The getting ready period started on the 16th of December when we visited Mrs Kolinda Grabar – Kitarovic. Our team – The European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016 was invited to a meeting at President’s office at the end of Pantovčak Street. Maybe I should change the topic to “how long can you survive in high heels”…but we nailed it! All the guys were wearing suits, girls black pants, or skirt under the knee, like me, and white shirt. We looked fancy. I was so happy I bought a couple of years ago the ‘interview outfit’ so I didn’t have to go shopping before. So we went to the President’s office with a separate bus, they checked us with a scanner, we had to show the ID and after all, we could get into big room, with great windows and piano and the ready-made microphone to her. It was totally like in a James Bond movie! The garden is so huge; we even saw a peacock walking around. Of course, we had the proper waiting time, when everyone had the chance to make a group or own selfie around the room with or without the flags and decoration. She arrived, made a small talk and then shake hands with meee – that’s the most important! And also with the winners Croatian Academic Sports Federation annual award… but with Meee too!
She was telling me something in Croatian, but I hope she didn’t expect any answer because I was only smiling and blushing. I should have asked her to renew the bus connection between Zagreb and Pecs… so I could have gone home for Christmas easily.
Getting ready it’s Xmas time
I am that kind of person who buys the presents, at last time. I have ideas in my mind, but I go for them only at the final point. So that’s why my sister will receive their gift in January…but they will get a photo about their present to know what to expect. But what else could I bring home then some Croatian gifts especially from Zagreb. Zagreb Heart, actually it is quite hard to find some simple ones, like on the photo. If you may know a place for buying them, please let me know! I will need that in the future!
I found some beautiful dried flowers with lavender, handmade hand and face cream and lip balm with lavender some bookmark and some shopping bag with…purple pattern. I do like lavender, but my bag now smells from quite a distance. I also checked the artOmat exhibition, but I already had all my gifts, which I regretted at some points, when I saw the posters on the wall…the man in the Ganges is quite shocking or the one that looked like the queens in the Hungarian fairy tales, with a long reddish hair, or the jewellery made from broken pottery and Lavanderman…yes. Lavanderman, a superhero who get his power from Lavender that is something that I should check, there is even a movie with him! And the hand made toothpaste, the white one tasted better. So these are all noted in the ‘next time box’, as the bus to Pecs, to keep them in mind.
And now I’m getting ready to come back to spend my first New Year in Zagreb, searching for ideas where to go. Till that, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Survivors quotes:
- Check the time of matches, basketball, hockey, etc. before going to the game. Sometimes they make changes in the schedule.
- In the case of a Zombie Apocalypse get some people and take the President’s Office. It has a good fence a huge garden and lovely flat. But it is only good if there are enough people to protect the fence.
- Don’t go to the WC if you see ‘Zaposlenik’ on its door!!! This one is for employees. Even though it has a Female figure on the door.
- Slavonija bar is good either to bargain with homemade rakija or to grab a hot chocolate.
