World Cup in London: Serbia

Or: фудбал! Football with London's Serbian fans

After leaving 'Slovenia', Eseld and I hotfooted it to Battersea to see Serbia play Ghana.

Paya and Horse - London's first Serbian pub - was decked out in flags and  slightly odd artwork showing horses. The bar held a happy mix of actual Serbian fans and others there to watch the match. The fans here expected to win, predicting a score of 3-0, which they'd written on a blackboard near the dartboard.

The match, it has to be said, was pretty boring. We distracted ourselves by ordering food - Serbian cuisine is meat-tastic and comes in large portions. We ate ćevapčići - basically, burgers in a sausage form. Yum.

My favourite overheard quote of the day came from an English woman watching the match: "Are these Serbians tourists or are they real proper people?," she asked. I think she meant 'residents'. Meanwhile, the woman behind the bar explained that their portions needed to be large as Serbian men are very tall.

The several Serbians there were disappointed to have a man sent off and later to concede a goal. One man slammed his fist on the table with some force. It was the most dramatic thing to happen in the whole 90 minutes.

With the final whistle, the Serbians slopped home, defeated but at least suitably stuffed with Serbian sustenance.

Next: Brazil -v- North Korea. I'll be supporting Brazil.

3 Balkan maps: Slovenia by Fredi, Croatia by Klaus and Serbia by Marina

I mostly travelled by train when in Slovenia, Croatia & Serbia, providing me with ample opportunity to ask fellow travellers to draw their countries.

On my train from Ljubljana to Zagreb, I asked Fredi to draw Slovenia for my collection. He did (in miniature), and a few minutes later, presented me with lots of tourist destination business cards "for my collection". I had absolutely no use for these, but it was a lovely gesture nonetheless.

On the long and slow train from Zagreb to Belgrade, I met Klaus who, despite the German name, was Croatian. I started speaking to him when, at the Serbian border, I thought I had to get off the train. I didn't, and Klaus, a fellow Eurovision visitor, set me right. Klaus drew Croatia, and apparently stole some land from Slovenia, he said with a giggle.

Later in the trip, Marina from Serbia joined us in the compartment. Marina studies in Berlin, and was amused but pleased by us Eurovision travellers. When I asked her to draw Serbia, she joked about whether she should be politically correct or not. I sighed with relief that she thought it a joke - she has included Kosovo in the map.

A Typical Belgrade Scene

In Serbian, Belgrade is Beograd which means "White City" but in reality, it should probably be grey or concrete, as that's the prevailing hue.


I was wandering on my last day in Belgrade (to tell the truth, I was lost), and came upon this scene. It struck me as being very symptomatic of Belgrade.






1. Lots of industrial architecture

2. This poster showing a man with a very impressive torso and chest was everywhere in Belgrade. As were men with impressive torsos and chests. Their military service has its positives.

3a & 3b. Cars, cars, cars. Belgrade is one big system of roads. The nicest place I found, however, had very few cars - Ada Ciganlija, the island / beach in the Sava River was just lovely.

4. Election posters.

Eurovision 2008

Welcome to Eurovision Week! 

Bloggers and news site are agog with the idea that the 2008 top 3 may well be the same as the 2007 top 3: namely, Serbia, Ukraine and Russia. 

So, let's look at last year, and see what we can learn for this year...

• The name Maria - or variants of - is a success symbol with Marija Serivofic winning, and Greece's Yassou Maria in the Top 10.

So, for 2008, step forward this year's only Maria from Norway!

• Turkey came in 4th with a song all about having candy.

Step up Greece's Kalomira who's come as a Quality Street.

• Both Russia and Serbia swathed their stages in red last year - will red be the colour to watch this year?
• Bulgaria came fifth with some dated dance music - good news for this year's lovely Icelandic entry.

• And lastly, 2007 was the year of baco-foil clad drag queen Verka Serduchka. Who will take on that mantle this year? Step forward one Charlotte Perrelli!

Enjoy Eurovision!

Discoveries #3

• The phrase creakingly posh.



• The Wet Look Jersey Maxi Dress by Kate Moss for Topshop. I can't wait to see it on the drunken streets of London. It would be amazing to strut in.
  
  
• I've been reminded of the immense gloriousness of Sia's Breath Me.



• Eurovision 2008 has a stage, with a great big phallic pole up the centre, and tentacles.




• Eurovision 2008 has a logo. It is intriguing. I'm quite excited to speculate what the purple shape is - a plum? a pepper? a wind-based clay instrument? Your suggestions please!

Eurovision Gay Pride Disco!

This weekend's London Pride will be all kinds of fun. Sadly, unlike Norway, Sweden or Finland, London's Pride doesn't involve any Eurovision shenanigans. Seriously, you'd think Brotherhood of Man would need the gig. And Katrina (sans the Waves) could surely be coaxed onto the Woman's Stage to Shine Her Light.

Not to mention Gina G. There'd be a stampede.

Even if there was something EuroVissi, what would we dance to? Good winners as Lordi and Marija were, they hardly set the dancefloors alight.

There's not been a chance to shake our disco tits since Elena Paparizou.

Never fear! Here are remixes of Hard Rock Hallelujah and Molitva, gay disco-ed up, just perfect for homo-hands in the air, arms-a-waving and plenty of shimmy.

Download Frodo United - Hard Rock Hallelujah mp3

Download Marija Serivofic - Molitva dance remix mp3

Eurovision

Now that Eurovision is done and dusted, I'm off to New York tomorrow.

But there's still time to celebrate this year.

Serbia was a fantastic, deserving winner. I loved the militaristic, powerful performance and Molitva is a storming stomper of a song.

I'm really glad a ballad has won again, and it's the first fully non-English song for yonks.

My votes on the night were a tight affair: 3 joint winners: Serbia, Ukraine and Slovenia. I had the top 2 at least.

Patriotically, I'm a bit disappointed Ireland didn't do better, but not surprised - it was joint 20th in my line-up. We gave big cheers when Scooch got their 12 points from Malta, and huge groans when Ireland's points for the UK and Lithuania voted themselves into last position.

Also: a word to Sweden, who really didn't do well. SEND SCHLAGER EVERY YEAR: YOU'RE GUARANTEED A JOINT 6TH POSITION.

And that is all. Now, hands in fists, arms aloft: MO---LIT---VA!!!!!!!