urbanleagueshop-blog

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. . DISCO BEETHOVEN 😆 . . His Third Symphony, known as the EROICA, was initially dedicated to Napoleon, whose ideas were mightily respected by Beethoven. However, when Napoleon declared himself EMPEROR 👑 , Beethoven went into one of his rages, ripped off the front page of the score and scribbled out Napoleon’s name from the work. . . “A Fifth of Beethoven” may be known more for its disco version from the Saturday Night Fever 🥵 than from its original version... Never mind, because also the “Fifth” may not refer to the fifth symphony in the raw, but rather to a “fifth gallon” of brandy, which was the composer’s fuel ⛽️ much needed for his work... 😌 . . His “Ninth”, ODE to JOY, the anthem of the European Union... As a saxophone quartet performed it in the Strasbourg chamber early this July, all 29 Brexit party members of parliament turned away from their colleagues to face the back wall... 🤷‍♀️ . . Dear Beethoven, as you can see, your music is still moving and shaking the world 🎶 ! More than ever! . . (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1njdkECHT-/?igshid=965qapud4oc6

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. . 🙅‍♀️ THANKS, BUT - “NO, THANKS!” . . German Captain 👩‍✈️, Pia Klemp, who has overseen the rescues of hundreds of people from the Mediterranean, has rejected Paris' most prestigious civilian award, the Grand Vermeil 🏅. . . On her Facebook page she wrote: “We do not need authorities deciding who is a 'hero' and who is 'illegal'"... . . And then, referring to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo: "You want to award me a medal ... because our crews 'work to rescue migrants from difficult conditions on a daily basis.' At the same time your police steal blankets from people you force to live on the streets while you suppress protests and criminalize people who defend the rights of migrants and asylum seekers." . 🤐🤐🤐 . And you know what Mr. Salvini’s reaction to that was? "OBVIOUSLY THE MUNICIPALITY OF PARIS HAS NOTHING BETTER TO DO!" . . 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ I don’t know... but remember Jack London’s words: “Intelligent men are cruel. Stupid men are monstrously cruel.” 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ . . (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1gUKajiICh/?igshid=1nqy4pdlxkfe1

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. . SIZE MATTERS? 🤷‍♀️ . . Of course! No one wants a small glass of wine ... . . (at Weingut Alphart) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1F9ibAiV1D/?igshid=ej6edd4sg4pg

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. . AND THE WINNER IS... . . @dearviola was right! Your answers have now been processed, and the winner is - the HAT! 👒 . . Together with the comments to my post, plus in the stories, the score was: 12 “+” votes 67 votes which were so positive that I interpreted them as “+” 2 undecided (+/-) 1 negative (-) . . A clear-cut victory for the hat! 🥂🥂🥂 . . You may remember that I promised to write a post if the hat wins over 60% of “+” votes ☺️. But my friend @dearviola is so modest and doesn’t want to take any credit for giving me that brilliant advice! 🤫 . . Which I find a pity! Because there are many good things to learn from that pretty extraordinary polish girl who has chosen to live in a Portuguese fairytale town Porto. @dearviola is a brand! A real, authentic account who engages with her audience almost 24/7. She is showing us beautiful places she visits, almost daily: fresh photos, background information, history, explanations... . . She is not sitting and waiting for people to come to her, but actively and witty sharing her content, spreading inspiration, writing comments, generously and genuinely liking what her audience posts. . . The world, as we know, has enough critics... We are all experts in criticism - but @dearviola does not waste her time on criticising - because she is busy with honesty sharing her experiences and the values which are her fuel ⛽️ when she gets up in the morning. . . It is worth to pay her a visit: @dearviola 😊 . . (at San Donato In Poggio, Toscana, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0d3lwmCpXA/?igshid=bes6ooaqkh8x

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. . SLOWLY DYING... 🥵 . . You start dying slowly if you do not travel, if you do not read, If you do not listen to the sounds of life, If you do not appreciate yourself. You start dying slowly When you kill your self-esteem; When you do not let others help you. You start dying slowly If you become a slave of your habits, Walking everyday on the same paths… If you do not change your routine, If you do not wear different colours Or you do not speak to those you don’t know. You start dying slowly If you avoid to feel passion And their turbulent emotions; Those which make your eyes glisten And your heart beat fast. You start dying slowly If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love, If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain, If you do not go after a dream, If you do not allow yourself, At least once in your lifetime, To run away from sensible advice. . . Pablo Neruda: “You Start Dying Slowly” (In case you thought I was capable of writing this poem - thank you! 🙏😂) . . (at Lenti) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0bowmWCsJk/?igshid=xyy6rmq6pizj

