This is the story - an epic tale - of two football (AKA soccer) teams
in all-out war to claim their place in the Olympic quarter-finals...
(Actually, it's more like a story of how I went to the match, but
that's besides the point.)
One afternoon, not too long ago, I was sitting in the living room with
some friends, eating pizza, when one of them found available tickets
to watch Brazil play New Zealand in the Olympics. We all looked at
each other, and in the following 25 seconds, as Lee clicked through
the screens to confirm the availability of the tickets, we decided to
take the plunge. In unison we turned to Lee, exclaiming "I'm in!".
Five tickets were purchased, and the adventure began... Only AFTER we
bought tickets did I realize the game would be in Newcastle and I was
to be staying in London during that time. Oh well :)
Thankful that I found tickets to an Olympic event, and even more so
that I would have the (perhaps) once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
watch Brazil play, AND it all happened to coincide with my one day
off... How could I refuse the chance to witness such an epic event -
history in the making?!
Tuesday night my team performed in Sidcup, in the greater London area.
After the show and mingling with the audience, I quickly changed and
literally RAN to the train station to make the 22h train back into
London. I had an 23.55h bus to catch, and it would take a 40 minute
train, 20 minute subway, and 10 minute walk to get me there, not to
mention transfers and waiting time.
After huffing and puffing and breaking quite a sweat (I hate running),
we arrived at the train station with 2 minutes to spare to catch the
incoming train. Safely aboard, I could relax that there was enough
time to make all the connections. At London Waterloo, we transferred
to the tube (subway), and rode two different lines, eventually
covering the distance to Victoria station. It's incredible how many
people were still traveling at 11pm... :) oh the city!
When we arrived at the coach station, I knew we were in the right
place: I found myself surrounded by the musical sound of Portuguese,
and bright yellow jerseys everywhere I looked. We weren't the only
ones to catch an overnight bus to Newcastle...
Seven hours later, with a solid 40 minutes of sound sleep, we pulled
up to a lifeless Newcastle, supporting my theory that no one should be
awake at 6.30am... The streets looked like a ghost town, with not a
soul to be seen. I considered sleeping in an alley somewhere, but
unfortunately it was cold and wet, and I didn't think it would be
conducive to my wellbeing. We settled for Starbucks instead. What's
6 hours in a coffee shop anyways?! One crazy way to spend my day off,
but to take the train at a more convenient time was 5 times the
price... Overnight buses it is!
Four hours of Starbucks later, I had my nails painted green and
yellow, my eyeshadow matching, and decked out in Brazil colors. Go
big or go home :) I fully support my Latin American team! I even did
Clark's nails, as I told him he should take one for the team...
The game was a blast. Brazil dominated New Zealand 3-0 and we proudly supported their win. The crowd was friendly and upbeat, fully
sporting the Olympic spirit. With our big flag and enthusiastic
cheers we made friends quickly...
What a day! It's nice to slip away from the usual routine, find
myself in a new environment, and hang out with a different group of
people... I experienced the Olympics first-hand, and THAT is a special
event indeed.
Cheers mates! :)
