Yes - a new country to tick-off the list of visited place ROMANIA !

Easy flights this time, car-rental no problem, Sat-Nav shows main roads (so still bit of navigating to do) - all good to go!

Drive from the airport to Targoviste was... eventful :-) I have never seen so many cows and sheep on the road side, it was almost like in UK/Finland you take your dog for a walk.. well, in Romania you take your cow for a walk. And the amount of horse-drawn carriages.. I lost count how many I overtook on the roads... something I am not used to.. but it's all charming in its own way.

After little over an hour on the bumpy roads of 'backwater Romania' - I made it Targoviste.. now it was the tough part, find the hotel without Sat-Nav. First stop - a big hotel in the city centre.. they must be able to help me.. WRONG!! I speak no Romanian.. they speak no English.. no help there. So, pay the £5 for Internet on my mobile.. Google Maps to the rescue and I am at the hotel.

JONTE FLOWERS INTERVIEW VIDEO :

Flowers-Romania

Sunday evening - everything is closed so just a snack from Carrefour (sort of like Tesco or K-Market), and then to the Sauna!! I live in England so Sauna is not something I get enough of (being Finnish).. so it was great to relax in a Sauna after a long day of travel.. bit of swimming and jacuzzi.. hard life this traveling photographer ;-)

Monday morning - time to walk around the town/city - looks like nice enough a place, small shops everywhere, lots of little bakeries to get fresh buns and 'things'. Still, no-one speaks English, but it all works very well by pointing at what I want.. (guessing dinner will be pizza). Walked around to the Arena where Kataja play tomorrow - typical Eastern European 'seen better days' venue, but for someone living in England.. these places look like palaces.

Snap few 'tourist' pictures, head to the hotel for mid-afternoon break - walking on the streets is hard work you know :-) In the evening time to head out to Kataja training session - that is if they make it here on the small roads, as I believe they are staying in another town. 

UPDATE @!! (*£*$£@*$£****$$$@@** Insert your own choice of sweat words)

So, all ready for the evening - I decide to look at the Romanian teams website... what is this name of the Arena you say you play at?? It certainly isn't the one from FIBA website.. which I used to check the venue.. make my travel bookings. And what do I find out.. that the game is not even in the town I am staying.. it's 60 kilometers away.. this just takes the mickey! Now there's an hour and half drive to there.. and back.. while trying to keep to dead-lines of the clients. Sometimes.. just sometimes you would like to have things done the easy way :-(

JUKKA TOIJALA INTERVIEW VIDEO :

Toikka-Romania

Early departure then to look for the enigmatic Arena Brazi, after an hour of studying Google Maps - I thought I might have the route memorised. Luckily the route was pretty simple, with only few turns to negotiate.

So - arriving to the village where the Arena is supposed to be, right next to a HUGE industrial power station. No sign of the Arena.. only some older houses and lots of men standing around.. doing nothing except looking at me funnily when I drive past them. I must admit that during this trip, it is one of the times when I really have felt like a foreigner in this country. Having driven through the whole village - no sign of anything even remotely looking like a place where they could play basketball.

U-turn and head back the way I came - this place is about 1 kilometre wide, so there can't be too many places where an Arena can hide.. then I spotted the floodlights (or something brighter) and yes, there it was.. like a sore thumb sticking out of the landscape :-)

Park the car - and I am an hour early there.. getting freezing outside.. and I get the attention of the security guard and his dog next door.. back into the car and play some games on the computer while waiting for Kataja to arrive.

Time of training (after I get my order of Salmiakki from the coach!! Thanks Toikka!!) video and photograph the training, do the interviews and talk to Pieti Poikola about Pyrinto/Basketball and traveling in India. Good interviews with Toijala, Nenonen and Flowers.. and team seems to be confident ahead of the game. Knowing it will be a big game and that the home team has a lot to prove after they lost the first meeting in Joensuu (listen to Nenonen's comments about that).

JUHO NENONEN INTERVIEW VIDEO :

Nenonen-Romania

Then a mad-dash through the back roads between Ploiesti and Targoviste.. lots of Police about stopping speeding cars.. no horses or cows this time.. just empty roads and few drunken people weaving in the middle of the road. Phone rings in the middle of the drive.. it's the paper from Finland asking if I have sent the pictures yet.. no, as I explain that FIBA had the wrong Arena/Town as the place where the game will be held, so now I need to drive 60 kilometres to the hotel..

Back at the hotel, rushed editing of 25 pictures.. and then fighting with the Internet connection to get the pictures uploaded (while standing and sitting in the reception). Images sent, time to relax a little - now it is only the Blog and three interviews to finish and upload… (and I don't get paid for these - this is just so that YOU the FANS get to see something!!)

Nice receptionist helps me out with dinner plans, as I ask whether there is anywhere near-by that is open.. she shakes her head and thinks.. Luckily local Pizza place has a website so she shows (and translates) what Pizza's they have and orders one over the phone.. 20 minutes of video editing and I get a call that Pizza is ready in the reception.. NICE!!!

So, sitting in my Hotel room, getting close to midnight, eating my Pizza Diavola… good time to chill and slowly ready to pack in the evening, tomorrow is a new day and hopefully the guys of Kataja come out of the game with the big W they want/need!!

Thanks for reading - and hope you enjoyed my random notes of the day...

Videos loaded while standing in the hallway of the hotel - between floors 1 and 2.. seems to have the best connection over here... go and figure..