Being one to actually want to sample the host city of wherever I am, I left the other three OnEuropers in the press centre and went for a wander around the streets of Belgrade.
What I discovered was a busy vibrant city full of great shops, impressive monuments and buildings and one or two nice parks. It’s also been a Eurovision journalist’s dream weather: hot, sunny and cloudless. Indeed I’ve had to buy a nice green cap to shelter my trendy hairdo and pate from the scorching rays. I also found that Serbians won’t rip you off even though you quite obviously can’t understand them and detect how much money they are asking for when you buy something.
In general I’m impressed by our home city. The only way they let themselves down was with their transport system which is even more decrepit than our dear London one. I waited a good half hour in a non sheltered place for a tram and then endured an excruciatingly slow trip across the bridge at one point stopping for 10 minutes at one stop. This is a minor quibble though for a fine city.
Back to the music:
I’ve seen Belgium which was a repeat run of Sunday and still not any more likely to qualify. Azerbaijan were fully robed and pyro-ed up which is going to add greatly their chances.
Slovenia are on now…. oh dear. aside from the fact that she’s completely out of tune, the props make the whole thing a mockery. There are a load of green light sabers sticking up from the stage which dances around in a gold robe before removing this. She’s flanked by two gimps on chains obviously there to do her bidding. The whole thing is tacky, unnecessary and spoils what was an okay song (if she was able to sing).
ta ta Slovenia for another year…