As Sarajevo is a rather small city with its main attractions located within walking distance of each other, I passed by some sites quite often. The structure that most impressed me was the City Hall. Taking up a small city block and several stories high, the City Hall is the biggest and most representative building from Sarajevo's Austro-Hungarian period. Sadly, it fell victim during the civil war and was burned down in August 1992. Despite the boarded up windows, decaying façade and other signs of the tragedy, the building still commands passers-by to take notice.
Inside, the soothing recorded sounds of a choir greeted me. Just imagine when the real choir members sing their praises - with a choir seating capacity of 800 members!
Looking up, one only sees gray concrete cupolas. Already a beautiful play in light, it will be an impressive sight once the surface is covered with mosaics, including Christ in the central dome with eyes the width of 3 meters.
This past Sunday I visited Zemun. Although a municipality of Belgrade along the other side of the Danube River, Zemun has more of an Austro-Hungarian feel. Perched on a hill above Zemun is the area known as Gardoš. It is easiest to get up here following narrow cobblestone pathways and stairways - definitely much more of a pedestrian-friendly area. At the top of Gardoš is the Millennium Tower, built in 1896 over the ruins of a medieval fortress as commemoration of 1,000 years of Hungarian settlement in the region. (This was the southernmost city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). It was one of several millennium towers built at the time within Hungary. Although in need of restoration (broken windows and covered with graffiti), the Millennium Tower (otherwise known as Janos Hunyadi) is still a popular spot in Zemun for its great overlook of the Danube and Zemun, and its adjacent restaurants. While you're up there, check out Zemun's largest graveyard.
In this picture alone, there are 4 ice cream stands and another just behind the foliage
the fortress of Markova Kale. Named after the most significant figure of Serbian folk poetry, the fort was actually built much earlier than Marko’s time – probably in the 11th century. Along the narrow winding road we met young people hiking back to Vranje. Our taxi driver explained that an area beyond the fortress was a favorite picnic spot. With the beautiful views of the valley, Vranje, and the plain of the Južna Morava River far below, I can easily see why. Our guidebook cautioned us to be on the lookout for lumber trucks, but since it was a holiday, that traffic was absent.
The next morning after a breakfast of more greasy fried eggs and ham, we headed down the stairs of the Communist-era hotel. Pat brought along some water for a tired-looking plant, a floor above a sorry one-leafed plant. When getting closer, she realized that it was artificial – didn’t know that a fake plant could look so sad! At least it matched the rest of the hotel – tired, outdated, and in desperate need for an upgrade.
Our next destination was the Roma quarter, inhabited by the city’s Roma, or gypsy population. Although the homes were much more substantial than the shack dwellings in Belgrade that I typically associated with the Roma, you could definitely tell when you entered into this quarter. Here the homes were painted in bright colors,
with laundry strung everywhere. Void of any walls or fences, everything happened out in the open. Sheep were slaughtered right on the sidewalk, laundry washed, and mothers nursing. Older women wearing bold combinations of patterns sat on the steps, smoking. Men sat just inside the doorway, playing cards taking advantage of the natural light. A wagonload of pigs was driven down the main street, pulled by a small hand-maneuvered tractor. Radio music including Roma violin music filled the air.
that we were reporters. Reassuring him that we were not, the man relaxed after Pat continued conversing with him. He then invited us to come back to Vranje on May 6th to celebrate the slava (religious “birthday” of the Roma patron saint) with his family. The man explained that people were spring cleaning their homes in preparation for the event, hence the extra amount of shoes and other items found outside. Politely declining an offer for coffee, we moved onwards.
hill towards the city center, we went past the Old Hamam. Built at the end of the 17th century, this small brick and stone building with multiple small sloped square terracotta roofs housed only one bathtub, used by both men and women. We heard that it had been turned into a discothèque that was now closed.
weak coffee in the hotel restaurant (we were the only ones in the large dining hall both days), we headed out for a day of photo shooting. We stopped at the National Museum, originally a haremluk built in 1765 by the Paša as a dwelling for his wives. A wonderful example of typical Ottoman residential architecture, the white symmetrical two-storey building was trimmed with dark wood, tall wood frame windows divided into squares, terra cotta tiled roof, and an old lamp with a dangerous-looking spike. Unfortunately it was closed, as it was May Day. Next to the haremluk was the pink selamluk, used by the Paša and other males. At one time a “bridge” would have connected the two buildings, enabling any movement to be unseen by the public.
We then turned onto a very narrow cobblestone street of Baba Zlatina, named after the grandmother (baba) of writer Bora Stanković. Unfortunately the large wooden gate entrance was also locked, closed for the holiday. Holding my camera above my head, I took some photos over the wall of the Turkish Balkan house with its cozy green yard, wishing well, small terrace, and open porch.
