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Nobody sleeps until Italia sings

7th July 20217th July 2021 funtime65

There’s another song at the Euros, the song of opera, and nobody sleeps until Italia sings.

In the final at Wembley on Sunday against the winners of tonight’s England v Denmark semi-final.

It seems apt then that Italy, who opened the football extravaganza a few weeks ago with Bocelli’s belter, should be there at the end.

La Duckiata

Of course Nessun Dorma sounds a lot more lyrical than Nobody Sleeps.

And Giueseppe Verdi better than Joseph Green or Federico Chiesa than Frederick Church.

Federico e is il figlio di Enrico, o Henry, and come suo padre nella squadra d’Azzurri.

Forza Azzurri

You see everything is usually better in un altra lingua and even better in their country.

And so opera should be enjoyed in Italy, where it is not the stuffed-shirt evening out for the posh that it can be elsewhere.

Being the Bohemians that we are we look out for news on opera and are kept up to date with aria world.

My Bohemian rhapsody

And so we’d like to share the imminent renewal of the Macerata Opera Festival ‘100×100 Sferisterio’ from July 23-August 13.

Mace-where? Well, it’s in Le Marche, south-east of Florence on the Adriatic Sea.

And this year we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first opera in Macerata.

Opera, while Italian is multinational, and Verdi’s Aida is entrusted to Valentina Carrasco, from Argentina.

And Carrasco worked with the Spaniards, rivals last night on the footy field, and the theatrical group Fura dels Baus.

Message to you Rudy

The month-long festival will also celebrate Italy’s national poet Dante Alighieri with the rest of Il Bel Paese on his 700th anniversary.

There will be a homage too to Rudolf Nureyev, who loved the Macerata Festival.

Now we’re not going to commit who we’re following in Sunday’s final or calling a winner.

Because we all know it’s not over till la bella canta.

Oh go on then, nobody sleeps until Italia sings.

Countries, Culture, Europe

Rainy Days and Songdanes and Scandis

5th July 20215th July 2021 funtime65

For the week that’s in it with England taking on Denmark in the Euros here’s Rainy Days and Songdanes and Scandis.

And before my Finnish friend Paula starts I know Finland, or Iceland, are technically Scandinavian.

Though I have seen these Nordic countries included as Scandi in places.

Scandis and Nordis are uniting in support of the Danes on Wednesday.

And much of the world after Christian Eriksen’s collapse.

Why the three countries on the British isle don’t do the same for each other is a different story.

All of which brings us to a musical tour of these lands.

Probably Denmark

And there’s a bridge to the rest of Scandi

Whigfield, Saturday Night: ‘It’s party time and not a minute we can lose.’

Now that’s a call to arms if ever. And it’ll be easy for the Danes to change the words to Wednesday Night.

A-ha there!

A-ha, Take On Me: And proof from the video that these Vikings from Norway are gods straight out of a storybook.

Although don’t take my word for what the Norwegians are like in their fjords. Oh, go on then, do!

Abba Fabba

Abba Waterloo (Swedish version): Yes I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do if only Agnetha had been available rhen.

You can, of course, see Sweden’s Fab Four at the Abba Museum in Stockholm.

Where Finns started

Hanoi Rocks, Boulevard of Broken Dreams: And maybe not the Finnish band you were expecting.

Hard Focks Hallelujah. Finland glam punk band Hannoi Rocks were thete long before Lordi and even inspired Bon Jovi and Green Day.

Ice, Ice, Baby

Of Monsters And Men, Dirty Paws: And we’ll finish on an Icelandic Viking mythology vibe from Iceland’s finest.

All in the setting of the Euro favourites Italy and our favourites too, though it’s for you to work out if that means football favouritism.

But that can wait… here’s to Rainy Days and Songdanes and Scandis.

Countries, Europe, Sport, UK

Anyone for tennis and Andy Murray?

2nd July 20212nd July 2021 funtime65

Do you have a battle for the remote between the Euros and Wimbledon? Anyone for tennis and Andy Murray?

The Bionic Man of tennis returns to the Centre Court to play Canadian Denis Shapovalov this afternoon.

And Mum Judy will be watching.

Mixed Doubles

It’s reassuring to think that the supercoach who honed my forehand in Portugal does the same for her wee boy.

Judy put me and my international party through our paces at The Campus resort in Quinta do Lago.

