Question on "base directory"

[Gregor Waluga]

Hi,

I've read the manpage, but I got a simple question on the expression "base 
directory" used in the "exclude patterns"-section.
When I synchronize ie:

rsync -avzu /home/gregor/ notebook:/home/gregor/

and want to use an exclude-pattern: --exclude "/foo", what is the base 
directory?
The manpage's explanation is following: --exclude "/foo" would exclude a file 
in the base directory called foo

Is the so called "base directory":
1) "/" the Root-directory, so that I have to use "/home/gregor/foo/" as the 
correct exclude-pattern (if I do not want to synchronise /home/gregor/foo on 
both machines)
2) "/home/gregor" itself, 'cause it is the _base_ of my synchronisation, for I 
used /home/gregor as my starting-point (starting-directory).

Sorry for that question, but it is a little bit mistakeable (or I am so 
stupid). :-)

-- 

Greetings,
Gregor