destination for Serbs. The hotel has seen better days and was probably built in the 1980’s during the communist era of Serbia. The staff was extremely friendly and despite the uncomfortable beds and foul-smelling tap water in the hotel, we really enjoyed our stay. The most important thing was the kids had a blast and that was the whole point of going.

We swam both Friday night and Saturday afternoon in the lake. We had a scare on Saturday morning. Nadia was applying sunscreen to Oliver and I was trying to catch a frog for Owen. Ocean happened to go into the water and slipped and went under the surface. Owen yelled immediately, warning me, and a I quickly pulled her out. It was a good lesson for us on taking three children to a body of water. An accident can happen so quickly and we need to be extra vigilant. Ocean was a bit scared, but quickly lived up to her name and went back into the water. It was extremely hot and the cool water of the Danube made it a pleasant day. I am always amazed at the fascination kids have with the water’s edge. They could have played there the entire day.

A resort is being developed there. It is like a gated community, with I assume most of the vacation cottages being built by Belgraders wanting a vacation home. There are several restaurants as well as a marina, tennis club, stores, etc. I read of plans to build newer hotels, which would be nice. There were many ads offering rooms and apartments for rent also.

The Boys Enjoying A Mid Summer Nights Swim — The Boys Enjoying A Mid Summer Night's Swim

The place reminded me of the lakes in Michigan as well as a bit of Ada Ciganlija, but without the crowds. I would go back, but perhaps renting a private apartment instead of going to the hotel. Some of the other highlights were catching frogs, a fantastic lunch at the Amici Restaurant, and the quiet escape from the city. Nadia went for a run and we discovered a bike trail that goes along the river and definitely worth coming back with bicycles on a weekend. The waiters at the restaurant loved our children and appreciated my learning of Serbian. I am actually starting to be able to communicate in Serbian!

Golubac Castle: A Boys’ Paradise

June 22, 2009June 22, 2009billkralovec

Owen, Oliver and I on our triumphant return from climbing one of the ten towers of Golubac Castle. This is a 700 year+ castle located near the village of Golubac, Serbia on the banks of the Danube River. It is the start of the Đerdap National Park and one of the most beautiful places in Serbia.

The fortress is an amazing place! If the castle was in a western European nation, the place would be tightly controlled, with safety nets installed, an interpretive center built, etc. In Serbia, it is completely abandoned. There was one guy selling souvenirs near the castle, but they had nothing to do with the castle. There were no interpretive guides or accompanying museum. Basically, it is an old fort that we were free to explore. I took the boys and we climbed to one of the upper towers. The guys absolutely loved it! There was a slight trail leading up and we scrambled over the rocks and bushes to get to the base of a tower where a ladder hung down. We then climbed the ladder to get to the top. From there the trail wound around to another tower, but with a 6 and 4 year old, I thought it a bit too risky to go on.

I told the story about the castle to the boys. The fortress exchanged hands many times since it was built in the 1300’s. As with most castles, it is in a strategic position. The Danube narrows at this point so from the fort, one can control the flow of traffic down the Danube (Dunav in Serbian). The place was the scene of many battles between the Hungarians, Ottomans, and Serbians.

Nadia & Ocean Stayed in Eidelweiss While We Climbed to the Top

You can see the slight trail to the right of our car. It moves from right to left above the vehicle. There were two guys fishing from one of the flooded towers. A dam was built in the 1970’s that flooded the lower parts of the castle, and a road was built through the portcullis (seen just left of our car). A couple of cars stopped while we were there, but no one bothered to climb up. I thought the challenge and managing risk of the climb very good for the boys. I want to instil in the boys a sense of adventure and an enthusiasm for getting out into life and doing things. We will definitely return here, as the fortress is just an 1 and a half from our home in Belgrade.

The trip can be combined with a visit to the archeological site Lepenski Vir. Remains of an 7000 year old village were found with some fish-lipped statues. Unfortunately, the museum where they are housed was closed for reconstruction and we weren’t able to see it. We stayed at the Silver Lake Hotel which I will blog about later.

Approaching the Castle from the village of Golubac

The trip gave me a greater appreciation for the Danube and the freedom of Serbia. What an opportunity to be able to scramble over an abandoned castle, just like explorers coming to it the first time. There were lots that we didn’t get to see and it begs a return visit. I would love to lead an reconstruction and excavation of the site. It would also be nice to make an accompanying web site with pictures and stories of the long history of the place.

The Danube compares to the Mississippi and I see why people have gone down its entire length. The river and its tributaries go through the heart of central Europe. The wildlife, views, and fresh water are something to be cherished.

ISB Faculty Calls It A Year

June 17, 2009June 17, 2009billkralovec

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.

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.

Photos for the Grandpa & Abuelo

June 14, 2009June 14, 2009billkralovec

I like to post photos of each of the kids so family and friends back in the USA and Bolivia can see how much they are growing. They change everyday. I am very busy with the end of the school year business and no time to blog about Serbia. Will begin blogging later this week.

Oliver Hanging From the Rings At Ada Ciganlija

Sunset On the New Railroad Bridge

June 11, 2009June 11, 2009billkralovec

Sunset in Belgrade, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We have a nice view of the New Railroad Bridge from our garden. I snapped this photo Tuesday. The bridge is one of four bridges crossing the Sava River in Belgrade. It is the closest to our house and only used for trains. Senjak is on a hill over looking the Sava. Beyond the bridge is the flat terrain of New Belgrade, a former swamp developed by the communists during Tito’s era.

Our garden (yard in American) is wonderful for the children. It is built on the second floor, which is strange that it is not on street level. Underneath the grass are garages and storage rooms for people living in our apartments. We are the only family that has access to the yard and we also have a two car garage in our basement, but which is actually the ground floor. Having a yard on the second floor gives a lot of privacy from the street.

