269. Summer afternoon *

31st July. We've just had a few days away in the mountains in order to escape the massed crowds attending the Fêtes de Bayonne - and also to breathe some fresh mountain air after the weeks of heat and humidity we've had on the coast here. We'd planned to drive up and across to the Jura to visit my wife's aunt who is 92 - but given the canicule (heat wave) we thought better of it - we'll go there in October instead. In the end, we went to Montory, a small village in the foothills of the Pyrenees about 10km from the border. This (above) is the former stable - now the rustic dining room of the country hotel that we stayed in. We spent our few days there exploring local villages via some spectacular roads and stunning scenery. We enjoyed largely empty roads during our stay in this beautiful area - even in the high season as most tourists are content to remain in the beach resorts.

Approaching Sainte-Engrâce one day, we turned a corner to see 3 or 4 people looking at a very large bird (a good three feet high) standing in the road nearby. It may have been hit by a car - but it suddenly took fright when it saw our car approaching and it started running awkwardly towards us, with its scrawny neck jutting forward and beating its great wings before taking off over our heads. It was a griffon vulture (vautour fauve). Not one of Nature's triumphs - at least from an aesthetic point of view!

This area has featured regularly in the Tour de France due to its many hills and mountain passes - and there were groups of cyclists out there grinding up the hills - and they all seemed to have that same cyclists' physique - lean with skinny arms and legs. I can never understand where the power comes from (quiet in the cheap seats!).

Returning on Monday, we decided to route home via a tangle of small lanes that brought us through numerous sleepy hamlets and villages. We made a coffee stop at La Bastide-Clairence (founded in 1314) - and one of France's most beautiful villages - on the way home. It certainly merits its inclusion in that group. This is somewhere that, in almost 30 years, for some unknown reason we've only visited twice! (photos here) (AirBnB listings here)
This view (looking south towards the Pyrenees) was close to Ainharp - and this was rural Pays Basque at its best with its white-painted farmhouses dotting the rolling wooded landscape.

24th July. When all the fireworks went off to mark the start of the Fêtes de Bayonne a few moments ago, it sounded like the start of "Saving Private Ryan".. they do like their fireworks to be noisy.  No finesse, no carefully timed displays in time with classical music - no, just a constant bombardment of chest-rattling explosions until the box is empty. Here's how it looked - and sounded!
Two places of natural interest lie just to the south of our intended destination this weekend: the Gorges de Kakuetta and the Passerelle d'Holzarte. It's one of those inexplicable quirks that, despite it being almost 30 years since we first visited the Pays Basque, we've only visited the Gorges of Kakuetta once - and we've never been to the 180m high suspension bridge at Holzarte.. You'll find them here:
So - Boris Johnson is to be the next Prime Minister. His time in office may be long or it may be short - but one thing's for certain: it won't be dull! Here are some examples of the wit and wisdom of Boris Johnson. Fasten your seat belts!

23rd July. Tomorrow sees the opening of the Fêtes de Bayonne.. and I can see that the influx of people has already started. To escape the hordes, we'll be having a few days away in a sleepy no-horse village in la France profonde - about 2 hours away to the south east of here - in the foothills of the Pyrenees. What is la France profonde? There's a paragraph in this link that almost gets it - although I think the author is a bit harsh on his native America:

"As an American, to visit a French provincial town or city is to see a way of life that is deeply enviable. Small shops, cafes, town squares, churches — the hustle and bustle of pedestrian life that one has not seen in the United States in decades, if one has seen it at all. It is vivacious, but it is also gentle. It is human, in a way that our built landscapes in America no longer are, and in most places never were".

For me, la France profonde is a place or an area where life continues to be lived as it always has been - with its customs, traditions and values more or less intact. Down here in the far south west, it's still possible to find places that qualify - and for that, I'm extremely grateful.

The forecast is for 39° in the shade today - so I can see us spending the day largely indoors - except for periodic visits outside for the dog! I took him out early this morning and it was already 25°.

At around 8pm this evening, we had a mad scramble as the wind suddenly got up and trees in the garden were bending this way and that. The howling wind threatened to blow the solid inch-thick shutters upstairs at the back into matchwood.  We'd just had them loosely latched to try and keep the house cool but on seeing the sky suddenly darken, it looked like a good time to put umbrellas and chairs safely away. The minute I stepped out in the garden and had an armful of umbrellas, all hell broke loose upstairs as all four of our heavy shutters broke loose and started banging to and fro from stop to stop. We managed to fasten them shut securely before any damage was done. When I'd finished, I looked up and saw thin low cloud was scudding over at 500ft.. There is a localised meteorological phenomenon here known as a Brouillarta.. a sudden sustained gust of wind (akin to a line squall but without the rain). I suspect I saw the tail end of it passing overhead.

