My World Cup Adventure
This is my World Cup adventure, from airports to stadiums, hostels and street parties. The fun, the excitement and the heartbreak.
June 11, 2014
It was a day of contradicting emotions. I left Toronto in the late afternoon and was a mix of giddy excitement and nerves. The first leg of my journey to Brazil was from Toronto to New York and then from New York to Sao Paulo overnight.
June 12, 2014
This entire day was pretty much devoted to airplanes and airports. I got in to Sao Paulo around 8:00 am and had almost 7 hours to kill before my connection to Rio. Luckily I needed three of those to stand in line at the FIFA Ticketing center and pick up my match tickets! I whiled the time away chatting some with the family in front of me and reading The Doors of Time on my playbook. So glad I thought to put it on. My first match is the following day in Salvador - Spain vs. Netherlands. It was another lengthy layover in Rio before I moved on to Salvador and by the time I landed at 11 pm I was exhausted and ready to sleep. I was excited to be in Brazil but also nervous because I had yet to figure out how to get to the stadium and I like to plan things. I didn't see much of the hostel that night since it was quite late when I arrived. I noted that the rooms were tiny (Just two bunk beds and 4 lockers, no room for anything else.) I set an alarm and fell to a fitful sleep. The room was sticky hot and I was still keyed up.
June 13, 2014
MATCH DAY!
I was in a four person, mixed dorm. One of the guys left that morning but there was a girl from Canada and a guy from Mexico that were still there. We chatted a bit as we got up and started moving about that morning and I quickly discovered they were both attending the match. Lauren was supporting the Netherlands (born in Edmonton but of Dutch descent) and Eric was simply seeing a handful of random matches. We agreed to go to the match, and into the town before together. There was a huge influx of Dutch supporters in the area and the nearby square was where the pre-party was going down. It happened to be the Salvador base for the traveling Dutch fan base but despite all the orange was plenty of fun. People were selling beer and food and drinks, there was lots of cheering and celebrating going on. It was a beautiful day (some odd rain here and there) and the atmosphere was contagious. We drank beer and just milled about taking photos and commenting on some elaborate outfits people had donned. There were some Brazilian boys doing Capoeira; the martial arts, fight dancing. It was fun to see. I felt a little out of place in my Spain jersey amongst all the orange but not threatened. Though two supporters did grab me and draw a Dutch flag on my cheek. (My other one already had the Spain flag.) I kept it while in the middle of the crowd but when we moved off to the side I wiped it off and drew on a second Spain one! I had two Danish boys come up to me and ask if I would give them a Spain flag as well. They were wearing German league jerseys and already had been given Dutch flags but I happily complied.
We found a restaurant to grab some lunch at on the street where a TV was set up so we could watch the Mexico game for Eric. Sadly they were really slow and we never did get our food. I did try my first Caipirinha. (traditional Brazilian drink made with sugar and lime muddled together and cane sugar liquor) It was strong but so sweet and refreshing. I quickly decided it was a new favourite drink. We left for the stadium following the general flow of people and stopped for a snack of crackers and water at the supermarket nearby. We made plans to meet back there after the match as we all were sitting in different sections.
The match. It was good, it was bad. I don’t really know how to explain it. I couldn’t really believe I was actually at WORLD CUP!!! And watching SPAIN PLAY! Even though I wasn’t close I saw Sergio Ramos playing in person. I had seen several of the others that I loved through Real Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea matches but this was the first time I got to see Sergio and it was literally a dream come true. The penalty might have been a soft penalty but seeing Xabi Alonso so cool, calm and collected was incredible. He was so confident placing that ball, running up to it and just boom! Back of the net. Then the second half and when they came back out something was off. They weren’t playing like normal and it was sad to see but not to take away from Netherlands because they played a great game. It was horrible to see them lose, and so completely. I still had faith in my team and I argued with many a person that night that one game does not rule them out, that the last Euros they lost their first match and went on to win it, that Iker Casillas was still amazing and one game does not mean he is over.
In short, I did not let the loss dampen my faith or my spirits for long. I met back up with Lauren and Eric along with four guys from the states. (New Jersey I think…) We walked back towards the square and drank and laughed and bought Acarajé; a traditional Bahia meal. It is basically a bread of sorts that is made from black-eyes peas and deep fried. It is then split in half and filled with shrimp and such. The Bahia ladies make it fresh right there at their stand and it is DELICIOUS!! It was even more so since we had barely eaten that day.
We also saw Kobe Bryant on the street. I don’t have any interest in basketball or him but I still rand down the street with Lauren and everyone else to try and get a photo of him. He went into a restaurant with a group of people, laughing at the mass of people running.
