Category — events

Euro2008 is over for the Romanian soccer team.

After a brilliantly executed tactical (albeit sinfully boring) goalless draw against world championship runner-up France and a sensational 1-1 against world champion Italy, after one of the most thrilling games in the competition, they lamentably failed to beat a relaxed Dutch squad to qualify to the quarterfinals.

Typical. 3 outstanding games in a row would have been too much. And yet, Romanian fans in the “yellow ground” had hoped till the last moment. It was for the first time in history that Romania had a significant contingent of fans at a final tournament abroad. Outstanding and touching experience to be there.

Some video impressions in the video corner in the bar on the right. The summer night dream is over.

Euro2008 (soccer, for the ones who don’t know on what world they live in :P) is in full swing this month.

Romania has survived a hard-fought game against World Champion runners-up France, 0-0. For a neutral person, quite a boring game, but from an “involved” perspective it was amazing, especially for the ones in the stadium. The atmosphere was sen-sa-tio-nal, for the first time our national team had almost 10000 supporters on a foreign stadium, matching and surpassing in noise the french supporters (!).

A terrible match is ahead, against a wounded World Champion, Italy (cool group we’re having, huh?). Italians have shockingly lost 3-0 in the first game, it is pretty much by and large “win or go home” for them. This will be the test.

I’ve collected photos and videos from this tournament. The photo gallery is here, and will keep being completed during this month, what you see below is the stand as of today.

The video collection is on the side. Enjoy, and

Hai Romania!

Sechselaeuten is a traditional guild holiday in Zurich. Monday was free, and I took the opportunity to go check out the guild parade. Quite impressive, plenty of people attending, colorful costumes, good mood. More details about the holiday here.

My photographic insights below.

And a small movie depicting a full guild parade: children, fanfare, guild members, alegoric carriage. Missed only the horses at the beginning.

Went to Zürifäscht yesterday, i.e. Zurich-Fest, Zurich-party, organized every 3 years. Crazyness, 700k people in the center of a 350k city. It got transformed in a city-entertainment-park, with lots of food, drinks, drunks, and adrenaline-pumping rollercoaster-like devices. Wheehee. Luckily I met two friends-of-friends, with whom I had a nice time. Big wheel, good food and some addictive skill-games included. Got home at 5am, a party night after a loong time.

After the insane acrobats on motorcycles on a string did their thing, and one of them climbed on the top of a huge dangling pole doing handstands and playing the trumpete, making me dizzy just watching, the main attraction were the fireworks, beautifully put on music. As you can see, but unfortunately not hear. Imagine Freddy Mercury’s “Barcelona” and U2’s “One” in the background..