Et voilà - I just found a warning about it in today's Sud-Ouest.. that's exactly what it was - and they got the timing spot on too!

Here's a speeded-up video that shows a Brouillarta hitting the coast south of Biarritz in 2016.. 
Take some time out to relax with this great old tune - beautifully played here by Kimiyoshi Akiyama:

Here's another very creditable version of that same song. 

22nd July. Yet another 'make or break' moment in this mission. If for whatever reason, this manoeuvre had been unsuccessful, and in the absence of any other means of transferring the two astronauts into "Columbia", that was game over for them. Every one of these technologies had to work perfectly first time and the astronauts had to get join-ups like this right first time too. The "Eagle" spacecraft re-appears at 2:07 (top right in the video)..

(by the way, 36,000 feet per second = 24,500mph or Mach 33). Here's a video that really gives an impression of the work load during Eagle's lunar descent - the profile was astonishingly complex with a computer alarm thrown in for good measure as the mission approached a peak of intensity.

21st July. This video shows a later mission - Apollo 17 - lifting off from the moon - but it's identical to the Apollo 11 mission. I can't begin to imagine what that countdown must have been like:

The exceptionally hot weather we've been having these last few weeks seems to have awoken the normally dormant mosquito population - and as I'm a well-known mosquito magnet, the end result is that I've been scratching myself like a juiced-up chimp. Then I remembered the many trips to Virginia I used to make, especially those in the summer heat.. I'd sometimes stay with friends and they had a deck in their yard with a bug zapper. It contained a small UV light to attract mosquitoes and other bugs - and surrounding the light was an electrified grid that constantly despatched the pests with a satisfying (to me at least) buzz-zap! Job done. Here's one in action - music to my ears!

The question is: can anyone recommend an electric bug zapper for outdoor use - preferably with an LED light - that really works and is available in France? I've read of a US product - the Flowtron BK-40D - that is highly recommended (see above) but with the shipping cost, it works out at a hefty US$90. There would be additional import duties to pay on it too. (Electricity supply in France is 240v and I've just learned that the Flowtron is rated for 120v. Ah well..)  

20th July. These incredible live pictures from Man's first steps on the lunar surface 50 years ago showed us Earthlings exactly what we - the human race - are capable of. Where we go from here is another question though. 

19th July. I started painting the shutters at the back of the house at 7am this morning while it was still cool - and by mid-morning I'd finished. By late afternoon, they were bone dry and I managed to hang them without breaking any toes! The temperature on our west-facing terrace at 7.20pm was 36°!

50 years ago tomorrow - less than 25 years after the end of WWII - Man landed on the Moon in the form of two astronauts - Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin. This staggering achievement was enabled by pushing the technology of the time to the very limit. JFK had set the bar high 8 years previously - and America delivered in spades. Did it ever! Hats off to all those who were involved.. all 400,000 of them. I remember watching these fuzzy pictures as they came in in the wee small hours:

17th July. We were in San Sebastian this morning to do some minor shopping and at lunchtime we went for a stroll along the promenade overlooking La Concha - when we found La-Perla - a relaxed café/restaurant with an uninterrupted view of the bay. Considering its position, it was very reasonably priced. Recommended!

16th July. Fifty years ago today we watched in awe and amazement as Apollo 11 launched into the heavens with a crackling roar atop 7.5 million pounds of thrust on an epic journey that captured the hearts and minds of the entire world. I count myself privileged to have been alive to witness Man's greatest ever achievement. It was a truly miraculous feat, and we even had live imagery from space in glorious black and white - plus live TV pictures of the astronauts' first steps on the Moon! It was only a few years previously that we'd been able to see live transatlantic TV broadcasts from the US via Telstar.

What went through the astronauts' minds as they said their goodbyes to their families and their loved ones? We'll never know what the risks were - but I'm sure NASA had contingency plans in place for as many of them as possible. They were the bravest of the brave. (Engine start at 2:00)

In the 80s, I had the opportunity to visit the Apollo/Saturn V exhibit at the Kennedy Space Centre. At the time, a Saturn V rocket was lying on its side in a ground display compound and I was dwarfed by the giant nozzles of the five F-1 rocket engines in the Saturn V's first stage - that produced a staggering 7.5 million pounds (3.4 million kilograms) of thrust and was used during launch for about 2 minutes. In the process, they gobbled up 20 tons (40,000 pounds) of fuel per second.

