The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
It's a little over a week since my return from my Euro vacation in Portugal. It was better than I expected as I had a great time with family and friends. It was also good to see my parents again. While there, I played soccer on the beach, racket ball and watched televised beach soccer which I have to say is entertaining. The major tournament was held in a city called Portimao, which is where I spent most of my time tanning on the beach. Admission was free and I wanted to watch the final between Brazil and Portugal, but one of the publications inaccurately published the start time. A friend of mine said I would be lucky to get in as they packed roughly 2,000 fans into a temporary stadium. I felt sorry for those players having to play in 37 degree weather. Most people know that soccer is huge in Europe. What blew me away is the coverage the sport receives. One newspaper has an eight-page section in which roughly 85 per cent is dedicated to soccer. There is also a sports publication called O Record which is usually about 40 pages. Ninety-five per cent of that is soccer. The rest goes to race car driving, tennis, roller hockey, cycling and a few other sports I just can't think of right now. I didn't spend too much time sight seeing, but when I did, I noticed something interesting in the gift shops that exist every step you take. Most of them sell cheap versions of Cristiano Ronaldo soccer jerseys. Him and Luis Figo are big, but merchandisers are pushing the young gun. I also noticed more New York Yankees ball caps than I could handle. Honestly, it made me sick to my stomach. I really dislike the Yankees team. What was interesting about the hats is that they're not the typical ones the players wear. These hats were made in different styles Ð including pink! I never thought I would find myself thinking of Don Kirkham while there, but it happened because I seen several England jerseys. I think they're quite popular because Algarve is a popular Portuguese tourist destination, especially for the English. Coming back to the roller hockey. It's popular in Europe. My friend was telling me that in any major tournament, Portugal always finishes in the top three. I was thinking it would be interesting to see Canada and Portugal face each other. There they use the roller blades with four wheels that were popular in the '70s. The hockey sticks are interesting because the blades curl like bananas (not in the illegal direction). As nice as it is to be back, I miss sizzling on the beach with endless beauties.
