It took a mere two weeks of being home to become boring, so I needed a new adventure. Plans were discussed, flights and a hotel were booked and before I knew it I was off to Catalonia with Karl and Bof, two friends from university. It was a great excuse to meet up with Bof having not seen him for 18 months. It was less exciting to see Karl on the other hand, if anything I've seen him too much in recent times.
The first
afternoon and evening was spent in the many bars around the Las Rambla region
in Barcelona's city centre. I'd like to say that we sampled the local beers of
Catalonia, but it was mainly just San Miguel. We drank a lot of them, so maybe
that's a positive review? Although, I've been known to drink a cocktail of
Tesco Value vodka and lemonade. If anyone from the San Miguel marketing team is
reading this and they want a quote, the Tefl-on Don says "San Miguel's
alright".
Tuesday
was a stunning day, we spent the afternoon taking in the sights of the city
from a rooftop bus. It's the best way to see a city that boasts churches as its main attractions. Take a picture from the bus and move on. We did stop and have a look
at the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's famous unfinished Catholic church. Apparently
construction started in 1882. What the hell have they been doing for 133 years?
I'll tell you what they haven't been doing - working! Stop sleeping in the
afternoon, get off your arse and get it finished. It's no wonder that their
economy is in the pan. Then they have the audacity to try and charge me a €15
entry fee. For what? To have a look around a building site? No thanks.
 |
| Lazy builders still haven't finished the Sagrada Familia |
The bus
tour took us to the other sites of Barcelona including the Columbus Monument, The Olympic Stadium, and around the foothills of Mount Tibidabo where we went hiking. We were at
the end of this path, and we came to a clearing, and there was a lake, very
secluded, and there were tall trees all around. It was dead silent. Gorgeous.
And across the lake I saw, a beautiful woman, bathing herself. She was
crying...
 |
| The Columbus Monument - Christopher Columbus pointing towards America (apparently he's pointing in the wrong direction!) |
The
evening rolled around and it was time for the main event - Camp Nou. A visit to
Barcelona isn't worthwhile without taking in the "tiki-taka" playing
style of FC Barcelona.
We
arrived at the ground in plenty of time, in hope to pay a visit to the club
museum and take in the pre-game atmosphere. Unfortunately neither happened. The
queue for the museum was enormous and atmosphere - what atmosphere? Where were
the local fans? The majority of people there were tourist fans such as myself.
Barcelona is a gigantic club that has attracted a worldwide fan base, but
they've traded in their essence. It's resulted in the commercialisation of
literally everything. Before the game you must pick up an FC Barcelona toasted
sandwich maker, and an FC Barcelona toothbrush. How did I ever get by without them?
And I know this is a very hypocritical summary as I was a tourist fan, and an
Arsenal supporter, a club notoriously known for doing the exact same thing. But
it's a grind a have with modern football.
Into the stadium and it is awe inspiring. The sheer magnitude of it is rather incomprehensible. Despite the capacity being 99,354 it is not that steep, but rather wide. The view is good even from the top and it's the perfect setting for an evening game. Then the teams are announced and it's exactly what I've been hoping for - Neymar, Suarez, and Messi all start. I feel truly privileged that Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp once wore the red of the Arsenal, but when you hear the names that have represented Barcelona you certainly feel envious of the magnitude of the club. Players like Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Cruyff, Maradona, Xavi, Iniesta...and Hleb, the way the front three play together the fans should be honoured that they get to watch the most exciting front line in world football right now.
The show that the current XI put on
that evening was majestic. Barcelona destroyed mid-table Getafe and were 5-0 to
the good by half time. The team play so well and pass the ball effortlessly. It
finished 6-0 and I left a little disappointed that there was only one goal in
the second half. Only one of very few disappointments with going to see
Barcelona play.
The crowd
was subdued. Maybe this was because it was a Tuesday night game, or because it
wasn't a sell out, or maybe it was to do with the thousands of tourists at the
game. Of the 65,356 people there there were around 200 fans that made noise
throughout.
The next stadium I go to will struggle to follow the Camp Nou.
Back to Bedford and back to work. I wonder how long it will be before I'm planning the next trip...