Oliver Looks Down To the Street - Garage Doors On the Right

The garden is also brilliant for the family. We spend a lot of time out there during the warmer months, and even in the winter. The kids have a swing set and basketball hoop there. There is also a nice flat area for soccer, hockey, swimming, etc. It is also a great place to have a party as there is a pergola and BBQ area, tables, and then the kids can play in the grass. A perfect place for entertaining.

Summer Is Here

June 10, 2009June 10, 2009billkralovec

We took advantage of the longer daylight hours last night and went for a bike ride. I ran with Ocean in the jogging stroller and Owen rode his bike along side us. We ran from Gazelle Bridge to Ada on the bike path. What a beautiful night! Nadia and Oliver went shopping at Home Center and we met there after. We sat in the cafe while the kids played in the park inside of Home Center. A very nice night indeed.

Owen and Ocean are shown above the marina at Ada. The weather has been fantastic, sadly we are still in school and cannot enjoy it fully.

The First of Many

June 8, 2009June 9, 2009billkralovec

It was a historic day in the Kralovec family Saturday because Owen asked me for money and took it and spent it on his own. This occurred at the PTA Garage Sale held at the school Saturday. It is an event that gives a chance for people who are leaving to sell their stuff. Owen purchased a pop and a brownie with the 500 dinara I gave him. I thought to myself this is the first time I am giving him money directly out of my wallet and letting him spend it on his own– when will be the last time I do this for my children? As you can see with my youngest child in my arms, it will be far into the future.

Owen also came back and asked for more, but I said no. I wonder how often that will happen?

World Cup Qualifying Match in Belgrade

June 7, 2009June 8, 2009billkralovec

South End Fans Demonstrate Their Enthusiasm

Serbia defeated Austria 1 – 0 Saturday evening in a World Cup Qualifier at Red Star Stadium in Belgrade. Serbia got an early goal through a penalty kick and the rest of the game was scoreless. Both teams hit the goal post, with Austria having a few more chances for a goal than Serbia. Serbia was lucky to get the three points, as they were not as explosive offensively as in past games. They will need to play better to win the group. The win takes them to 18 points in 7 games. They play the Faroe Islands this week in their last game until September. On a side note, I think it is a joke that a group of “autonomous” islands that belong to Denmark can have a World Cup Qualifying team with a population of 50,000. What a waste of money for Serbia to have to travel there! The Faroe Islands have absolutely zero chance of ever qualifying for a World Cup.

Serbian and Manchester United Star Vidic Comes Off With an Injury

We didn’t get to enjoy the game because of the over crowding in the stadium. The game was sold out and then some. I should have known something was up when I noticed fans arriving to the stadium two and 1/2 hours before gametime. I am used to having to do this from my many years in Latin America, especially Colombia. Many Latin American countries have problems with counterfeit tickets, seats being sold twice by corrupt game officials, poor crowd control and security in the stadium. This causes fans to have to show up hours before a big match to guarantee a seat. It seemed like a similar situation in the stadium here. We unfortunately arrived 15 minutes before kick off. I had Owen with me as well as my friend Eric. There were lines to enter the stadium, and funny thing was they never even checked our tickets. We got to the tunnel leading to our seats and it was tightly packed. As we were walking in and down the steps, we felt pushed from behind. It was quite crowded and Serbs are big people. I put Owen on my shoulders and I was concerned that I was going to fall. Eric put out his shoulder and braced himself against the wall as I eventually passed Owen to a soldier that was there. Luckily the press box was right next to the exit and the soldier kindly passed Owen up over the plexiglass wall and a cameraman helped him over. After he was safe, Eric and I made our way out of the aisle in into the row beneath the press box. It was standing room only all the way down the aisle and next to the aisle. It was this way for all of the tunnels leading to the field around the stadium. People were shouting “polako” (take it easy) and as game time approached, they all got settled in. One young boy was a bit shook up as he also escaped and stood by us. I don’t think we would have been trampled, but it if we would have fallen down, it could have gotten ugly, especially for Owen.

This brought home to me that stadium officials need to be more organized. It will keep me away from the stadium because I don’t have 5 hours to waste at the stadium and it was not comfortable to watch the game. They need better control at the gates and entry tunnels. I was surprised at this because of all of the other events I attended here, have been well done.

Words of Tolerance and Understanding

June 6, 2009billkralovec

“Young people, you have the ability to remake or re-imagine this world.”

“It is easier to start wars than to end them.”

“It is easier to blame others than to look inward.”

“It is easier to see what is different about someone, than to find the things we share.

“We should choose the right path, just not the easy path.”

“Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.”

Obama spoke on June 4, 2009 at Cairo University in Egypt. What an honest and inspiring speech! I put some pearls of wisdom above that are very applicable to our International School of Belgrade community.

You can listen to the speech in its entirety here.

Growing Up Fast (Too Fast)

June 5, 2009June 5, 2009billkralovec

Ocean, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

The kids are growing and changing so quickly that I like to put photos of them on the blog for grandparents and friends and family to see back in the USA and Bolivia. Ocean is shown above climbing up a small hill in Košutnjak Park. I had the kids while Nadia was running in her Girls On The Move 5km run. GOTM is an after school club that Nadia and Janna run that helps girls with self esteem, etc.

Owen is shown above needing a hair cut. He has lost many of his baby teeth and the new ones are coming in all over the place. He is starting to form his own opinions and voice them with us. He is really looking forward to going to Michigan to see Grandpa and ride his bike on Caspian’s Apple Blossom Trail. I don’t have a good recent photo of Oliver, he is moving around too much. I wlll do a blog post on his early years exhibition next week.