Bjorn Heidenstrom

A Norwegian friend of mine is cycling from Oslo to South Africa.

Yes, you read it correctly. Bjorn Heidenstrom (Norwegian; Bjørn Heidenstrøm) is CYCLING from Oslo to South Africa!

Why?
Bjorn is looking to unite all those who want to see the world’s largest football-shirt wave in the wind during the World Cup, South Africa, 2010. A group for those who believe that football is more than a 4-4-2.
Bjorn is cycling from Oslo to South Africa to collect signed football jerseys from all teams of all levels. All these shirts will be be sewn together to form the world’s largest signed football-shirt – a symbol that all football stands together and does not forget the young refugees. He says, “We are creating the world’s largest football shirt – a shirt and a symbol that is sewn together by the signed club-shirts. The Shirt symbolises the “football family standing together and not forgetting the small ones” It’s top clubs, lesser clubs and even fans who sign their own shirts and become a part of the the big shirt – all are welcome. The project was tested in the summer 2008 and we have 187 signatures from professional, top, and smaller clubs. Celebrities from the music and movie world have also contributed as fans signed their favourite club shirts
The project is in co-operation with The Refugee Council (www.nrc.no) and their campaign: “Forget me not”

How?
The trip started from Oslo, Norway on 20 June and in the course of 10 months Bjorn will have visited over 50 countries. He cycles alone through the whole of Europe, as well as cycling and hitchhiking through Africa. The journey starts from the Nobel Peace Centre, Oslo and ends on Robben Island, Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently in London, England.
Excitingly, www.nettavisen.no (300,000 unique users daily) promotes the journey on their front page every day.Bjorn is sending content from all the countries, places and people he visits. This content ranges from the history, culture, tradition to the people and events, from the serious to the quirky, from the exciting to the exasperating!

How Can You Help?
(a) You could forward this to any press contacts you have. THANKS
(b) You could forward this to any contacts you have with ANY football club (great or small)
(c) You could forward this to ANYBODY who is a football or cycling fan
(d) You could even send a shirt direct to Björn
(e) You could meet him on his trip through the UK in August/September.
(f) He’d do a press-opp/photo call with you or your club and get you great coverage through Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc
.
He is looking to meet as many people as possible to meet him in the UK 5th August -18th September? Please contact Bjorn via www.theshirt2010.net

NOTES:
Bjorn Heidenstrom (Norwegian; Bjørn Heidenstrøm) is an ex-professional footballer with a long career in Norway and England (Leyton Orient) He has worked with football as a hub for; marketing, media, values, Soccer Against Crime and Valerenga against racism. He will make content each day on the 10 month journey. He uses a handheld camera (video and still), mobile phone, a laptop and dictation. Photos and text published directly with mobile telephone as modem to PC. Video will be published where there is wireless/cable Internet.

Web: www.theshirt2010.net (English)
www.theshirt.no (Norwegian)
www.fanbase.com/Bjorn-Heidenstrom – check “articles”
www.twitter.com/heidenstrom
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Vista del Mar

I have to say that I am not a food-freak, gourmet or anything similar but I think I know a good restaurant when I see one and Vista del Mar is most definitely a genuine pearl on this coast. It’s beachside at Playa Miraflores in Mijas Costa about 10 kms from Fuengirola centre …..and a million miles away! When I first went I was struck by the tranquil setting with its tremendous views over the Med. I had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners, Jayne Baldwin and was immediately impressed with the eye for detail that I have to say is missing in so many restaurants on the Costa del Sol. So many times, I have been to an otherwise excellent restaurant only for the evening to be spoilt by something quite minor – lack of palillos, missing soap in the gents, not serving a popular fruit-juice etc. Believe me you will not be disappointed here. It is, to use their words, a special place for special people. Enjoy!

BTW If you are a Chelsea fan (I am not!) you will have a special treat.

Fuengirola Meet-Ups

For the past few weeks I have been hosting a weekly meet-up in Fuengirola and I’d like to confirm that we will have the meet-ups EVERY week.

I am keen to continue the Friday “Meet-Ups” and I am delighted that Ecademist Roger Cummiskey has again invited us to the Restaurante Lucia in Fuengirola on FRIDAY 30th JANUARY at 5,30 pm. (See map)

We had a great meet-up last week with visitors from USA; The Netherlands, Japan, Ireland, The UK, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, The Channel Islands and Assyria, This week I know there will be first-timer visitors from USA, Sweden and Norway

As usual there is NO agenda, NO formalities, NO cost (buy your own drinks etc) It’s just an opportunity to say “hi” to some different groups – InterNations, Xing, EWorld, Ecademy, Midas Telecom, AIA – as well as some of my local contacts.

All welcome. If anybody wants to go on for a meal or whatever later a number of us will be staying at this fine Scandinavian restaurant. (Scandi food at Spanish prices!)

It’s a totally social environment with, as above, no agenda. The great attraction this week is that we will have the opportunity to see some great original art. Talk about sex ‘n’ drugs and rock&roll or SEO, the rice harvest in Thailand or Spain’s GDP. Totally up to those who turn up and who you end up in conversation with. I’m very happy with that “formula” – if you can get down on Friday you are most welcome.

To confirm, please drop me a line here.

