I totally agree. I have been watching the UK Snooker championships on BBC the last few days, and although the players are highly skilled, it is boring alongside the Mosconi Cup on SkySports. There aren't many sporting events that have the energy and enthusiasm we are seeing at York Hall this week. I would compare this with the Ryder Cup in golf.
On a side note, it has been somewhat a whirlwind trip to London, ten hours to get here and ten hours flying back. It took me two days just to adjust to the time change. It's a shame because London is such a fascinating city, it's roots going back many hundreds (thousands ?) of years. Ancient buildings are everywhere, all with some interesting history. York Hall was home to some of the greatest entertainers of the last two centuries. On the wall in the tournament office is a giant photograph of King George with the Queen Mother on the steps of York Hall. He was the King of England from 1938 to 1952, when he passed away and Elizabeth (their daughter) became Queen of England.
JUst across the street from York Hall is the Museum of Childhood, a wonderful place to take children to learn and discover. One of the main exhibits includes antique games and toys that amused children decades and centuries ago. The creativity and ingenuity of the toymakers of old continually amazed me. What they were able to accomplish before electronics were introduced to toy making. Their use of string, wires, rubber bands and springs to power toys of old is quite an education. Even the devices that adults used for entertainment one hundred and two hundred years ago were cool to see. How they created simulated motion and various light shows is beyond clever. It is the stuff of magic.
Next time I will make more time to explore London. I want to walk these streets and see the sights. I doubt I will have many opportunities like this again in my life.
P.S. One interesting fact I learned yesterday is when the first bicycle was invented. Can you guess? See how close you come. I will post the answer below in a moment.
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