AnglOrony

What a heck of a mess it was! An idea that couldn't work. The response was immediate, widespread, fierce and unforgiving. European Super League - football games for the biggest and richest clubs in Europe supposed to be an elite league from where no one would be relegated or be promoted to... It would undermine the sense of the existence of national leagues such as a Premier League in England.  Fifteen "founding clubs" signed to it. Their 'greedy owners' , to be exact. They had fallen under absolute criticism from every possible side: UEFA, FIFA, football pundits, players, coaches and managers, politicians, and in a superb outrage - the fans and supporters.  'The Super League would kill the spirit of football in which competition and the pursuit of sporting success are the absolute basis .' - we could hear from everywhere. Liverpool FC fan clubs announced the withdrawal of the support for the club.  In front of the Anfield stadium , there were placar...

That day had to finally come. The government's plan to unfreeze the economy is entering the next phase. A moment to remember ;)   Restaurants and pubs (serving food and alcohol to customers sitting only outdoors) were gradually preparing for re-opening. It was a curious pleasure to take off the lockdown pressure, on 12th of April 2021 , and to take a walk around Liverpool old town. On Tithebarn Street , thirsty customers were welcomed in the old/new Kitty's Showbar, the old Shenanigans, and the Railway (above). The tables were set up in accordance with the recommendations - two metres apart . We caught the ceremonial measurement moment (above). Little pubs did just about anything to have an outdoor seating area. Chairs and benches outside, temporary fences and barriers marking the area of ​​a makeshift beer garden. The premises located in Williamson Square (above) boast an interesting solution. They grabbed a large part of the square for their activities. All fenced off , bu...

River of Light is an outdoor experience in Liverpool presenting illuminated sculptures and installations across the city. It is held for two weeks in March and April every year.  The name 'River of Light' may be somewhat misleading - there is rather little light on the river Mersey itself. This year theme was 'utilising culture for our ongoing recovery and regeneration', referring to the covid lockdowns and hardship many people had experienced. From the opening of the event, the visitors literally flooded the installation, and it was impossible to stick to all the rules of physical distancing. However, officially the opening was postponed over the weekend due to high winds.    There were eleven audio and visual installations, by local, national and international artists. We visited all of them and below is the showcase. St. Nicholas parish church gardens with the view over Royal Liverpool building are traditionally the place for various artworks. We started there, at ...

Inside-out it feels more like a museum but it is a fully working Royal household . One of the three official residences of The Queen, Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest home in continuous occupation in the world. A fortress rather than a palace - it had been established by William the Conqueror after his jarring conquer of Britain in 11th century.  The imposing towers and walls of the Castle emerge from every angle of the little market town of Windsor.  From having such a powerful resident, the town had enjoyed many privileges from the start and it continuous to be so. It had been one of the wealthiest towns in England in Middle Ages, the pilgrims to St George's Chapel were spending sums of money, like the tourists do now.  The prosperity however ended with Henry VIII Reformation technique, banning such superstitious practices, and the presence of the monarch sort of choked off the development into a larger town or city. The royals liked the terrains to stay ...

During the lockdown we went down the memory lane and computer photo files to bring back some memories of our past trips.   A very short stay in Aachen in 2009 brought us face to face with the place that started the concept of Europe. Aachen could have been named the first secular capital of Europe , with Rome being the religious one. Of course religion was at the heart of medieval Europe and Aachen cathedral  (above) was at its centre. But before we reached the cathedral grounds we had a walk around. The streets around the cathedral have still the old medieval layout and feel despite Aachen being heavily damaged during World War II .  Many buildings guide us through history with different styles and designs.  It is feels like being in a parallel Universes in the ancient cities of Europe. The old and new meet just a step away. And you can see that people had a quite different mindset, concepts and perception of the world, those few hundreds years ago.  Aac...