Carol Bontekoe

This blog has been keeping track of my adventures since 2004. The stories and the adventures have come from my college dorm room to Uganda, Peace Corps Kyrgyzstan, learning Dutch in the Netherlands to living in the wilds of Homer, Alaska. I went back to school in Amsterdam to study Theaterwetenschap (Theatre Science) at University of Amsterdam. And now my adventures as a Fruit Fly, a Sexy Unicorn, and creating a movement with Team Sparkle in Chicago.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Spanish Football


Me cheering on Barcelona

Diane and I at Real Madrid.


I never did get the chance to talk about going to some Spanish Football games with Diane. We first went to a Real Madrid-Getafe game in Madrid that ended with Getafe winning 1-0. Very dissappointing. Then I got her to also go to a Barcelona-Valencia CF game. That ended with a 1-1 tie. It was amazing though. Valencia's goalie Timo Hildebrand was so A-Mazing. Barcelona had shot after shot and he was stopping everything. Valencia had two shots at the goal and made one. Barca's goalie only had a 50% for the night. Diane felt the need to point out the math on that. Barcelona only scored in the very last seconds of the extended play of the game where they threw everything they had at good ole Timo. Diane and I sat near the Valencia crowd, which was so loud and chaotic. After the game Diane and I waited for the fans to clear out so we wouldn't have to fight our way out. What we didn't know we'd get to see by waiting was actual fights. The police trapped in the Valencia fans and wouldn't let them leave till all of Barca's fans were gone. The continued to sing and cheer for the time they were trapped in the stadium. However when they did let a few go there were still a few Barca fans in there and that's when the fights started. Was pretty cool for D.D. and I since we were just sitting there waiting for everyone to leave.
Those fights didn't seem too common of the atmosphere of Spanish Football. I couldn't believe how supportive the fans were at both Barcelona and Madrid. Diane said people had potty mouths(she speaks Spanish, where as I was delightfully ignorant) But seriously they would cheer just for trying to make a goal. They weren' angry at the team for their mistakes but encouraging them to do better. I loved the enviroment that I was engolfed in at the games.
One strange thing from the Madrid game that didn't happen at the Barcelona game was that at half time everyone in unison pulled out a sandwich wrapped in tin foil and sat there eating their sandwiches and talking about the first half of the game. The women's bathroom at Real Madrid was empty in the mostly Male crowd. Diane and I looked around and we were the only women that were there without a man. Barcelona was completely different with a strong female presence. The one who sat behind us had a particularly filthy mouth.
So, if you are ever in Spain it is worth checking out the football Matches. Even if you know nothing about the sport. Diane can back me up here... Spanish Football is alot of fun.

1 comments :

  1. Anonymous said...

    i love that top photo of you!