Olympic medals and beer.
So, I'm in Zagreb. Greetings. It is sunny and pretty and full of cute girls. I love it here!
I've just come over for a couple of days, to do a profile film on some Croat basketball player called Danira Bilić, who I'd never heard of but who my taxi driver assured me is very well known in these parts. It's been split over a couple of shoots, which has given me plenty of time to wander round town and explore.
I've been to Dubrovnik before, but never here. Of everywhere in the world, I feel most affectionate about central Europe. I've had so many amazing trips here, I just love the whole region. Zagreb is very typical, it's hot and sunny and it's all about the cafe culture, whole pavements given over to tables and chairs where everyone in town sits out and smokes and flirts and drinks excellent beer in the sunshine. I finished the filming this morning so I've already had a few too many beers, I suspect. The buildings are higgledy-piggledy and pastel-coloured, the squares are full of markets and tram stops, and the cathedral is a real beauty, with a huge altar display in Glagolitic script which I got very excited about.
I might buy a tie. They were invented here, you know. "Croat" and "cravat" are, essentially, the same word.
The shoot has gone OK. I had planned to film her at a basketball court, getting her skills on, but when I arrived she told me that she hasn't played since she retired 10 years ago, and has no plans to start now. But she's involved in some kind of project to renovate old basketball courts across Croatia, so we caught a tram across town to some old school with a brand-new outdoor court. Luckily for me, there was a gym class in session, although they happened to be playing handball. But we talked them into switching, and soon I had about 40 kids all shooting hoops for me, and also shouting "Chelsea! Liverpool!" whenever they thought they were on camera. It was pretty cool, especially since in England you need a signed form from every parent before you get within 50 metres of a school with a video camera.
I even talked Danira into having a bit of a play. She sank every ball from miles away dressed in a business suit, so she's obviously still got it. But then she did win a silver medal in the Seoul Olympics. I held it and everything! I can report that Olympic medals are very heavy. And shiny. Today we did some filming in the Croatian Museum of National Sport, which is basically just a flat in a residential apartment block in the city centre. Apparently they're waiting for funding to build a proper site. It was kind of adorable, the curator sleeps in the back, and for my visit they had pulled out all of Danira's medals and trophies and laid them on the one table for me. There were about 200 of them, it was incredible.
Flying straight to London tonight, then I'll be back in Paris on Tuesday. I am tired and happy, everyone.
OK, I'm going back out there, to drink more beer and avoid being hit by trams.
I've just come over for a couple of days, to do a profile film on some Croat basketball player called Danira Bilić, who I'd never heard of but who my taxi driver assured me is very well known in these parts. It's been split over a couple of shoots, which has given me plenty of time to wander round town and explore.
I've been to Dubrovnik before, but never here. Of everywhere in the world, I feel most affectionate about central Europe. I've had so many amazing trips here, I just love the whole region. Zagreb is very typical, it's hot and sunny and it's all about the cafe culture, whole pavements given over to tables and chairs where everyone in town sits out and smokes and flirts and drinks excellent beer in the sunshine. I finished the filming this morning so I've already had a few too many beers, I suspect. The buildings are higgledy-piggledy and pastel-coloured, the squares are full of markets and tram stops, and the cathedral is a real beauty, with a huge altar display in Glagolitic script which I got very excited about.
I might buy a tie. They were invented here, you know. "Croat" and "cravat" are, essentially, the same word.
The shoot has gone OK. I had planned to film her at a basketball court, getting her skills on, but when I arrived she told me that she hasn't played since she retired 10 years ago, and has no plans to start now. But she's involved in some kind of project to renovate old basketball courts across Croatia, so we caught a tram across town to some old school with a brand-new outdoor court. Luckily for me, there was a gym class in session, although they happened to be playing handball. But we talked them into switching, and soon I had about 40 kids all shooting hoops for me, and also shouting "Chelsea! Liverpool!" whenever they thought they were on camera. It was pretty cool, especially since in England you need a signed form from every parent before you get within 50 metres of a school with a video camera.
I even talked Danira into having a bit of a play. She sank every ball from miles away dressed in a business suit, so she's obviously still got it. But then she did win a silver medal in the Seoul Olympics. I held it and everything! I can report that Olympic medals are very heavy. And shiny. Today we did some filming in the Croatian Museum of National Sport, which is basically just a flat in a residential apartment block in the city centre. Apparently they're waiting for funding to build a proper site. It was kind of adorable, the curator sleeps in the back, and for my visit they had pulled out all of Danira's medals and trophies and laid them on the one table for me. There were about 200 of them, it was incredible.
Flying straight to London tonight, then I'll be back in Paris on Tuesday. I am tired and happy, everyone.
OK, I'm going back out there, to drink more beer and avoid being hit by trams.