I can't believe that it is really over! Although we were given an extra half hour of football, at least we did not have to succumb to watching the World Cup be won on penalties as Germany managed to find a goal late in the extra period. My heart was pulling for Argentina and the Americas, but having seen Germany twice live, I always assumed they would find a way to win. Argentina has Messi and a talented supporting cast, but the Germans have depth and discipline like no other team; no matter who lined up they were always in control of the ball, rarely out of position with their shape and seemingly constant perfect spacing, never making hurried, frantic clears. Outside of the Ghana game they never looked vulnerable and were definitely the best team of the tournament. There were a record (-tying) 171 goals scored in this World Cup along with some of the best goalkeeping we have seen in a long time. Germany's Neuer won the Golden Glove (very creepy trophy) but had strong competition from CONCACAF with Costa Rica's Kaylor Navas, Mexico's Memo Ochoa, USA's Tim Howard and others. Lionel Messi took the Golden Boot for best overall player and James Rodriguez, with only five games won the Golden Ball with his six goals (and probably the goal of the tournament with his chest volley strike against Uruguay). It was definitely a Cup to remember!
However, Monday was a difficult, melancholy, slow-moving day and it should have probably been dreary and raining throughout. I guess I was in mourning as I wore a black CU T-shirt, the first non-World Cup/soccer shirt I had worn in weeks. I was in a funk all day, unsure of what to do with myself. I could have watched replays but I couldn't muster the effort. I will eventually finish recapping my trip, but was just not motivated to write. No Sportscenter, iphone app, internet site or book could hold my attention for very long. Hopefully, it will get a little easier each day. Maybe watching more replays as long as they are available On Demand will become more enjoyable as time goes on (although I still need to watch Mexico-Netherlands to complete my "Mexico Marathon" started last Friday).
As for this blog, I will finish my trip recaps, with a couple upcoming posts on Recife, Rio and Brasil in general (see previous posts in this blog about Salvador and also a short piece on my other blog: http://bcraptorwatch.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-little-brasil-birding.html ), and will hopefully adding some photos soon.
After that, I will continue to follow soccer, as there are many other "Copas" to look forward to watching and hopefully attending. I will be checking in on both the Mexican and US national teams as they prepare for those future Cups: The Gold Cup next year here in the USA, followed in 2016 by the Copa America, also in the USA, making its first appearance ever outside South America, then hopefully one of the teams will qualify for the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017, and eventually World Cup 2018 Russia. Both of "my" teams look to have their coach for the foreseeable future with Jurgen inked through 2018 and Herrera likely soon to be signed on as well. In the meantime, both squads will have some interesting friendlies coming up, including a Mexico rematch with the Dutch in Holland. I also think I am going to start watching some LigaMX.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Salvador, Brasil
As I finally post the first installment about the trip, it is the last day of the World Cup and Germany will take on Argentina for the title they will hold for the next four years. I can't believe it is over and I am not sure what I will do with myself next week (probably catch up on these and hopefully Infinity On Demand will still offer all the Univision telecasts). It seems like a perfect time to recap and I will post something every couple days this week.
Looking back, Salvador was probably my favorite city of the three we visited. Rio was over the top, Recife a little boring, and the hotels in those two locales were just not nearly as nice and accommodating as the wonderful Mar Brasil Hotel in the Itapua neighborhood and beach area on the northwest of the large city in the state of Bahia. Although we were situated on the far side of the city from most of the action, a good 30-minute white-knuckle cab ride away (more on that in a future post), it was just our style, a small, locally run hotel along a quiet beach with good food, beautiful decor and ambiance, including a TV in the lobby that played every game, and absolutely exceptional service. The staff was always available to help, direct us to many great nearby restaurants, help plan travel and make reservations, and when we were not provided an "ocean view" room as promised, they refunded two nights stay! (Needless to say, this did not set us up well for the general service we would receive the rest of the trip, but it was certainly nice while it lasted.)
