Real Madrid vs Barcelone: April 26th

Tonight, upon returning from Almeria and Cabo de Gato National  Park (posting to come), we made an evening out of going to town to watch Real Madrid play Barcelona. This rivalry is similar to Yankees-Red Sox, Packers-Bears, and Celtics-Lakers. Due to a somewhat unique scheduling gimmick, the teams are playing each other four times between April 16^th and May2nd. I thought having Vasco watch with a bunch of cap-wearing locals who are fanatical about the game might give the ideal foundation for being a great futboler.

 The plan was to go to the Chinese store (littered throughout Spain and perhaps more of Europe are stores operated by Chinese that sell cheap stuff made in China. The Chinese government either pays the rent on these stores or guarantees it. These stores are perfect for buying just about anything from beach toys to a socket set – our favorite one even has a nice assortment of bras) to pickup some cheap futbol tshirts that aligned Anika with Barcelona and Vasco with Madrid. I even harbored optimistic visions of two older Spanish men laying their canes against the bar and hoisting Vasco to their shoulders after a Real Madrid score.

In the end the Chinese store apparently could not find margin in selling soccer shirts and we found a relatively quiet bar where we could watch the game while sitting comfortably outside. I cheered for Barcelona principally because Sofia cheered for Madrid. Vasco spent most of his time playing with the umbrella that covered our table. When he was not doing this, he was keen on doing “knuckles” (fist bumping) with me and yelling “chocolate” upon impact. I so badly want to find relevance between this activity and the futbol game but as of this posting, it is eluding me.

For those who care, Messi (Barcelona) knocked in two goals about 15 minutes after we had left to put the kids to bed. The skills and strategy that take place during these games is amazing but to me it is bogged down by the posturing, gesticulating, acting and bickering that the players feel compelled to perform in the name of entertainment. That said, I will be back for more on May 2^nd.