International Pool

SpiderWebComm

HelpImBeingOppressed
Silver Member
Reykjavik, Iceland

Here's a cool little pool hall just off the square in Reykjavik. The picture looks funny because the room was VERY dark and I had to brighten it in Photoshop. I asked a few locals if they wanted to play, and no one did. Not being able to speak Icelandic was 1/2 the problem, I'm sure

f_Iceland1m_1745b10.jpg


A closer look at the table... played very, very easy.
f_iceland2m_dec22f2.jpg


Athlone, Ireland

This little table was located in a small local pub in Athlone. There were a bunch of people playing on it and I saw it was a 7' "barbox." I told the guy I was with (who was a local) to get me a pint of beer because I wanted to beat up on some locals. He says, "Dave, I didn't know ya played pool" in a heavy Irish accent. I say, "Hell yeah, James... I'm the nuts."

So I walk up to the table and notice it's not like your average "Valley" barbox... the pockets are snooker-cut (REALLY SMALL) and the balls were red/yellow are really small as well. I don't think I made more than 2 balls in a row all night long. I felt so stupid... the local Irish guy was killing me. I don't know for sure, but I think the CB weighed a lot less than the OBs... or something. Something was WEIRD. Anyways, my Irish bud called me a hack and we got shit-faced.

f_ireland4m_c50d785.jpg


About 20 miles outside of Jinan, China - in the middle of nowhere

So my Chinese bud asked me if I wanted to eat "local" Chinese food instead of the make-believe stuff we eat here in the States. Of course I said yes. We pull into this little tiny farm that was very, well, um, what's the word.... developing world-ish. There were random cages laying on the ground with chickens, rabbits and pigeons...just random, everywhere. There were large "teepees" setup around the property where guests could walk into while the resident family would make you lunch/dinner.

f_China2m_e049c8f.jpg


While walking around the property, I came across this pool table. Man, it played sweeeet. I asked the kid serving us if we wanted to play a little 14.1 for the check, but he couldn't understand me.

f_CopyofDSC02m_a54d812.jpg


f_china3m_55a1305.jpg


By the way, when lunch came... you guessed it. Chicken (cubed-up, like you cube-up a block of cheese, baby chickens (like soft-shell crabs) and ground-up rabbit (which, by the way, was REALLY exquisite and GOOD).

f_china4m_13d601c.jpg

When I bit into this little critter, it's head "popped".
 
Last edited:
SpiderWebComm said:
Reykjavik, Iceland

Here's a cool little pool hall just off the square in Reykjavik. The picture looks funny because the room was VERY dark and I had to brighten it in Photoshop. I asked a few locals if they wanted to play, and no one did. Not being able to speak Icelandic was 1/2 the problem, I'm sure

f_Iceland1m_1745b10.jpg


A closer look at the table... played very, very easy.
f_iceland2m_dec22f2.jpg


Athlone, Ireland

This little table was located in a small local pub in Athlone. There were a bunch of people playing on it and I saw it was a 7' "barbox." I told the guy I was with (who was a local) to get me a pint of beer because I wanted to beat up on some locals. He says, "Dave, I didn't know ya played pool" in a heavy Irish accent. I say, "Hell yeah, James... I'm the nuts."

So I walk up to the table and notice it's not like your average "Valley" barbox... the pockets are snooker-cut (REALLY SMALL) and the balls were red/yellow are really small as well. I don't think I made more than 2 balls in a row all night long. I felt so stupid... the local Irish guy was killing me. I don't know for sure, but I think the CB weighed a lot less than the OBs... or something. Something was WEIRD. Anyways, my Irish bud called me a hack and we got shit-faced.

f_ireland4m_c50d785.jpg


About 20 miles outside of Jinan, China - in the middle of nowhere

So my Chinese bud asked me if I wanted to eat "local" Chinese food instead of the make-believe stuff we eat here in the States. Of course I said yes. We pull into this little tiny farm that was very, well, um, what's the word.... developing world-ish. There were random cages laying on the ground with chickens, rabbits and pigeons...just random, everywhere. There were large "teepees" setup around the property where guests could walk into while the resident family would make you lunch/dinner.

f_China2m_e049c8f.jpg


While walking around the property, I came across this pool table. Man, it played sweeeet. I asked the kid serving us if we wanted to play a little 14.1 for the check, but he couldn't understand me.

f_CopyofDSC02m_a54d812.jpg


f_china3m_55a1305.jpg


By the way, when lunch came... you guessed it. Chicken (cubed-up, like you cube-up a block of cheese, baby chickens (like soft-shell crabs) and ground-up rabbit (which, by the way, was REALLY exquisite and GOOD).

f_china4m_13d601c.jpg

The "barbox" you played on, with yellow and reds, is called either "UK 8-ball" or "Blackpool", and is the game that Darren Appleton has been ranked nr 1 in the world in, for six years.

Both Darren Appleton and Karl Boyes played that game before playing American pool.
 
Congrats on being so well-traveled. Few ever get out of their home country...myself included.
 
Nothing like baby chicken heads to start the day! They say "heads are best." Who ever said, "I'm so hungry, I could eat the ass end out of a chicken."?
 
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