The first night we tried out some local food at a small family restaurant. The hotel porter actually walked us to and showed us four restaurants in the area, including the "expensive" one, to make sure we were safe and that they were still open. By the end of the trip we had tried all four and they all had great food, with shall we say "interesting" service according to our "American" standards. When we awoke the next morning we were treated to a fine buffet of fresh fruits and baked goods, numerous hot dishes, an egg station, cereals, cheeses and meats, yogurt and two types of fresh juice. We were certainly able to start each day with a good breakfast.
We quickly jumped into World Cup spirit and as we left the hotel to get into our cab for the Germany-Portugal game, we heard a "Ha-lo! Good Morning! Are you going to the stadium?" in a strong German accent from across the street, as an older man with a Germany flag draped across his shoulders as a cape was jogging toward us. Although it may not be advised to allow a random stranger to join you we both readily welcomed this jovial fellow, who actually spoke great English and fair Portuguese and he gave us a history lesson and tour of the city, asking the cabbie anything he didn't know and passing it along. It seemed most local Brazilians were favoring the Portuguese as they were quite eager to rib him in stopped traffic as he waved his homeland's pride. We actually still had to walk up over a kilometer to get to the stadium which is situated on a hill in the middle of a bunch of favelas. There was a strong police presence along the way and the crowd was jovial, taking a lot of pictures of the stadium and area. When we got inside it beautiful, the Fan Zone has tons of fun activities and free junk, and our seats ended up being quite good. This stadium was constructed on the site of the old one, using over 90% of the materials from the old structure. The game itself was a blast with a huge group of Portuguese behind us to the left and numerous groups of Germans to the right, keeping the chanting and singing going throughout the game. The Germans really dominated from start to finish, neutralizing the disappointing Christiano Ronaldo and helped by Pepe's stupidity to thrash the Portuguese 4-0. The game left me very impressed with how well the Germans space themselves and control the ball, and it wasn't the last time during the month that I had that thought. That evening we actually ended up just watching the US-Ghana game back in the hotel lobby, as a nice crowd was gathering when we got back. It was a really great full first day and perfect way to start this trip.
The next morning we actually were involved in a minor fender-bender while taking a cab to the old town Pelourinho area. It actually wasn't even the cabby's fault, although he was your typical crazy Brazilian taxi driver: goes ways too fast, brakes at the last second, comes way too close to nearby cars, uses indeterminable number of lanes. Although we had some very interesting cab rides to say the least, this was our only accident of the three weeks.(again, more to come on this topic). We were in stop and go traffic and the guy behind us, who likely was on his phone, lightly bumped into us. Luckily, everyone was fine with minor damage to the cars and we were able to continue on our way. The entire neighborhood around the Pelourinho, the main plaza in the Alta (high section) of the Old Town that used to serve as one of the world's largest slave auctions, was decked out beautifully with the trademark yellow and green national colors. It was here that I first noticed how many people were wearing the familiar Brasil jersey, more often than not number 10, and how many places were adorned with streamers, flags or other decorations. As the city was also setting up for their Sao Joa festivities, there was a lot of general activity, including Capoeira (dance/martial arts) and Oludum drumming performances in the public areas. There is a very old tramway that takes you between the Alta and Baixa (lower) parts of the old city. I got my Mexico Havaiana flip-flops down below before we went to the Fan Fest for the much anticipated Brasil-Mexico match-up.
When we got to the Salvador Fan Fest area out at the coastal point and Farol da Barra, we immediately spotted and were drawn toward four guys in Mexican jerseys sitting below the Lighthouse there and went over to join them. It was refreshing to hear and speak Spanish, even more so than the English I had spoken. Our crowd grew and grew with a lot of verde jerseys, Lucha Libre masks, Mexican flags decorating a diverse crowd of fans including your typical rowdy diehard male fans, numerous young couples, two different teenage boys taking their birthday trips with their padres, and one young man who had saved four years to take his grandparents to Brasil (he even had sandwiches in his backpack for them and his grandma was one of the rowdiest fans). After watching the first of Belgium's late game heriocs on the big screen and before the Mexico-Brasil clash started, we went in search of some food and stumbled upon what would become a "staple" of the trip-"bowl of meat" as we liked to call it, or a simple churrasco/grill stand that simply cooks kebabs of meat and then serves them in a small bowl with not much more than maybe some "farofa" or manioc root powder that really only adds a little texture. It is simple perfection and filled us up for the intense match-up that was to come.
