An Epic Tale

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! :)