Spring!

Spring has sprung in the Balkans. We had a gorgeous afternoon. First, I got to fulfill a long-standing girlhood fantasy: I went horseback riding in the woods near our home. I've taken a few lessons over the past few weekends, and today I and two other Serbian women went for a ride away from the arena. I understood about every third word of their conversation. Can't quite string the sentences together yet. The buds on the trees in the park are just about to burst into bloom, the sun was out, it was warm, and I felt like I was riding on a cloud - that big, powerful beast carrying me along.

Later in the day, I rallied the troops together at home and we headed to Ada Ciganlia - the recreational island near our home in Belgrade. Gabriel rode his bike; Ethan was on his scooter. There were lots of people out today. All the restaurants and cafes were hopping, the roller bladers were speeding by, the bicyclists, the strollers, the fashion queens in mini skirts up to there. A festive sight. We got to Sunset Cafe where a string quartet happened to be playing - and sat right in front of them, enjoying the people-watching, the sun on the water, the iced coffee. Ethan paid particular attention to the music - he was disappointed when they stopped. He's just started taking violin lessons and was very interested in watching and listening. After a meal of (what else?) grilled meat, fries, cabbage salad, and a beer, the boys threw stones in the water and then had an icecream. They raced back to the car on their bike and scooter. After Billy read them a bedtime story, they were both snoring before I got to the room to kiss them goodnight.

Above are a few pictures of our day, one of our last together before Billy leaves for the States.