15th July. I nearly crippled myself yesterday evening taking down the heavy wooden shutters downstairs to give them a fresh coat of paint. These are 8ft 4inches (2m54) tall and solidly made out of wood (no venetian-type slats). My grip on one of them slipped at just the wrong moment and it landed squarely across my toes.. Ouch! (I almost said!) Nothing broken though. After a few minor repairs to the shutter, I applied a coat of Rouge Basque - but this morning it was still tacky..

14th July. Today will be a first for me - my first 14th July as a French citizen. I received an official email the other day informing me that as they couldn't dig up any 'cause or just impediment' to my application, they had no option but to tell me that I had acquired French citizenship. I paraphrased that a bit!☺ I now have to go and apply for a carte nationale d'identité.. and a passport. It makes sense - we'll have been here 12 years in September, and I'd like to stay - plus, I'd like to be able to vote here too. Phew, it was worth the effort! (I still retain my UK citizenship)

In celebration of France's Bastille Day, here's a video of the entire glittering military parade down the "world's most beautiful avenue" (and who could possibly argue with that description?). If you want to cut straight to the fly past (and SuperHomme), start at 37:04...

Here's an element of it that took all of us by surprise.. Forget flying bicycles, I want one of these!

This (below) looks like fun.. although I'm not sure that the bike (and those wheels) would be sufficiently sturdy and resilient to stand up to a few heavy landings. Some suspension wouldn't go amiss either!

13th July. We went for a evening stroll with the dog around Bayonne yesterday evening and all the restaurants along the Nive were full.. with lots of tourists in evidence.

place Jacques Portes

On the way back we walked through the newly re-surfaced place Jacques Portes (in front of the Galeries Lafayette) where a large wind orchestra (brass and woodwind) was playing La Peña Baiona (aka Vino Greigo) - which is Bayonne's unofficial national anthem!

(Health warning: A music critic has written 25 pages to analyse the bejasus out of this song - if you wish to find out what she thinks it's all about, read on. You've been warned..)

The band turned out to be l'Harmonie Bayonnaise - and very enjoyable they were too! They went on to play some demanding music (in my untrained opinion!) - such as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody among others.. A neighbour of mine was singing along - complete with actions - in her own private rhapsody to much amusement all around.. We enjoyed many of their renditions until the dog decided that he'd had enough..

12th July. I don't think there's a better interpretation of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" than this - by the highly acclaimed Polish guitarist Marcin Dylla. See what you think:                             (more here)

11th July. Just had some pasta - followed by a slice of water melon straight from the fridge.. Mmm-mmm!

8th July. The annual madness that is the Fiesta of San Fermin kicked off yesterday morning with the first encierro (bull running) of the week-long fiesta.. (Hemingway has much to answer for in my view)

Meanwhile, on our side of the Pyrenees, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a charming small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees about 40 minutes away by car and, during our first visit there, we noticed the scallop shell motif was everywhere. It appeared that this is the symbol of the famous long distance pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago, the roots of which go back at least a thousand years.

Many people choose to start from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - one of the most popular starting points for the pilgrims' walk - as from there, it's but a 500 mile hop, step and a jump to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (NW Spain).

This walk has been on my back burner for several years now and I think it's something that I'll find myself doing sooner rather than later! Have a listen to these two podcasts that I stumbled upon by accident earlier - Part One & Part Two.

4th July. This is a piece by Mozart that I was unfamiliar with until recently: it's the third movement from his Serenade # 10 for winds 'Gran Partita' in B-flat major, K. 361/370a..

Meanwhile - Happy birthday USA!

This video clip of Stromboli erupting yesterday popped up as a 'recommend' for me.. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that..

1st July. My favourite dog-walking field behind the beach at Anglet was invaded the other day by a hundred or so white vans and caravans - belonging to a so-called "evangelical group". We had a visitation from them in the same place last year and it took some time for the local council to evict them. I sympathise with the council as it doesn't have the practical means at its disposal to forcibly evict encampments like this. 