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. . TO WEAR OR NOT TO WEAR 😅 . . I have a very dear friend here on Instagram - @dearviola , who recently told me I must try to wear hats 👒! . . And I remember countless beautiful hats which I used to buy - because I really like hats - but they always ended up either in the attic, or a cellar, or were smashed somewhere between memorabilia, forgotten in planes etc... before I wore them even once... because of that famous“not yet” - syndrom ... . . Now ... I gathered all my courage ... and decided to put a hat on and post it 😅... . . So, here is the challenge: if you like it - write “+” in the comments. If you don’t, or are not sure, then write “-“ . . If, within the next 24 hours, I collect more than 60% “+” - I shall dedicate an insta-post to the magical @dearviola 😊. If I get less than 60% “+”, I shall continue doing what I always have done - refrain from hats ... . . OK! Let’s GO! 🛫 . . (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WDmaQCkJi/?igshid=3bvcejoepz0o

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. . OVERSIZE IS COOL...literally! . . (at Lenti) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0U7NiLCSTG/?igshid=usrq30lejlmf

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. . GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE😊 . . HARROW on the Hill is the best school in the world! To me at least... ☺️ ... In my next life, I shall disguise myself as a boy (remember the movie YENTL?) and go to study on the Hill 😂 . . And I am not talking only about the teaching curriculum, which is tailor made to suit each boy, even if it means that they need to build another state of the art building to attract and develop all new talents 😊. Neither am I talking about the 27 sports disciplines each boy can pursue, up to school championships anywhere in the world 🌎 . . However, the most valuable benefit I saw was in cultivating certain life attitudes, such as: ☺️ We don’t get caught up in details - we see the big picture ☺️ We don’t watch TV - we read books ☺️ We don’t talk about people - we talk about ideas ☺️ We are not demanding - we are grateful ☺️ We don’t know it all - we have got a lot to learn ☺️ We don’t criticise - we support... . . I once had a chat with a Harrow boy asking him what present 🎁 has he got from his parents for his 18th birthday. He looked at me for a moment as if he was considering not telling me the truth, but then his face got firm and confident, as he said: “on that day, my mom had a very critical surgery back in Hong Kong. When I heard that she survived and was going to recover - that was the best birthday present anyone could have given me.” 😯 . . . I sometimes recall one of the Churchill songs from the school celebrations: “God give us bases to guard or beleaguer, Games to play out, whether earnest or fun; Fights for the fearless, and goals for the eager, Twenty, and thirty, and forty years on!” 🎼🎼🎼 . . . (Photo source: The Telegraph) . (at Harrow on the Hill) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0RSZZZi0t7/?igshid=8ccrozlambxh

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. . ON AGING ATTRACTIVELY 💃 . . First of all, this is a spontaneous post, and I had no intention whatsoever to imply that the persons tagged have anything to do with “aging”. The reason they are tagged is because I believe they might like the content, as I do ☺️ . . Now I may be biased, and I admit that Iris Apfel (93 y.o.) is my role model, so I wish I could memorise everything she says, or even better - plant 🌱 it in my brain 🧠 . . Here is what she says (Source: purewow.com): . . “I never felt pretty. I don’t feel pretty now. I’m not a pretty person. I don’t like pretty. So I don’t feel badly. And I think it worked out well, because I found that all the girls I know who got by on their looks, as time went on and they faded, they were nothing. And they were very disappointed. When you’re somebody like myself, in order to get around and be attractive, you have to develop something, you have to learn something, you have to do something. So you become a bit more interesting.” . . Girls, isn’t that amazing? 🤗 . . (at Europe) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0JZNc9igke/?igshid=nsobb1zfa9lr

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. . A COMPARISON GAME ☝🏽 . . Similar to the ocean, which cannot exist without every single drop of water 💧, each human being plays her/his part in the humanity. . . We are all one small part of the greater whole. Each of us carries a different fragrance, colour and beauty for the world to enjoy 😊. And the true joy comes from sharing our beauty with all we meet. . . The rabbits 🐇 move at their pace. The eagles 🦅 fly as fast as they feel like. Berries 🍓are just there doing what berries do - feed us. . . But this fast-paced world is forcing us, humans, to compare ourselves with others, to want what others want, to be as beautiful as others are, to achieve what others have achieved, to be as smart as others are... to the extent that we are more and more stressed 😥 to live up to the standards of the others, to get others to notice and appreciate who we are and what we do... . . Wait a minute! ☝🏽 Let’s imagine ourselves being a tiny grass-eating caterpillar 🐛, transforming with the time to a beautiful and unique butterfly 🦋... At our own pace 🏃🏻‍♀️! And even if our efforts don’t yield the desired results within the time we think they should... they will! At our own pace 🏃🏻‍♀️! . . We shall never be able to satisfy the expectations of other people! We are not as beautiful as they are - we are as beautiful as we are! We are not as smart as they are - we are as smart as we are! . . So glad Instagram is removing likes ❤️... perhaps that will force us to act out of our own hearts 💕 - and not out of Instagram’s ☺️. . . (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0F-lKPCxOa/?igshid=1cq6tcl963cu2