(brandy) glasses drying on the branches. A man came to the gate and greeted us, explaining that he made the sculpture and also painted. Upon hearing that I was an artist, he invited us in for some coffee. Here we also met two other members of his multigenerational family. Asked to critique his paintings, gave this self-taught artist some advice and encouragement regarding his still life, landscape, and village scenes paintings. When I noticed the Bob Ross paints, he opened up a drawer and showed us a videotape and Bob Ross book written in Serbian. So Bob Ross’ “happy trees” technique even made it to Serbia! Thanking the family for the Turkish coffee and rakija, we moved onward.
After a tasty lunch of šopska salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh white grated cheese) and baked beans with bacon at a cute ethnic restaurant, we headed towards the Beli Most (White Bridge). This small stone bridge was constructed in 1844 and has a shape similar to the much larger one in Mostar. An inscription written in Arabic states that the bridge was constructed by lady Ajša “to repent her sins and the sins of her parents,” but local legend states that the Turkish girl Ajša fell in love with a Serbian boy Stojan and was mistakenly killed by her father – who then decided to build a bridge in her memory.
to Vranje, the southernmost city in Serbia. The main purpose of the trip was to attend the opening of my art show, but we would take advantage of the opportunity to explore this city located close to the Macedonian border (24 km) and Kosovo region.
passersby. Christmas decorations were still strung across the street, presumably ready for the next season. Full but unable to finish our hamburger, we left to freshen up for the opening.
In the remaining daylight, we drove through the rather narrow streets of residential Vranje for an architectural tour. In between the newer buildings, small older homes out of mud brick were interspersed. Typically the multi-storey homes would accommodate multiple generations. Virtually all buildings had roofs made from terracotta tiles. A fence made from decorative iron, neatly trimmed hedges, or mud bricks bordered most homes. Right outside the walls piles of wood could be found, neatly stacked. Wood is the dominant fuel in the region, due to the abundance of forests and expense of electric heat. I noticed that there were quite a number of homes that were unfinished. It was explained that since a textile company closed and over 6,000 lost their jobs, economic times have been difficult for the residents of Vranje. Privatization of other companies, closures, or cutbacks have also hit the city. Driving up the steep hill through the gypsy quarter, we headed up the winding road towards Hotel Przar. From the heights, we could see the city of Vranje, nestled in the valley. Now cool and a bit chilly, we paused to enjoy the view of the twinkling city and then navigated back to the hotel for the evening.
On one end of the Kalenić market is the flower area. Spring flowers such as tulips, daffodils, calla lillies, and lilacs were in abundance. People were also busy buying up annuals to plant in their gardens and window boxes. Finding it impossible to pass up this area altogether, I did manage to restrain my purchases to only 2 plants- knowing that I'd only be able to enjoy them for less than 2 months. We'll see how long I'll be able to resist buying more....
This weekend I revisited the beautiful St. George Church and mausoleum located in the historical region of Topola known as Oplenac. What it lacks for age (it was completed in 1930), it makes up for in its interior decoration. Built by King Peter I as his royal church and resting place of the Karađorđević family, the exterior is covered with the high-quality white marble from nearby Venčac Mountain. Above the main entryway is a mosaic of St. George killing the dragon, symbolizing the victory of Serbian people over its enemies. On top of that is a sculpted coat of arms of the old Karađorđević family.
Following the white marble columns to the top, light streamed through the rather small windows near the ceiling, revealing still more mosaics in the thick window frame. At the top of some columns was the double eagle symbol carved in marble. Looking up, one can't help but notice the huge Pantocrator figure of Christ in the central dome, a replica of the one in monastery at Gračanica. Nine meters in dimension, it's amazing to think that the nose is over 1.5 meters alone! The narrow windows encircling the Pantocrator help illuminate much of the church with soft light, including the splendid colored marble patterned floor. Hanging from the central dome is a huge chandelier made of bronze, weighing 1,500 kg. On the bottom of the chandelier is an upside-down crown, symbolizing the lost Serbian Empire in the battle of Kosovo in 1839.
mausoleum was quite dark, illuminated by some chandeliers and hanging colorful ball-like light fixtures. One's eye couldn't help but be drawn to the brightly lit central arches. Christ again dominates the central position, framed by what looked like a double cross. Four multi-winged angles as described in the Book of Revelations surrounded Christ, tapering off where the arches met the columns. In the rather dimly lit nooks were six generations of the Karađorđević dynasty. In addition to two tombs in the main church, there are 20 tombs in the crypt. Despite the significance of the people buried here, I admit that I gave only a cursory glance to the simple marble burial slabs and spent the rest of the time admiring the mosaics and glowing lamps.
Belgrade included the Yugoslav Army General Staff building, the Chinese Embassy, a downtown hospital, several other military buildings, fuel tanks, virtually all RTS transmitters, and the nearby Avala TV tower.
sky. Every day, the leaves of the tall chestnut trees are released from their tight fist, soon to make the lined streets green once more.