Over the winter, the council had positioned massive concrete blocks across the access points to the field - but they hadn't done their homework properly - apparently this well-organised group gained access to it via an unblocked route further up the coast. The council will have to ensure that access to the field is fully watertight in future. When I spotted the 'evangelical group' in situ last week, I saw that they'd also opened up an electrical power supply box and had hooked up the entire convoy to the mains supply. Who pays for the power used? And then there's hygiene. I wonder. By law, councils do have to make provision for gens du voyage ("travelling people"). I see this same group are now ensconced at Ascain (below) - our former holiday village.

* According to Henry James: the two most beautiful words in the English language.

268. The longest day

30th June. Here's one of those disturbingly beautiful and profound pieces of music that has the uncanny ability to haunt us - to reach deep into our souls. It's Max Bruch's Kol Nidrei - played here by the late Jacqueline du Pré, one of the greatest of all cello virtuosos. I can never listen to this piece without the feeling that it seems to presage the horrors that were later to befall millions of European Jews some sixty years on. 

Trivia question: Bruch wrote "Kol Nidrei" in 1880 - but where did he write it? Answer: Here & here. 

27th June. We drove down to Ilbarritz yesterday evening to take some air.. There were still quite a few people in the water and on the beach at 10pm! By the way, if you click on the photo, you'll see a speck far out to sea just to the right of the setting sun.. it was a swimmer! And in case you're wondering, the object at the top of the photo is an airliner inbound to Biarritz airport.

26th June. Bayonne's masterclass roadworks demonstration is still far from complete. For months now, pavements have been dug up and realigned in accordance with a grand master plan - while the roads have endured serious surgery to squeeze in one, and sometimes two, additional lanes for the new electric tram'bus service. It's battery powered so that means no overhead wiring is required. However, it begs the question: why does it need a dedicated lane then..? Aah, that must be to guarantee that it will keep moving when all the conventional road traffic is congested. A cynic might say that it wouldn't have been as badly congested if valuable road space hadn't been sacrificed for the Tram'bus.

And while the space for conventionally powered transport has been reduced, the Town Halls on the Basque coast have been busy approving the construction of "residences" (aka apartment blocks) wherever they can be shoehorned in. It's anyone's guess where all the additional traffic brought by these new residences will go though. Perhaps the anticipated traffic jams will force people to abandon their vehicles and make more use of public transport - maybe that's the plan..

Here's a short video I made of the works, followed by an artist's impression of how it will all look once it's finished. Curiously, those dreamy images omit to show the lines of queueing cars! If only..

It's a brave project.. (ahem!) Despite my misgivings about the impact this scheme will have on traffic patterns, I must congratulate whoever planned and managed the construction schedule as they deserve our plaudits - as it's been implemented with the absolute minimum of disruption. Carrying out public works on this scale and in such confined spaces while the day-to-day traffic continues, had the potential for the project to turn into a nightmare. Well done!

While waiting during the rehearsals for our concert at the weekend, I was talking to the two French horn (cor anglais) players - and attempted to hum this beautiful piece (I couldn't remember its name to save my life) when one of them kindly put me out of my misery and gave me an impromptu burst of the Rondo Allegro:

25th June. Temperatures of 40+° in the next few days in France are being spoken of - but I don't believe we'll experience them here - the modifying influence of the sea should ensure that. 

Flat peaches

24th June. One of life's little pleasures down here is in eating fresh fruit and vegetables as they come into season. So far, we've had asparagus, strawberries and flat peaches (I have to add that a flat peach straight from the fridge takes some beating!). Today, it was the turn of the humble cherry! After spending the morning putting things back in place after our concert yesterday evening, I came home to find that Madame had made a pipérade - which we enjoyed outside on the terrace - served with several slices of jambon de Bayonne. Afterwards, she brought out a large bowl of plump cherries - and it was all we (OK, I!) could do to restrain ourselves from finishing off the bowl! One consequence of the fruit season is that the pavements in our neighbourhood are studded with ripe cherries fallen from overhanging trees (the low hanging fruit beloved of politicians!).

20th June. Summer's arrived here like a ton of bricks. Yes, I know this is hardly "Sumer is icumen in" (I remember singing this song at school), but it's the best I could do at 7.30am! The other evening, it was 38° on our terrace. Whatever happened to the slow merging of one season into another? The gentle transition from Spring's chill breezes into the more balmy temperatures of summer? Suddenly, there was a mad scramble here to find a pair of shorts.. And my night was made complete 2 nights ago by the sweet music of a lone mosquito at 2am with only one target in mind (guess who!). Where did we put the anti-mosquito plug..?? And putting the bedroom light on - where the heck has the blessèd thing gone? Thankfully, the plug worked and we could go back to sleep. We don't get many here but those that do are all programmed to find your correspondent. Happy days!