The seemingly large Fan Fest area filled up quickly and watching this Mexico-Brasil game in that electric environment was almost like being at the game (it is described in further detail in a previous post "Salvador Fan Fest"). I like to think that from above the crowd looked like a Brazilian flag with our group of Mexican fans a green circle in the middle surrounded by vast yellow all around. After the intense and exciting 0-0 draw (Americanos just don't get this!) the attitude in the Mexican group was that of celebrating a win. Getting out of the Fan Fest was another story as the entrance/exit was very narrow (another example of brilliant efficiency here) and anxious and slow-going as waves of people inched the crowd slowly forward. Luckily, the Brasileiros were generally calm, certainly patient and good-natured, joking with us as we all were pushed and pulled along, often body to body and face to face, excruciatingly slowly toward the exit. We finally got out of the sweaty hoard and hailed a taxi back to the hotel. All in all, this ended up being one of our favorite days of the trip.
Although it was a little cold and windy, with huge waves, we spent quite a bit of time walking up and down, as well as sitting on the beach, and also relaxed by the pool. It was just a very pleasant and comfortable place to be. One afternoon we were interviewed by a local TV sports reporter who was fishing for someone to sing "The Girl from Ipanema" but he couldn't get anyone to bite. The last night in Salvador, we went to Mistura, the "expensive" restaurant the porter had pointed the first night, as I realized it was one that I had written down after having seen it mentioned numerous times in my reading as "the best seafood in Salvador". It was quite nice and had impressive large screen TVs that appear to be large paintings but then can convert and show a soccer game when needed, which is often in Brasil. It was a nice way to end with a great meal but definitely sad to be leaving Salvador early the next morning.
Looking back, Salvador was probably my favorite city of the three we visited. Rio was over the top, Recife a little boring, and the hotels in those two locales were just not nearly as nice and accommodating as the wonderful Mar Brasil Hotel in the Itapua neighborhood and beach area on the northwest of the large city in the state of Bahia. Although we were situated on the far side of the city from most of the action, a good 30-minute white-knuckle cab ride away (more on that in a future post), it was just our style, a small, locally run hotel along a quiet beach with good food, beautiful decor and ambiance, including a TV in the lobby that played every game, and absolutely exceptional service. The staff was always available to help, direct us to many great nearby restaurants, help plan travel and make reservations, and when we were not provided an "ocean view" room as promised, they refunded two nights stay! (Needless to say, this did not set us up well for the general service we would receive the rest of the trip, but it was certainly nice while it lasted.)
The first night we tried out some local food at a small family restaurant. The hotel porter actually walked us to and showed us four restaurants in the area, including the "expensive" one, to make sure we were safe and that they were still open. By the end of the trip we had tried all four and they all had great food, with shall we say "interesting" service according to our "American" standards. When we awoke the next morning we were treated to a fine buffet of fresh fruits and baked goods, numerous hot dishes, an egg station, cereals, cheeses and meats, yogurt and two types of fresh juice. We were certainly able to start each day with a good breakfast.