Lauren and I made it back to the hostel around 2 am since we were well and drunk by that point. Also wet. It poured and I knew trying to stay out of it was futile so I let myself get soaked. Laughing and dancing in the street to the amazement of one of the guys. I could have checked off an American that night but he wasn’t that attractive and we lost them at some point in the night. I had arranged for a driver to take me to the airport in the morning via the hostel and went to bed sad about the match but happy.
June 14, 2014
More airports and airplanes. I got to the hostel in Rio in the early evening and right away knew it was a much nicer place than the one in Salvador. Which was nice since I was going to be there just over a week. I spent a quiet night getting settled in and watching the England vs. Italy match on TV.
June 15, 2014
Lazy day. I had the whole day with nothing planned. I slept in a bit, checked e-mails and let people know I was safe and sound. Unfortunately I woke up with the beginnings of a cold. I stayed at the hostel all day and watched the matches up at the rooftop bar. Drank some beer and caipirinha. I wrote a bit and just hung around. No one was particularly friendly, not that they were rude and I kept to myself. This is the downside to traveling alone. I am not an outgoing person and I hesitate to initiate anything. Throw in that a lot of the others guests at the hostel did not speak much English and I was probably seen as a bit of a loner. I did get to try Feijoada; a traditional Portuguese dish. One of the workers at the hostel makes it every Sunday and you can pay for a plate. It is a stew of black beans with pork and kidney beans and kale. It was quite delicious though not my favourite thing.
I was in an 8 person, female dorm but there were only two other girls in the room that day. They were both from Argentina and either were completely inconsiderate or not used to staying in hostels. Their stuff was pretty much EVERYWHERE! They turned lights on and talked loudly with no regard to whether people were sleeping. It was alright because I expect a certain amount of inconvenience in dorms.
June 16, 2014
The first half of this day was probably the low part of my entire trip. (With one obvious exception) I felt lonely and surrounded by too many people. None of whom wanted to talk to me. The Argentinean girls had said a few things to me but I also knew they were the type of girls I would not want to spend longer than five minutes with. I wanted to do something and yet feared it. I still had a couple days before the match and a few days after before I left Rio. I didn’t know the area and the map didn’t help. I let everyone’s concern get to me until I was basically sitting in the hostel with nothing to do, feeling miserable and wishing I had the guts to go out and hating myself for not doing it. This was when Michelle made my day infinitely better. I talked to her on twitter and she convinced me to just get out, to put on headphones so I didn’t have to interact but to just go out and it would be ok. She was right.
I put on my music and left the hostel and I had been out for less than five minutes when I ran into a guy from the hostel I had seen before. He asked what I was up to - I didn’t know, I had no plan in mind - and invited me to go down to a bar in Lapa with him and his friend to watch the Portugal vs. Germany match. As I had no plans I agreed and went back to the hostel with him to wait while he quickly showered and changed. Leo and his friend live in New York but grew up together in Israel. They were in Brazil with the friend’s father.
We went to a bar and watched the game and drank caipirinhas. They were impressed that I had come on my own and friendly. We wandered around afterwards and found a restaurant to grab some lunch. Leo paid for everything which was nice :) Back at the hostel we went up to the bar to watch the second match of the day and have a drink. His friend and father left to go meet some family friends that lived in the area and I ended up going back to their private room with Leo. Fun was had. Sadly, he was not a great kisser but I did get drinks, lunch and a joint out of the deal so all is well haha.
June 17, 2014
It was quiet around the hostel and I hung around inside and by the bar, charging my phone and playbook. Unfortunately I hadn’t brought an adaptor for my devices thinking that they had the same outlets which was half correct. They do but they also have the round 220V ones and the ones in the room were of the 220V variety. Luckily the ones by the computer area fit both so I could charge things there. I watched the Brazil match and was unimpressed, not that I would voice such an opinion in a room full of Brazilians!
That night two new girls joined the room. (There was no a mystery girl we hardly saw, the two Argentineans and two really young girls from Norway) These girls were from Florida and had been staying at the sister hostel down in Ipanema. Unfortunately they had been placed in a mixed dorm when they had booked an all-female dorm. They put up with it for a few days but they guys were incredibly messy, smelly and some other stuff led to them requesting a new room. That hostel was booked but they moved them to the Santa Teresa location. They had spent the previous week in Chile and came bearing wine which they invited me to share with them. We got to talking and it turns out they were going to the Spain vs. Chile match the following day. Once again I made plans to go with them.
June 18, 2014
MATCH DAY!