Looking at the date I've just been reminded that it's the Summer Solstice tomorrow.. I think. Wiki explains all. Stonehenge will be on red alert at dawn tomorrow ready to receive its annual visitation of wannabe Druids (on motorcycles), tree huggers, stoners, flautists, crop circle enthusiasts, circle dancers (spare me!), bongo players, a few of the last remaining Hare Krishna acolytes and other assorted ethnically-dressed 'heads'.. all expressing themselves in that slightly self-conscious diffident manner that is Britain's gift to the world!☺
17th June. If there's anyone out there who still smokes but who'd love to quit.. this story is just for you. I smoked on and off for most of my adult life - and about 3 years ago, I realised I was pushing my luck by continuing. I used to think - aah, it's always someone else isn't it? I'll never have to sit looking across a desk at a doctor with a serious face telling me I've got cancer will I? That would be the moment when all I could hear would be the sound of rushing waves and I'd see his lips moving - except I wouldn't hear a thing he said. I suddenly realised I was coming up to 70 and I'm subject to exactly the same rules and luck as everyone else. I used to smoke cigarillos.. and I'd inhale.. (yes, ouch!)

After that belated realisation, I decided to stop. I had the odd relapse but I quickly stopped having those too. Then I'd be out somewhere and I'd smell smoke.. or I'd be in a situation where I used to fire one up.. I told myself smoking was simply a habit and not an addiction.

Then one day I smelt smoke on someone and I thought, "Yeeuucchh!". Now, I don't think about it at all.. What brought this to mind was that I was in town earlier and I saw two girls in a café and one was smoking. I felt like saying something to her - but you can't. I walked on. So, if you find yourself wanting to stop - stop buying the darn things and just do it!

13th June. I was down at the beach this morning with the dawg.. here he is attempting to dig down to Australia! He undergoes a personality change on the beach as soon as he realises he's totally free - he gallops in big lazy circles, rolls over on his back, digs as many holes as he likes, chases gulls.. shows me his sticks!

I had the beach to myself.. apart from a number of diggers who were clearing the beach of a winter's worth of detritus.. mainly trees. Surfers were out in force too.

Later in the afternoon I had a follow-up appointment with the rhumatologue.. I'd been to see him a few weeks ago about my knees.. and on that occasion, I was expecting an injection of a silicon-based gloop into the joint as he'd done in previous years. However, a good rule in life is always to expect the unexpected!

Six weeks ago, he declared that he was going to try a new treatment on me. He asked me to point at the exact spot where the worst of the pain was (and like a fool, I did) and then he switched on a vibrating hammer-like device (about the size of a domestic hair dryer) that sounded like a mini pneumatic drill (or jack hammer for US readers) - and felt like one - and he applied it to the spot for about 3 minutes but it felt like 10. It was banging away like a demented stone mason about 3-4 times per second. Now, I don't usually subscribe to the "man pain" theory - but I had to restrain myself from jumping out of his window. Today was the second visit and, as a toe curling experience, it was right up there. One more to go after this. This had better be doing me some good.

It's not yet 6pm but I'm more than ready for a Scottish tincture. Then choir practice. First though, Dr Glenmorangie's company is requested!     

12th June. I was so impressed by the whole experience of travelling up to Paris about a month ago on the TGV. Clean, rock steady, f-a-s-t and very quiet. The guard turned out to be something of a comedian - as he made a few announcements over the PA in the style of former French president Giscard d'Estaing! Now, take a look at SNCF's record breaking technology as a fully instrumented train broke the world speed record in 2007 at an eye-watering 574km/h (357mph) - speed in km/h is shown in yellow at top left:

This speed (faster than some aircraft I used to fly.. Ouch!) is almost twice the speed that the TGV routinely achieves in day-to-day service. Meanwhile, from the country that invented the railway, I'm ashamed to admit that there is still no comparable high speed rail service (apart from the Channel Tunnel link) almost 40 years after the entry into service of the TGV in France (in 1981).

The UK could, and should in my opinion, have invested some of the North Sea oil revenues into a high speed rail network. Norway managed their unexpected windfall far better than the UK.. A comparison of both countries' handling of North Sea oil and gas is here. Read it and weep.    

