Madrid Life
Its very refreshing to understand the native language again. I’m nowhere close to fluent, but I can manage to hold short conversations and understand directions and most conversations I hear. I’m not staying too long in Madrid, but I wanted to make sure to indulge in some quality cultural events. I met Juanjo in Amsterdam, and he told me to make sure to contact him when I came to Madrid.
Unfortunately, I called Juanjo on Saturday only to find out he had tickets to the largest futbol (aka soccer) game of the year in Madrid. Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid. He told me I could try to get an outrageously priced ticket or find a jam packed bar by the stadium. Budget traveling helped me make my decision not to buy a 120 euro ticket.
The game was home for Atletico, and as such the bar was filled almost entirely by Atletico fanatics. I promised Juanjo I would cheer for Atletico. American fans of any sport will be hard pressed to beat the frenzy of true futbol fans. The chanting and cheering in the bar was ear-numbing, I stepped outside during half time for some fresh air and a little more space. By the final few minutes of the game Real Madrid was winning 1-0, and Atletico had a foul shot. The crowd became silent waiting not for the TV, but the roar of the crowd inside the stadium. The suspense in the bar electrified as the stadium exploded with sound. The three seconds it took for the images of the goal to be transferred to the TV inside the bar would make any movie producer lustful with envy in trying to emulate. The cheering of not just a goal, but of hope as the game was now tied was overwhelming. Fair weather fans who were leaving the stadium in shame of the ensuing loss ran to the bar. You could feel the wave of people pushing to get a glimpse of the goal on the TV..
Sadly, this fairy tale story stops short. In the stoppage minutes following the goal, Real Madrid scored again and many a fan left for home quietly.