We quickly jumped into World Cup spirit and as we left the hotel to get into our cab for the Germany-Portugal game, we heard a "Ha-lo! Good Morning! Are you going to the stadium?" in a strong German accent from across the street, as an older man with a Germany flag draped across his shoulders as a cape was jogging toward us. Although it may not be advised to allow a random stranger to join you we both readily welcomed this jovial fellow, who actually spoke great English and fair Portuguese and he gave us a history lesson and tour of the city, asking the cabbie anything he didn't know and passing it along. It seemed most local Brazilians were favoring the Portuguese as they were quite eager to rib him in stopped traffic as he waved his homeland's pride. We actually still had to walk up over a kilometer to get to the stadium which is situated on a hill in the middle of a bunch of favelas. There was a strong police presence along the way and the crowd was jovial, taking a lot of pictures of the stadium and area. When we got inside it beautiful, the Fan Zone has tons of fun activities and free junk, and our seats ended up being quite good. This stadium was constructed on the site of the old one, using over 90% of the materials from the old structure. The game itself was a blast with a huge group of Portuguese behind us to the left and numerous groups of Germans to the right, keeping the chanting and singing going throughout the game. The Germans really dominated from start to finish, neutralizing the disappointing Christiano Ronaldo and helped by Pepe's stupidity to thrash the Portuguese 4-0. The game left me very impressed with how well the Germans space themselves and control the ball, and it wasn't the last time during the month that I had that thought. That evening we actually ended up just watching the US-Ghana game back in the hotel lobby, as a nice crowd was gathering when we got back. It was a really great full first day and perfect way to start this trip.
The next morning we actually were involved in a minor fender-bender while taking a cab to the old town Pelourinho area. It actually wasn't even the cabby's fault, although he was your typical crazy Brazilian taxi driver: goes ways too fast, brakes at the last second, comes way too close to nearby cars, uses indeterminable number of lanes. Although we had some very interesting cab rides to say the least, this was our only accident of the three weeks.(again, more to come on this topic). We were in stop and go traffic and the guy behind us, who likely was on his phone, lightly bumped into us. Luckily, everyone was fine with minor damage to the cars and we were able to continue on our way. The entire neighborhood around the Pelourinho, the main plaza in the Alta (high section) of the Old Town that used to serve as one of the world's largest slave auctions, was decked out beautifully with the trademark yellow and green national colors. It was here that I first noticed how many people were wearing the familiar Brasil jersey, more often than not number 10, and how many places were adorned with streamers, flags or other decorations. As the city was also setting up for their Sao Joa festivities, there was a lot of general activity, including Capoeira (dance/martial arts) and Oludum drumming performances in the public areas. There is a very old tramway that takes you between the Alta and Baixa (lower) parts of the old city. I got my Mexico Havaiana flip-flops down below before we went to the Fan Fest for the much anticipated Brasil-Mexico match-up.
When we got to the Salvador Fan Fest area out at the coastal point and Farol da Barra, we immediately spotted and were drawn toward four guys in Mexican jerseys sitting below the Lighthouse there and went over to join them. It was refreshing to hear and speak Spanish, even more so than the English I had spoken. Our crowd grew and grew with a lot of verde jerseys, Lucha Libre masks, Mexican flags decorating a diverse crowd of fans including your typical rowdy diehard male fans, numerous young couples, two different teenage boys taking their birthday trips with their padres, and one young man who had saved four years to take his grandparents to Brasil (he even had sandwiches in his backpack for them and his grandma was one of the rowdiest fans). After watching the first of Belgium's late game heriocs on the big screen and before the Mexico-Brasil clash started, we went in search of some food and stumbled upon what would become a "staple" of the trip-"bowl of meat" as we liked to call it, or a simple churrasco/grill stand that simply cooks kebabs of meat and then serves them in a small bowl with not much more than maybe some "farofa" or manioc root powder that really only adds a little texture. It is simple perfection and filled us up for the intense match-up that was to come.
The seemingly large Fan Fest area filled up quickly and watching this Mexico-Brasil game in that electric environment was almost like being at the game (it is described in further detail in a previous post "Salvador Fan Fest"). I like to think that from above the crowd looked like a Brazilian flag with our group of Mexican fans a green circle in the middle surrounded by vast yellow all around. After the intense and exciting 0-0 draw (Americanos just don't get this!) the attitude in the Mexican group was that of celebrating a win. Getting out of the Fan Fest was another story as the entrance/exit was very narrow (another example of brilliant efficiency here) and anxious and slow-going as waves of people inched the crowd slowly forward. Luckily, the Brasileiros were generally calm, certainly patient and good-natured, joking with us as we all were pushed and pulled along, often body to body and face to face, excruciatingly slowly toward the exit. We finally got out of the sweaty hoard and hailed a taxi back to the hotel. All in all, this ended up being one of our favorite days of the trip.
