Tanzcafe

On the way back from the Tanzcafe (Dance Coffeeshop), where Pelvis was hanging on a wall, I saw this plastic model combing her hair.

Pоссия

Considered the top contender for the European title by most sports journalists, the Netherlands were sent home last night after an amazing performance by the Russian team. The match was in Basel, Switzerland, so I went to the Fanzone in Vienna to photograph the supporters.

* Russians watching the game, celebrating
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* Dutch lady in a square in Vienna, after the game

Spaniard Ghost

As I was walking down a street in Vienna, at 4 in the morning, this Spaniard suddenly stuck his head out the window and urged me to sing with him. Freaky.

Part 2: Vienna

Romania got knocked-out of Euro2008, so the only Romanians who advanced in the tournament are the journalists. I changed my headquarters to Vienna, where I'll hopefully photograph two quarter-finals, one semi-final and the final. And plenty of fans, obviously. It's such an upgrade to be in the same city where the matches/fans are (in Switzerland the closest stadium was about 100km away from my hotel, so I had to commute each day).

Yesterday I walked around Vienna a little bit, snapping pictures here and there, mostly in the fan zones (Germany beat Portugal last night).

Croatian Celebration

Croatia beat Germany 2-1 to take the lead in group B.

Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal beat the Czech Republic 3-1. Cristiano Ronaldo lived up to expectations.

Fan Day

Another day with no games in my area. I walked around Zurich with a friend, photographing supporters in Fan Zones and bars. We ended up in a place called Coyote Bar, where the game was seasoned with pole dancers (not only professional *5, but also wasted amateurs *6).

Romania vs. France

Our team had their first game yesterday against France. A lame 0-0. The fans where great though.

Kick-Off

I got no credentials for the opening games, so I hung out in the Fan Zones, places with giant screens that were built up for people who couldn't get any tickets. Switzerland lost to The Czech Republic. Turkey lost to Portugal. Same score: 1-0. CAPTION CORRECTION: Portugal won 2-0 (thanks, PJ!).

Football Ads

Two kids pass by an ad in Zurich. Business owners in Zurich have adapted to the football fever, so wherever you turn your head there's some sort of football related ads.

Zurich

A woman walks by in Zurich's shopping district.

Arrival

A plane carrying the Romanian national team pulls in on a runway in Altenrhein, Switzerland, as two fire trucks throw water on it.

First Stop: Budapest

After driving for about 10 hours, I decided along with my colleague, Mediafax reporter Andrei Mazurchievici, to stop in Budapest for the night. Found a cheap (but surprisingly nice) hostel and took a neighbourhood tour. We came across a very crowded outdoor club that had live music then dropped by a wine festival, before heading back to base.
* EtnoRom performs on stage inside Godor Klub
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* people walking in a pool of water on the glass ceiling of Godor Klub
* a man shows the effects of efficient wine tasting at the Badacsonyi Borfesztival

Euro 2008

I'm posting this minutes before jumping in my car to head out for Austria and Switzerland (1700km to go today and tomorrow), where I'll spend the next 4 weeks covering Euro 2008, the European Football Championship. For the group stage, I'll focus mostly (but not only) on Romania's national team.

I'll try to post on a regular basis.

Aromanians

A young Aromanian girls is held by her father during the celebration of the Aromanian community in Romania, Bucharest, May 23rd, 2008. Aromanians are a people who originally lived South of the Danube river, descending of Latinised natives and Roman legionaries who had settled in the Balkans. Shot with my new toy, Canon's 5D.

Florin for Esquire

Now with the upcoming Euro 2008 (that is the European Football Championship in Switzerland and Austria, for those of you who were raised thinking football is a game where you keep the ball in your hands and run with it), Esquire thought they should do something involving football. Instead of the classical big shot profile, they went for the wannabe. So here's Florin, a 15 year-old kid who works like crazy to get to be a big player one day. I followed him for a few days on his crazy daily routine (wake up call at 6 in the morning, 4.5 hours on buses back and forth between practice, high school and home).

Petrila

1.Bogdan Stamatin zipps up his jumper as the first drops of rain reach the ground, on a hill in Petrila, Saturday, May 10, 2008. His t-shirt represents the cover of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother album, realeased in 1970.
2.Men drink and play checkers in a bar.

Invincibles' Gala

About a week ago I shot a boxing event, called The Invincibles' Gala.

If Two Is a Crowd

I was on a film set a few days ago and this to me was the representation of how many things you gotta deal with as a director.

Resurrection Night

Two women walk through St. Parascheva cemetery after placing candles on funeral stones in Vatra Dornei, after a religious ceremony, the night before Easter Sunday.