Without giving away any of Judy’s trade secrets she starts with the basics and short tennis before building up to full courts.

Easy Ryder

With my pal John pitching for a Ryder Cup spot

If you haven’t a lifetime to become one of the world’s elite athletes then this sportified corner of the Algarve is where to go.

You’ll be the envy of the park with your drop shot and sliced backhand.

While you can prepare for this month’s renewal of The Open by visiting Quinta’s Paul McGinley Academy.

In the swing of it

Paul’s pals will dissect your swing, let you practise it on the range and then let you on the course.

And yes, the clubs are in the bag, of course, ready for The Open at Royal St George’s Kent on the south coast of England.

An aside here from a previous life when I ran a newspaper sports desk.

And I had asked the secretary to arrange accommodation for our golf writer for that year’s Open.

Not easy but she was excited to find accommodation within a 20 mile radius.

The French name of the guest house ought to have given it away.

Back to Portugal and we’re all hoping for a clear run at it without the switching of traffic light colours.

Portugal’s delights

Portugal is of course The Algarve but it is so much more, Lisbon, Porto, our old tour guide pal Jose Madomis’s home town, Coimbra….

And his hero Cristiano Ronaldo’s island, Madeira.

Cristiano has left the building at the Euros and we trust Our Andy won’t go the same way in London.

If he does, of course, football-daft Andy will have more time to watch the Euros.

When asked this time whether he’d support England now his beloved Scotland are out, he blocked it as if at the net.

Andy had playfully worn the jersey of England’s then opponents Croatia at a previous Euros in his youth,

But this time the Surrey-based national treasure wished them well.

Andy’s castle

Otherwise he’d be taking refuge in his newly-acquired hotel, Cromlix, near his home town of Dunblane, back in Scotland.

Which is where your favourite blogger’s Travel journey began with his first trip 30-odd year ago.

Now myself and The Scary One could form a Mixed Doubles team against my old mate Judy and Andy.

Anyone for tennis and Andy Murray? Or Jimmy Murty?

Countries, Europe, Ireland, Sport, UK

We’ll always stay friends Croatia

22nd June 202122nd June 2021 funtime65

And while all those of a Scottish variety will be hoping we beat them today we’ll always stay friends Croatia.

Scotland’s Euro 2020 hopes hang on them winning against the Balkan belters.

In 2018 Croatia’s international dreams were far higher.

As they prepared for the World Cup Final against France.

One Dalmatian

The Croatians who I’d got to know and love while living in Ireland.

As a guest of their embassy and Croatia Tours were filled with excitement.

And good Dalmatian wine.

All of which I helped them imbibe on the morning of the World Cup Final.

Before, and this is to my eternal shame, I switched camps and saw the game and celebrated with the French at their embassy.

The World Cup Final

And this allows me to say that I watched France win the World Cup Final in France.

The embassy land always belonging to that country.

And the Croatians being the good eggs that they are they didn’t hold any of that against me.

And put out the red and white checked carpet for me when I went on another different type of pilgrimage, to Medjugorje.

Now geographic pedants will point out that Medge, as it’s known to devotees to the Marian site, is in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

And yes it is, but try telling that to the Croat-daft residents of that village for whom the only religion to rival Catholicism is football.

The Gods of Medge

Captain Luka Modric is something of a God in Medge with tops with his name emblazoned on them hanging from every shop.

And it is a familiar aspect of other countries I have visited for religion and football to coexist in such harmony.

I saw it first hand in Rome where Francisco Totti is as omnipresent as the Pope.

And again in Fatima in Portugal where Cristiano Ronaldo is a deity.

I witnessed just how passionate the Croatians are about their football when we were taking downtime from church in Medge.

And we were watching the Champions League in the Irish Centre.

Dynamic Croatians

If onlys: Beaten World Cup finalists Croatia

Which for ‘Elvis’ the name our group had given the owner meant his beloved Dynamo Zagreb.

Apologies again for not memorising the club song he blasted out on the speakers before the game.

So that’s twice I haven’t taken up the Croatians’ clarion call.

And national identity and an accident of birth means I again will have to make my apologies when Scotland eliminate Croatia.

I hope though we’ll always stay friends Croatia.

Countries, Europe, Ireland, UK

Father’s Day memories of mine

20th June 202120th June 2021 funtime65

And for the day that’s in it… Father’s Day memories of mine.