10th June. I found this video of Amalfi, Positano and Capri (Italy) on YouTube - a nice reminder of our trip there a month ago:

Having said that, the beach scene shown above is a million miles from how I like to spend my summers. When July and August come around here, finding a parking space on the coast can be "challenging". That's one of the reasons why the inland regions are so attractive here - as even in high summer, we're able to escape the crowds who occupy the coastal belt - and who spend their time in shimmering queues of cars, all looking with varying degrees of patience for that vital car parking space.   

8th June. We changed our car today from a diesel to a petrol jobby. We've only been doing about 7000 miles a year - because honestly, if you live here in the Pays Basque, why would you ever want to leave? And each time we have left home, I can guarantee that before half an hour has elapsed, one or the other of us will have said, "Why are we leaving?". And having left, we can't wait to return home. Perhaps one day the appeal of the Pays Basque might wear off - but after nearly twelve years, there's no sign of it doing so.

We were invited out last night for an apéro-dinatoire by some neighbours in the road behind us. There must have been twenty of us and we all brought something - either sweet or savoury - and it was a really great evening. They set up a couple of tables in their driveway and a few chairs for the oldies (who said, "Like you!"?) and away we went!  

5th June. I've mentioned old Bentleys before in the blog - but I think the one featured here is very special indeed. It's the 1931 8 litre straight six model made by Bentley just before the company went into receivership. What an engine and what a car! (More here)

I was prompted to search for this model after reading Woolf Barnato's biography. He was one of the so-called "Bentley Boys" and a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 hour race in a Bentley. Here's a special 3½ litre Bentley that's had a twin turbo 8 litre engine shoehorned into it..   

2nd June. Here's Julie Andrieu (a French TV presenter) having an in-depth look at local products from the Pays Basque - how they're produced, cooked and eaten in this blessèd corner of France. It should give your French language skills a good work out - but if it's all a bit too much, I'm sure the images will tell the story. She visits some of our favourite places that I've mentioned here before - the magnificent valley of Les Aldudes (including the omnipresent Pierre Oteiza), the Irouléguy vineyards (above right) that wrap themselves around the steep slopes near Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (France's most south westerly vineyards) and much more - before she finishes up with an über-Basque meal (the singing must have been edited out!):
I can never watch enough of these videos that show different aspects of Bayonne. Fortunately for me (and you, I hope), they just keep on coming!
1st June. What can I say..? Not a great match but what a result..! The story of the match: an early penalty awarded to the Reds following a disputed hand ball - followed by 80-odd minutes of eminently forgettable football during which Spurs enjoyed most of the possession - then a rapier-like shot from Divock Origi right at the death that must have broken Spurs' hearts ensured that the Cup was Liverpool's for the sixth time. To see Liverpool at their surging best, watch the semi final match (2nd leg) against Barcelona. I don't think I could stand to watch the final for a second time - and I'm a long time Reds fan.

At last, summer's here.. Looking up at the blue sky this morning, large numbers of swallows were darting around the rooftops with their characteristic twittering. And there's a 'three' in the temperature forecast..! We're looking at 30° today. 

Tonight, it's the final of the European Champions League - however, to me, it will always be the European Cup - or old "Big Ears" as the media like to call it. I've stocked the fridge in the garage with some San Miguel - plus some Sangria.. What to have this evening? Decisions, decisions!

Istanbul 2005

Who will I be supporting? There's only one possible answer to that. En route to the final, the Reds beat French champions Paris (aka PSG), then German champions Bayern Munich, then Portuguese club FC Porto (2nd in the Portuguese League) before going on to beat FC Barcelona (1st in La Liga & European Cup favourites) in what has been described as one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history (since Liverpool's pulsating win in Istanbul in 2005) despite Liverpool being without Mohammed Salah and Roberto Firmino. In a memorable match, they overcame a three goal deficit from the first leg to win 4-0 (the odds were quoted as 66-1 against Liverpool winning 4-0) and this against a Barcelona team featuring Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho.. Here's how French TV reported the match - their commentator sounding as if his trousers were on fire! - and I make no apologies for linking to this post-match video that captured the emotion of that unforgettable match. Like many, I had tears in my eyes when they sang "You'll never walk alone.."

Their opponents this evening are Tottenham Hotspur - who finished 26 points behind Liverpool in England's Premier League. All this counts for nothing this evening however as the match starts with 0-0 on the scoreboard. This is going to be a loong day.