Soccer Mania Sweeping Europe.

 The European Championship is under way.

Honestly, I can't remember it being so front and center in the previous years. At the moment everywhere you look, a match is on. Television is full of it and perhaps the corona induced sports drought of last year has a lot to do with it. Everyone is going bananas over this tournament and it feels even more so than the World Cup.

Bob and I do try to watch the odd game ( can't help but watch it as there isn't anything else on the telly ) but have found that we nod off during the vital parts of it. Goals wake us up from our tv slumber and it often takes a while before we understand who scored the goal.

By the way, this is for the early matches. Here they start at six in the evening and so far we have failed to watch a second half. How people have enough energy to stay awake for the second matches ( usually from 9 p.m. ) is a mystery to me.

Yesterday Austria won their match. And an important match as they have now, for the first time ever, advanced to the next round. Quarter final I think. Naturally the whole of Austria is drunk on soccer glory and who can blame them. Suddenly Austria has taken on the role of David and who knows, perhaps the Italian Goliath is going to be brought to heel! A match that I will make sure to have lots of coffee beforehand so as not to snore through it.

There is of course the proverbial fly in the ointment...does anybody else get alarmed at seeing the packed stadiums at the various games? It looks as though hardly anyone wears masks, everyone is shouting ( possibly spewing forth viruses ) and depending on the success of their team, hugging each other. The Delta variant is in the meantime quietly settling itself into Europe and what better opportunity than these packed stadiums? A case of profit before people and only time will tell if they should have erred on the side of caution.

Biggi