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. . THERE COMES THE TIME... . . when we have to deal with our past 👵🏼. With our own mistakes ... with grief ... with gratitude ... with anger... knowing that our life will never be the same again... . . Our history weights on us and our ancestors still dwell in our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. . . As Shirley Abbott puts it: “...our past matters, our history weighs on us and refuses to be forgotten by us, and the worst poverty women—or men—can suffer is to be bereft of their past.” . . Some memories never leave our bones - but become a part of us. . . (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_NQ5jCPHv/?igshid=1rc02or6n94ge

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. . Blue - like a fresh air breeze in our wardrobe 💦 . . Blue like a dream, like a divine love, like innocence 🦋 . . Blue like romance, devotion, unselfishness. . . Blue like water💧 , like comfort and relaxation 😅 . . Blue like peace, like pigeons 🐦 in the sky, like blue helmets... . . Are you feeling blue tonight? 🦋 . . (at Belgrade, Serbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzyYrydCmFc/?igshid=12jkmpy17to7m

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. . TIME HEALS EVERYTHING 😊 . . Because ... . . We are thankful for the strength that flows through our veins 😊 . . We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrowed it from our children. . . We keep on smiling 😊. After all - we don’t own all the problems in the world! . . Let’s find the “good” in “good byes” 😊 . . (at Belgrade, Serbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzvy1aVi4cL/?igshid=1em8it19zoykn

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. . SOMMER TREASURES 👩‍🌾 . . The world would be a better place if only farmers would offer goods from their gardens on the market. But because there are many resellers too, we have to learn that homegrown garlic is smaller and more aromatic than its Dutch or Chinese counterpart, that a fake honey has added sugar, and that a natural tomato is not only red, but it also smells like tomato. . . Generally, homegrown fruits and vegetables have much "stronger" taste and more vitamins and nutrients than hybrid varieties. . . Best fruits and vegetables have a smell, they were not grown in a glasshouse, but are exposed to the sun and the rain, and are unequal in size. . . Fresh sea fish must have clear eyes, a glossy skin and it must smell like sea salt or like water. . . “Real” farmers normally sell a certain related group of products: for example, those who sell potatoes or beans have perhaps onion and garlic, those who sell carrots also offer celery and parsley, possibly cabbage, etc. . . Many of the farmers are family “inherited” and most customers have a trusted farmers for each product. If you are coming to a particular market for the first time, it is best to first see what it offered and who sells it. The products can be tried, and sometimes one can even bargain about the prices ☺️. . . The market is also a place to hear a good joke or a new gossip, or (applies to Belgrade 😉) some ethnic music... to talk (critically) about politicians and footballers or other celebrities. . . All in all, a good fun! 😅 . . (at Kalenić Pijaca) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzqeUHSi63Y/?igshid=92k0il4vrvjn

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. . IF IT DOESN’T OPEN... 🤔 . . IT’S NOT YOUR DOOR 😅 . . What really fascinates, but also comforts me, is my gradual realisation that there is no unsolvable tasks (I mean - as long as we are alive ☺️). And that we can find the right words and right means to get out of ANY situation. Thus opening ourselves to the positive, abundant side of life. . . I remember how bad it felt to always try to get others to like me, forgetting what life is really about (and I mean: fun, love, laughter, enjoyment, achievement). How did I live that long not realising that others don’t have to like me... 🤷‍♀️... And that I don’t have to care ... . . In such life situations I always call on my saviour - my true, rational, conciliatory mind ☺️ to bring things in balance again ⚖️. That’s where they are now 😊! . . I recently heard an interview with a woman scientist who described her state of mind particularly vividly, by saying: I have the indescribable feeling to fit as accurately into the world as a key to the lock. I can accomplish anything. And I am well connected. . . On this beautiful Sunday morning, I wish us all to accomplish everything we hoped for, and to remain well connected - always and everywhere! 🍀🍀🍀 . . (at Tuscany) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzm9AEXiLVD/?igshid=19dd2zudpmbzw

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. . QUO VADIS? 🤔 . . . This Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?" may refer to a Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter. As Peter flees from crucifixion in Rome, he meets the risen Jesus outside the city. So, Peter asks Jesus: "Quō vādis?" And Jesus replies: "Rōmam eō iterum crucifīgī ("I am going to Rome to be crucified again"). Peter then gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, where he is martyred by being crucified upside-down... 😩 . . 🤭... what do we learn from this? ... If we don’t know where we are going... then ... any road will take us there... 🤷‍♀️... I guess... . . (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByvETxCiuEV/?igshid=1iejrvtdl3dlh

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. . DON’T YOU SOMETIMES WISH... . . ... that a day has 48 hours? 😉 . . (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/BynYWfXi7sY/?igshid=1ivsog1tjcjju