Although it was a little cold and windy, with huge waves, we spent quite a bit of time walking up and down, as well as sitting on the beach, and also relaxed by the pool. It was just a very pleasant and comfortable place to be. One afternoon we were interviewed by a local TV sports reporter who was fishing for someone to sing "The Girl from Ipanema" but he couldn't get anyone to bite. The last night in Salvador, we went to Mistura, the "expensive" restaurant the porter had pointed the first night, as I realized it was one that I had written down after having seen it mentioned numerous times in my reading as "the best seafood in Salvador". It was quite nice and had impressive large screen TVs that appear to be large paintings but then can convert and show a soccer game when needed, which is often in Brasil. It was a nice way to end with a great meal but definitely sad to be leaving Salvador early the next morning.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Reacclimating to UnitedStatesian life
Wow-I have been back almost a week now and have been trying to imagine what Brasil looks and sounds like today after the devastating loss suffered by A seleceao yesterday. The one striking image that sticks with me is bright yellow and green, everywhere you looked. Many streets were completely decorated, with yellow and green streamers across the streets, along with Brasileira flags in most storefronts, hanging from every building and even adorning the front side mirrors on many cars. Seemingly everyone, literally 40% or more at any given time, 75%+ on game days, dressed in the traditional yellow Brasil jerseys-the kids, the adults, seniors, waiters, shop and boutique workers. Most places had a TV going anytime any game was one-IN many of the taxis and some even built into the dash, at the local pharmacy, grocery store or salon, at the gas station, and of course anywhere, even the smallest cart or kiosk, that serves any type of food or drink. When Brasil was actually playing the normally busy streets were eerily quiet except for the outbursts at overflowing restaurants and bars. (The government and many business actually shut down early, by law, on Brasil game days.) No matter what languages, combinations or lack thereof, we were constantly talking futebol/futbol/football/soccer with someone. I had stated numerous times that Germany was very good and would be difficult for Brasil under any circumstances, but especially so without Thiago Silva (Neymar as well, but the captain centerback is much more crucial to how the team flows) I hope that Brasileiro spirit and passion is still prevalent today.
Overall. our trip was amazing, wonderful, trying at times, but a fabulous experience. Unfortunately, with a busy schedule and one-computer lobby "business centers" at all of our hotels it was very difficult to post during the trip outside of Twitter, and then only when I had Wifi and/or some sort of internet connection. The previous post in this blog gave my impressions of Salvador and the Mexico-Brasil game we viewed at the Fan Fest. Therefore, over the next week or so, I will post a few recaps and summaries of the places we visited, the games we witnessed, interesting multinational people we met and other interesting tidbits of Brazilian culture and language (i.e. "Does Spanish really help?" and...the taxis). I'll start with something about Salvador tomorrow.
For an extra Brasil tidbit, check out my other blog about Birds of Prey, usually local raptors for me, but the latest post touched on some birding in Salvador: http://bcraptorwatch.blogspot.com/
Overall. our trip was amazing, wonderful, trying at times, but a fabulous experience. Unfortunately, with a busy schedule and one-computer lobby "business centers" at all of our hotels it was very difficult to post during the trip outside of Twitter, and then only when I had Wifi and/or some sort of internet connection. The previous post in this blog gave my impressions of Salvador and the Mexico-Brasil game we viewed at the Fan Fest. Therefore, over the next week or so, I will post a few recaps and summaries of the places we visited, the games we witnessed, interesting multinational people we met and other interesting tidbits of Brazilian culture and language (i.e. "Does Spanish really help?" and...the taxis). I'll start with something about Salvador tomorrow.
For an extra Brasil tidbit, check out my other blog about Birds of Prey, usually local raptors for me, but the latest post touched on some birding in Salvador: http://bcraptorwatch.blogspot.com/
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