When will I be Spanish ?

I saw it coming, I even felt it, I definitely heard it and smelt it (….and if that receptionist in CajaMar were 20 years older I might have felt it Jeje).

When did you realise that Spain was in your blood? You prefer rioja to Ribena, pulpo a la gallega to porridge and Cruzcampo to Carling. A good night starts at 10 and doesn’t end in the cells. Getting ready for a good night out means that you ensure your teenage children are scrubbed and in their finest and are never out of your site.
It does not mean that you go out with all the guys from the football team and take a knife, knuckledusters and a gun “Just for protection, officer”. You no longer consume 7 pints of bitter before 11 and then go to the Star of India where you down another four before starting a fight and throwing up in the back of the police van (again!) A good night is not ending in the same cell as your son who was brought in for underage drinking.

You think it quite reasonable that the council spends more on fireworks than library books and you would not dream of going into any bar that did not have all the day’s papers, 3 different TV channels on at full blast slogging it out with two different radio stations ……also on at full blast. You are prepared to use an ashtray (even though it is a no smoking bar – but only if the floor is full.

Anyway, to progress, I recently saw the Norway and Spain games. I did not bother with the England game. I’m frankly not that interested. Yes. more Spanish that English, I guess. I HOPE!

I went for a stroll a couple of days later after another 12 hour day. Half ten, quarter to eleven – just when the English pubs in Manchester were ready to call last orders.

I wandered into a bar as I could see the TV was on and there was a football game being shown. It was an English bar.- BIG mistake, Steve.

There were perhaps a dozen people in it – including a guy who must have been 80 aborting Frank Sinatra or it might have been Abba, It was that bad. He was followed by somebody who was cross between Cyril Smith, Pavarotti and Bernard Manning. He must have been 25 stones. He spoke the words to an old Elvis song or perhaps it was the Sex Pistols,Who knows? He didn’t. I ordered agua con gas – predictably they did not have it so I settled for sin. Silly xxxx of a barmaid said. “Nobody asks for con gas.” I felt like saying. “Well, I just did” but I felt my sarcasm would be lost on somebody whose IQ could probably have been counted on the fingers of either hand – anybody who chews gum whilst she is serving and has scruffy tattoos on her forearms is automatically deemed to be an inbred Arsenal neanderthal.

As I say, there were perhaps 12 people and I had the choice of the finest seats in town – those facing away from the karaoke!

Quite a good game – England u21s v Wales u21s. (5-4 to England). One minute into injury time. The other barmaid came over and asked, “Do you want another one, love?” Trying to divert my eyes from the Macclesfield Town tattoo on her more than ample bosom (EVERYTHING was more than ample) – wife of the karaoke star? I said, “No thanks.Just going – the game has only got 2/3 minutes to go.” Her reply? “Well, you can’t stay here if you are not drinking.” Red Mist moment. I said, “No problems, I won’t be back.” By the time I had got to the exit, the ref had blown his whistle so it was for a matter of perhaps 2 minutes I was “abusing her hospitality.”

ASHAMED to have British in my passport

I walked down the street and saw a Spanish tapas bar and walked in. I ordered con gas – which predictably they had and picked up the local rag as I waited for my tapas. This is what I saw!!

What an amazing story and one which made me so proud to even be in their country even if I can’t add Spanish to my passport.

A one-legged Once salesman kept a winning ticket @ 35,000 euros safely for a regular customer who had been away a few days so had not paid for it. Obviously the salesman could have kept it, cashed it and nobody would have known. What an amazing story. As the waiter came over, I asked whether he had read it and he said, yes, and he knew the guy. He’d been selling in town for many years. Wow, I said, “What a gent!”. The waiter nodded and smiled. I guessed he felt that a fellow Fuengirola citizen had brought honour to the town,…..and in some ways it rubbed off on him. As I was leaving, he said, “By the way, take the paper if you like, we’re closing in 10 minutes.”

Just look at the difference in hospitality! I guess the English bar will be closed within months and I guess the Spanish one will pass from generation to generation. When will they ever learn?

When did you realise that you were more Spanish than whatever it says on your passport?

Madrid Airport Disaster

On Wednesday 20 August 2008, a Spanair flight JK502 crashed on take-off at Barajas Airport, Madrid en route for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. As I write this more than 150 are reported as dead and many more are in critcial condition in Madrid hospitals. As a Lufthansa code-share flight on a MD 80 there were passengers from a number of countries on board, a fact that is making the horrendous task of identifying the bodies even more difficult. Amazingly there were survivors among the 162 passengers and 10 crew

The cause of the accident is not clear although initial findings suggest the failure of the left engine at the moment of take-off.

A temporary morgue was set-up at IFEMA in Madrid and an enormous rescue operation with over 450 ambulance, police and firefighters immediately swung into operation. Politicians of all political parties immediately cast aside their differences and showed their support for the families and friends of the dead and injured. Prime minister José Luis Zapatero promised a fast and in-depth investigation.

This was the worst air-accident in Spain for many years and although there is no suggestion whatsoever of terrorist involvment all Spain was reminded of the atrocities of 11 March 2004 and the bombings of that horrific day.

Spanair MD 80

España. de luto. Spain, in mourning.

THIS IS SPAIN EXHIBITION

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