It’s funny what you remember from your childhood days but the European Championships from 45 years ago springs to mind.

And not just because it was the first Euros I remember watching.

Czech this out

Or that it gave rise to the Panenka when Antonin Panenka chipped Sepp Maier for the decisive penalty in sudden death.

The first occasion when a competition was settled thus, and probably the last time the Germans missed one!

Sport was our thing Dad and I.

As it is for generations of men and their sons, and always the go-to subject for me and The Son and Heir.

A different Europe

Dad and lad: And look at that fancy footwork

But what set the 1976 Championships between West Germany and Czechoslovakia apart was that it was Father’s Day.

The fact that neither of those countries exist any more shows you just how long ago it was.

A 10-year-old at the time, I was just exploring one of the other great passions in my life (girls were to come later) – history.

For the people of the lands of East Germany and Czechoslovakia it is a relief that those countries have been consigned to history.

But it is refreshing too that Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia still mark that period of their history.

A new Europe

Which I have seen first hand in east, Dresden, and west Germany, Hamburg..

Where our host Ingrid reminded us that when we try to airbrush history we condemn ourselves to repeat it.

While in Prague Martina gave a US family, with brattish kids, a history lesson they’ll never forget in the Astronomical Clock.

Now you’re smarter than me (not hard) if you’ve worked out who will play in this year’s final.

And no, I don’t know if Germany and the Czech Republic could meet in the final.

They did in the last game of Euro 1996 when Germany got some revenge.

And now for Slovakia

With Katarina in Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic

They might, of course, meet Slovakia a pleasure still awaiting me.

Although I have enjoyed making a friend of Slovakian Katarina, who heads the Czech Tourism team in London.

We, my Dear Old Dad and I, loved spending two hours in the company of the Germans, Czechs and Slovaks 45 years ago.

When we munched on a quarter of midget gems (Scottish for bag of boiled sweets) which I’d bought him.

A treasure trove of memories

Life is just a bowl of cherries: Jim Snr

I made him find them in a treasure hunt around his usual places in the house.

So however you mark the day and I’m not expecting much, just a trip to the Caribbean, then savour them.

Just as I have with my Father’s Day memories of mine.

Countries, Europe, Sport, UK

Euro the best Italia

11th June 202111th June 2021 funtime65

The old joke goes that the Scot loves two teams, Scotland and whoever plays England. But I’d add to that Euro the best Italia.

The European Championships kick off tonight in Rome with Italy and Turkey facing off.

And whereas my world used to be small now I can count friends from all over the globe (including a wife from England)!

Mussolini’s boy scout

The delayed Euros will be spread across Europe but today the Olimpico Stadio in Rome holds centre stage.

As it did for the octogenarian Italian whom I met at breakfast in my hotel at Trastevere with his American wife.

Over pastries and espresso Lorenzo shared his memories of parading with his boy scout group in front of Il Duce, Benito Mussolini.

I had mentioned that I had passed the Stadio Olimpico on my march into Rome.

Roman gods

It was a welcome diversion at the end of my 100km walk from Viterbo in Lazio on the Via Francigena.

I’d actually intended to enter Rome via one of the Seven Hills, where I’d been told that I would get the best view of La Citta Eterna.

Mussolini had better smarts so didn’t need a guide pack for his March on Rome!

Il Duce loved his calcio and oversaw (interfered with) the victory of the Azzurri at the 1934 and 1938 World Cups.

And calcio still runs through the family with Romano Mussolini Jnr signing recently for Lazio.

Momma Mussolini

The Mussolinis have, you’d be unsurprised to hear, an interesting history.

Benito’s youngest son Romano, a pianist, is Junior’s grandson.

And Junior’s Momma wouldn’t be your traditional image of Italian matriarchy.

Alessandra is a former actress (Sophia Loren’s niece you see), Playboy cover girl and politician.

La Donna Alessandra’s party? Forza Italia.

Which is the clarion call of the Tifosi who follow the Azzurri.

Of course, patriotic expressions, symbols, games and flags have since the days of the Caesars been the playthings of dictators.

Forza Italia

So whether you’re Italiano or an Italianophile then rasp your Forza Italia with pride.

And a small aside here. I love Turkey too and will be rooting for them as well.

So that’s us off and running and I’ll be marking my connections with other countries too.

That way I figure I can’t lose.

Euro the best Italia

And the rest!