Random Facts and Figures
Since Vladimir Živanović is not that easy to pronounce you can call me 寿治平. Chinese surname 寿 means longevity, which is connected in meaning to the root of my last name (živ meaning alive), 治 means to rule and 平 is peace, which is also the etymology of the name Vladimir. At university, I did sometimes go by 师武荣, as a contraction of my transcribed full name 师万诺维奇 · 乌拉迪米尔, but I like the current one much better.
When I travel, I collect crucifixes or prayer beads from the churches that I visit, regardless of their denomination, and I have until January 2026 collected more than 1800 crosses from all over the world (including, so far, also three Stars of David and one Baháʼí star).
Part of the collection. I keep the first collected cross (found accidentally on the street) on top, it’s the small brown one in the middle, to the left of the cross with Serbian national colours.
Some of the interesting items from the collection include crosses from both Japanese Orthodox Church and Chinese Orthodox Church (in Hong Kong), a cross from the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox chapel of the on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and a cross from the Nižepole Monastery of the now defunct Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, bought in 2022 literally just a few days before Serbian Orthodox Church officially recognized the autonomy (and later autocephaly) of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, leading to the dissolution of the OOA and its integration in the now canonical MOC.
I have travelled quite a bit, and visited four continents so far, but I still haven’t visited the southern hemisphere. I already visited almost all European countries, with the exception of Belarus and Ukraine, hoping that hostilities will end soon, and travel there will again be safe, possible or at least not complicated.
Standing next to The President, the oldest-known living (about 3,240 years old), and the 27th highest sequoia tree (75 metres high) in the world. Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, October 2023.
Some of the unique travel experiences I will never forget: seeing the majestic sequoias in California on a misty October day; visiting the grave of haiku master Matsuo Bashō, while raindrops disturb the surface of the pond in the tranquil Gichū monastery garden; admiring the northern lights near the abandoned farm Grænumýrartunga on the western side of Iceland; singing the whole psalter all alone in the Hermitage of Saint Sava in Karyes (Mount Athos) so that the resident monk could attend to other chores.
A pleasant spring afternoon in Zasavica Nature Reserve, me (on the left) with one of the producers of pule cheese. Zasavica is the only place in the world where this unique cheese is produced, with 60% Balkan donkey milk and 40% goat milk, and its taste and texture are amazing. April 2025.
Some of the most memorable tastes from around the world: donkey milk cheese from Zasavica, the most expensive cheese in the world; pastel de nata in Macao; cheese burek in a small, specialised bakery in Inđija; Basque cheesecake in Donostia-San Sebastián; lemeški kulen sausage from Svetozar Miletić (Lemeš); Native American recipe for bison steak with blueberries in Oakland, California; muscat croquant wine from Pearl Island, Serbia.
