16-IV-2015.: He came
Burt is finally here. He arrived on a bus, in his regular tourist-hiker outfit, as fat and long-haired as ever. The prototype of Twoflower character of Pratchett's first episodes of Discworld. He's successfully using his alleged diagnosis of "borderline autistic" so he got a free ride as usual. Not that we mind, at least we had some fun and stuff to comment on, fair trade.
So I took him downtown for a walk (by bus!), showed him a few interesting places, but didn't really walk too much. Knowing his sweet tooth habits ("so what's your vice?" - "sugar"), I took him to Prleski to try some baklava and real lemonade.
I think we observed the dry bridge only from the Little bridge, which is about two blocks away, and walked over the main square, which was mostly repaved over by that time, only the part from the city hall to the next 100m right was still in small gravel and heaps of slates. They haven't poked the trees in yet, just left the tubes, about 60cm in diameter, where they plant them now. The point is that the branching of the root begins somewhere deeper, not to raise the surface, like it did with sidewalks and bike paths along the magistral and by the shooting range. Well in Pašićeva too.
We both behaved like tourists, which was fun for me, in my own town, replicating the happening of ten years ago. Made lots of pictures. He's finally gone digital, but judging by the pics he (much) later sent, he's still fresh at it. Doesn't even know how to compensate for the subexposure which he gets with too much sky at dusk. He first made a shot of the sculpture by the big (aka pedestrian) bridge, made in the eighties by Loba in his welding phase. Then the orthodox church - he actually went in, had to see a building that's a couple of centuries older than his country. I stayed outside, decidedly not walking over someone else's sacred ground - no matter of what I think of their religion, I respect their strength of conviction and emotional energy invested, if any.
On main street I'd say we were noticed, perhaps he more than I, with his cowboy-like hat, hair to nearly kidneys and the 110kg stature, with a matching jowl.
This triangular fountain has, as per age old city tradition, already stopped functioning. It seems the water supply was no problem, it was the drainage, it used to create a puddle around itself. And it used to be a good place to cool off the feet when the slates heat up.
We went to Zanatlija, where we made more shots, of each other and of the quasi gypsy, or quasi Skadarlija, band, one of a bunch which operate at the place. At least they had the decency to not approach the table. I guess they didn't know what to make of two long-haired old bums with expensive cameras. I think we took a cab home.
Mentions: Prleski, Reginald Burton Cape (Burt), Slobodan Šumić (Loba), Zanatlija, in serbian
30-IX-2020 - 30-VI-2026