If you are as much of a football fanatic as I am, a European football championship could easily pass you by, if it weren’t for the fact that a few football fanatics in my network will prevent that. (I’m calling it football, by the way, not the american style “soccer”. Those americans are playing a weird game, with their hands on the football, if you ask me.)
It is now apparently called the UEFA Championship and Championnat d’Europe de football de la UEFA
Because the French still won’t let the English dominate them! Ha! Let’s just hope for the fraternization that apparently takes place as soon as football is in play….
For me it’s all good. I got stuck when it still was called the European Cup, and as a city kid I always found it very pleasant, because it was very quiet on the streets. Here in the rural areas you can only notice that something’s going on by the suddenly appearing fof little lags.
Since the whole of Portugal is sitting upright, it’s time to catch up.
I hear about tickey-tockey football, about ballloss, about show ponies, about how the coach of Portugal, despite being a spaniard, still sang the national anthem at the top of his lungs during the match against the slippery, but this year powerless Italians.
The spanish and portuguese have never really become close friends, which is reflected in the fact that Portugal still gives its people a national day off to celebrate the fact that they crawled out from under the Spanish throne in 1640.
That tells me it runs deep. Also: spanish is not taught in secondary schools. Strange, considering it is the second world language (portuguese is in seventh place). But as soon as it comes to football, all is forgotten. Fraternization. Well done guys.
Trainer Martinez now trains “our boys”, including Cristiano Ronaldo, under contract with Al Hillal for 200 million a year, who is certainly believed to be the boss in the dressing room and sets the rules on the field, standing by by a host of famous portuguese footballers – Pepe (I even recognize that name), Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, João Felix. Ronaldo was praised for his selflessness and team spirit in the last match, and Pepe, at 41 years old already an aging star who just continues to play football as an animal, received a standing ovation from the turkish opponent fans.
More fraternization you can’t have, can you – football brings people together
Although … there is a lot of criticism about how the dutch play – weak, a lot of fuss about the national star Memphis Depay, who makes mistakes, doesn’t score, is a show pony, and loses his balls. And he thinks he is the successor of the Messiah, oh no, sorry, Messi. (Yes, I know that name too, but who is that again? And whose is he– because footballers are always trafficked, iaren’t they, t’s a kind of human trafficking, isn’t it?)
Perhaps the level of festive fraternization depends a bit on the country. In Portugal, large screens have been placed here and there on squares in (medium) large cities, to give everyone the opportunity to watch, party and fraternize. Foreign flags are being waved, no problem, and apparently a large parade has been organized in Braga by LGBTQ members to come fora do armário for good.
Friend Paul, responsible for at least half of the above comments, and for even more hilarious texts, but they are about the dutch, so they can’t be included in this blog (pity), is in Braga and watched the Portugal – Georgia match with a couple georgians with whom he had already fraternized before the match.
They still are fraternized
In good spirits even, despite the fact that Portugal lost, but that may be because it doesn’t matter, they both continue anyway.
Ronaldo was grumpy and even got a yellow card. The trainer took him out, which made it even worse: he kicked a bottle of water into the stands and was whining and complaining a lot. Georgina, his partner and mother of the twins, will have to calm him down. As usual, she’ll stand behind him like a rock, accusing everyone of mistreating her lovely Ronaldo.
At home she uses her pet name Victoria for a while, then there is soon nothing to worry about …
.
We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, Holland to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal.
A big step, especially with two small children.
We are busy to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa which has been turned into several holiday houses, rooms and a campsite.
You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.
Since 2018 we call ourselves the first B&B&B in the world – Bed & Breakfast & Bathrobes. You can buy a home-made unique bathrobe/housecoat with us.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation
You can subscribe to this blog- see at the right side of this page »
You’ll get it every weekend in your mailbox.
On Sunday morning we publish it on our Facebook, on Pinterest and on Instagram.