Organizations

So here are a couple of links to organizations in Zagreb.

This is one organization I think I will be working for: http://www.surveillancezagreb.org/.

This is the public health school here. It looks like I'll be involved with both their professional and academic programs to some extent: http://www.snz.hr/.

This is our frisbee team: http://www.freewebs.com/ultimate-frizbi/.

And this is a Croatian daily newspaper that helps sponsor the team: www.vecernji-list.

Photos of Zagreb

This is Dolac, a vibrant market in the center of town.


A statue of St. George and the dragon.


The National Theatre in Zagreb, Hrvatsco Narodno Kazaliste u Zagreb. The building is really impressive, finished 1895.


Across the street from the National Theatre, there is Franklin Roosevelt Square.

Skiing and cops in Slovenia

Went skiing with Ognjen and Marina at a small mountain called Čermošnjeca near Novo Mesto, Slovenia. The skiing was beautiful - I had only done it once before, and now I'm hooked. Took some nice falls and enjoyed it all.


Here are pictures of a quiet Slovenian town and of Ognjen and me after our afternoon of skiing and a spot of warm wine.

On the way home we were stopped for speeding and were held in this enormous police station in a small town. Sat for a while on the Group W bench. We got tagged for speeding but it seemed like my Croatian friends were treated with a vengeance by the local cops in Slovenia. This is how it is, and my indignation and constitutional questions quickly evaporated. In their place, thoughts about how to pay the exorbitant fine and get the hell out of there. We waited about two hours for a judge to come and adjudicate our routine speeding ticket, and the fine was huge. We were instructed to pay the judge extra for having had to come in on a Sunday. Here is a picture of the police station:

NK Dinamo Zagreb

I went to a home match of the main football club in Zagreb, called Dinamo Zagreb (pronounced DEE-na-mo). They are a consistent top finisher in the Croatian league, which is generally viewed as a 'bridge league' for younger players who aspire to play Serie A or Bundesliga or Premier League football in Europe. The Bad Blue Boys, the Dinamo fan club, are both proud and notorious. The fight between these fans and the supporters of Belgrade's Red Star Brigade played a role in the opening of war in 1990. If you are interested, check out the BBB fan site: http://www.nk-dinamo.hr/eng/bbb.asp. Also, here's an aftermath picture of them making life difficult for the visiting keeper at the match this weekend.

Badminton

Played badminton with three friends from ultimate. Ognjen and Marina are a cool married couple living in Zagreb, and the organizers of ultimate here. Igor, in yellow, is a Slovakian ulti player who works in Zagreb sometimes. Badminton is very fast and fun.

First Post

Hello friends, this is my blog. My posts will be quick, with photos and updates. The first one is longer. Post comments if you like, or drop me an email at josh (dot) champagne @gmail.com.

I began my travels on February 8, and have been based in Zagreb, Croatia since. I am seeing the sites and interviewing for work with public health organizations. Zagreb is a manageable but interesting and historic city. In a few days I have made good friends through the Jewish community, through the job search, and of course through playing ultimate frisbee (frizbi).

Zagreb is very walkable, and the tram system is easy and reliable. The bike I received from a new friend has given me the best view of the city. But the left crank is totally stripped, so I look like Nemo with his under-developed fin flopping around. For every 360 degrees that the right pedal travels, the left pedal also travels 360, but at a very different and sporadic rate...maybe I'll upgrade. Here is an idea of what the city looks like from a bike: