Poor Choice #1: Travel alone to Vila-Real.
This is a tiny pueblito. Smaller than Avila, why it has such a big futbol team I will never know. Arrived and had to find my way to my "hostel" which is a bar with some rooms that people can rent. It is the only place to rent rooms in the town. It is that small.
I had gotten directions off line, but when it came time to follow them I couldn't find one street so I ended up walking a lot longer than I had to and it was a little scary, but not THAT scary...anyways, with the help of one man walking his dog I found my way to Hostel La Masia. Got my key and paid and went to my room. There were a couple people wearing jerseys drinking at the bar when I arrived to I decided to change and join them. Put on my Xavi jersey and went to get a drink.
I ordered "tinto de verano" which is just table wine with soda. The guy who owns the place just game me a bottle of soda and a bottle of wine and a glass and told me to do as I pleased with it. haha. There was a group of 4 guys next to me ordering shots. One of the guys asked if I wanted one. I declined. As the bartender started cutting up limes and game them some salt I asked, "tequila?" and they said yea, and asked if I wanted one again. I declined again, but started talking to them. They knew some guys who were in the police academy in Avila and were from Alicante. Talked about the game and Barca (they were all wearing jerseys, or in one case, a flag). I asked when they were heading out and they said "now" and offered to drive me to the stadium. I knew that I didn't know these guys at all, but the stadium was like a 1/2 hour walk so I said ok.
Poor Choice #2: Get in car with 4 strange men
On the car ride there one guy says to me, "so you travel to Valencia alone, then you travel from Valencia to Vila-Real alone, and now you are in a car with 4 strangers...As we say, you have some balls." Sorry to my mother, I promise I usually am much safer than this.
We parked and went to a bar that was FILLED with Barca fans. Everyone was singing Barca songs and chanting and the guys bought me a beer. I am not a huge beer person so I drank it very slowly, but they were going much faster than me. Every time they were ready for another round they would say, "you need a fresh one" and buy me a new beer so I drank three 1/2 beers. haha.Went outside to greet the Barca bus as it came in and then we went to take our seats. When the team came out of the field I almost cried I was so excited. I had seen them before of course, but the obsession was a lot more mild than it is now. This was just a CRAZY experience. Xavi was questionable to play because he got hurt last game, but he played AND HE SCORED! First Messi, than Xavi, then Bojan, then Messi. 4-1 killing and Xavi played amazing (for me?). The stadium had so many Barca fans, I felt a little bad for Villa. Pep looked good in his suit.
After the game we got back in the car after hanging around outside the stadium a bit and singing some songs...we got stopped at a traffic light on our way back to the hostel by a police officer BECAUSE THE BARCA BUS WAS COMING THROUGH! We got out of the car and started waving our flags and scarves as the bus passed and then jumped back in the car quickly and one of the guys started screaming "SIGUE SIGUE!" which means follow...so we followed the bus for a while before we got stopped by a police officer again at a different light so we went home. It was sooo crazy. I was just dieing of happiness. I am pretty sure all my serotonin emptied. The guys wanted to go out to a club, but I was so exhausted to I said good night. I did have to deal with a drunk phone call at 5:00 however. I pick up my phone and start talking in Spanish (I am sure this was my first spanish only phone call that I was fully able to understand and partake in - it was amazing) anyways...it's one of the guys. He sat by me in the car on the way back and started talking to me about his radio show, his new wife of 4 months and the differences between weddings in the US and Spain (haha)...he says to me on the phone: "What are you doing?" I say "sleeping" He says "We are coming to visit." I say "No, I am going to sleep, good night". I hear them come in, but they don't knock or anything so I felt better.
The next morning I get a text saying sorry for waking me up. I text back that it was ok and it was nice to meet them and I hoped he got his voice back soon (he had lost it within the first hour of singing and shouting in the bar). He texted back that it was nice to meet me and he hoped my travels finished well and I stayed safe.
Around noon I head to the train station, determined to find a shorter route I get kinda lost. I do, however, find my way eventually and get on a train back to Valencia. GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! De Barca HASTA LA MUERTE!!!!!
Tot el camp
es un clam
som la gent blaugrana.
Tant se val d'on venim
si del sud o del nord
ara estem d'acord, estem d'acord,
una bandera ens agermana
Blaugrana al vent
un crit valent
tenim un nom el sap tothom:
BARCA BARCA BARCA!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment