It will make 18 days now that I have been in Zagreb. Yes, 18 days sounds a lot. But as soon as you arrive at the end of your trip, you wonder how this incredible time could have passed by so quickly.
I came on Wednesday, 6th of July, by plane. As I landed at Pleso airport in Zagreb, I had to find the way to the dormitories by myself. Once I arrived at the athletes’ village, I was pleased to meet my roommate Julita from Poland.
I knew this trip would be interesting because we all come from different countries, meaning friendships would be 100 % international.
As a journalist in the media team for the European University Games 2016 in Zagreb – Rijeka, I worked with students coming from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Scotland and even Mexico.
Luckily, I built friendships with them and we became very quickly a lot more than just team mates. Together, we lived two and half memorable weeks. Whether we went visiting the town or partying almost every night at the famous bar “Roko”, we always had fun.
My Slovenian friends taught me the word “Pivo”, meaning beer in Croatia. As a tourist in Zagreb, I was curious to taste the typical Croatian beer called “Ožujsko”.
Of course, it is sad to leave once you have made friends. But borders cannot separate us anymore and we will keep in touch in any way! We are already thinking about meeting up next year at the basketball European Championships in Hungary.
Indeed, volunteering is a great way to live new adventures. I encourage everyone to go for this experience!
For sure, you have to work as a volunteer, but that makes your stay even more exciting. Considering that there were 23 different sports at the European University Games 2016, I was happy to see most of them from very close.
Working as a journalist, I went to the pitches and courts in order to take pictures and to interview players as well as coaches. It was very interesting to communicate with them and to hear them talking about their results and expectations in the tournament.
Moreover, I appreciated the atmosphere in the stands. Each team had its personal supporters cheering for them. That makes the competition more tense and exciting.
It is great to have athletes and volunteers staying at the same place, so that everyone get to know each other. Besides, the athletes’ village is well situated. Within 10 minutes, you can walk to Jarun Lake and refresh yourself from the heat in the water.
Thanks to the accreditation, I was able to go anywhere and benefit from all public transfers. Either I used them to reach sports competitions, either I took them to visit the town in my free time.
Personally, I really like Zagreb. Many buildings were built in the 18th century, so that the old architecture makes Zagreb beautiful and unique!
I recommend to see the cathedral and Saint Mark´s church, because they are historical monuments. But if you would like to have a great panorama of Zagreb, go on the top of the “Belvedere”.
But more importantly, every day at noon, there is someone on the top of the tower“Belvedere” ready to fire an old canon as it is the tradition of that town. Even if Croatians are aware of the canon, some are still afraid of its sound.
So many great experiences always make departures very hard. Unfortunately, I didn´t see the time passing by, but at least I will keep the memories in me forever!