Heartbreak, nausea, pain. That was how I felt.
We headed down to the stadium and hung about in the area. I bought a Spain jersey at the FIFA fan shop. There were a LOT of Chile fans and they were loud and obnoxious. The actual match experience was the worst of the three. Spain was broken. Their spirit was gone and it was like they were resigned to losing before they even began. It was really hard to watch that. The fans (Chile and just Brazilians) were cruel. I have never experienced such negativity at a match. Just general hatred towards Spain as a whole regardless of what was happening on the pitch. There was boos when a Spain player touched the ball, jeers and derogatory chants when Diego Costa was anywhere near play and heartbreaking chants of ‘E-LI-MI-NADO!’ that made me want to scream and cry. It was a LONG match and I was nerves and grief throughout. The six minutes of added time at the end of the second half were the longest six minutes of my entire trip. And the worst. At that point I knew we weren’t winning, that we weren’t making it out of the group stages. I knew and yet I couldn’t abandon all hope until that final whistle blew. I made a mess of my hand tearing into it with my nails trying to calm some of the sickening heartbreak I was experiencing. When it was all over I wanted to cry and throw up. Except it wasn’t really over for me because I still had to deal with people seeing my Spain jersey (proud to wear it always no matter what) and laughing and mocking and fake sympathy. I had to withstand multiple people asking to take photos knowing that I was filling the role of token, heartbroken Spain fan. All I wanted to do was be back in bed crying and mourning for my team, for the boys I love so much. I managed to tamper down the nausea and hold off on the tears until we were back in the dorm at the hostel. Once again Michelle was there to help me. Talking with someone who actually love those boys, who felt the heartbreak like I did was good. Sonia and Natasha could be sympathetic (sincere unlike the Chileans) but they weren’t devoted to La Roja, they were sad for the team but didn’t FEEL the loss. I went to bed that night calmer but still completely heartbroken.
June 19, 2014
I had a lazy morning, unwilling to get out of bed in wake of Spain’s exit from the tournament. I stayed in bed all morning reading The Doors of Time. In a way it helped to transfer some of my sadness. I did eventually get up and I went into Lapa with Natasha and Sonia to have lunch and watch the afternoon match. We had planned on going down to the Rio Fan Fest which was down at Copacabana but it rained and we decided it wasn’t worth it. I booked a day tour through the hostel for the next day to finally do some of the touristy things in Rio.
That night we went out in Lapa, famous for its nightlife and five minutes away from the hostel. We met up with an Argentinean whom the girls had met at their previous hostel. He had two friends with him and we partied it up. We went to a bar to have some drinks and a snack and wandered around the streets where it was basically a street party. Sonia had a boyfriend back home but Natasha and I were free and we joked about each taking a friend. At the restaurant we were messing about laughing over who got which one and Natasha was saying she didn’t like that the one smoked so I told her to take the non-smoker. Which she did. We ended up at a salsa club which was pretty busy. We only got in because they were short on girls and the guys were with us. Everywhere you went there was like ten guys to every girl. You got hit on a lot, sometimes by creepy guys. I let Daniel (the Argentinean who smoked) convince me to dance which was a laugh since I am very bad at anything requiring rhythm really. But we had fun and drank and Sonia egged us on to be the first to check off Argentina. (I was first! Haha.) They boys walked us back to the hostel (and were probably aiming for an invite but they didn’t get one) We made out against the side of the building turning a goodbye into a ten minute ordeal which Sonia didn’t wait for. Daniel was a great kisser and cute. He told me he was going to improve his English for me and come to Toronto. Of course he doesn’t actually have any way of getting in touch with me but I took them for the pretty words they were and smiled and kissed him. I suppose he could find me easily enough on Facebook through his friend who has Sonia on Facebook but I doubt he will. Which is fine with me. By the time Natasha and I stumbled into the room it was 5:30 in the morning and we were laughing at the idea that we had to be up in two hours for tours. It was definitely worth it though and I had a great night.
June 20, 2014
I was up at 7:30 to get ready for my Best of Rio tour. They picked me up from the hostel at 8 and the first stop after gathering all the people was to go to the Christ the Redeemer statue. I recommend doing it via a tour if you are to go. You get to skip the huge ticket line and just head straight to the line to go up. The statue was impressive and offered a magnificent view of Rio. You could see the Maracana stadium and just all around. It was a pretty clear morning and we got lucky since clouds started rolling in as we left. After the statue we went to Santa Teresa and took a little stroll through the town. It has winding streets, beautiful colours, an old tram railway that is being rebuilt and is a pretty, little, artistic town. We then went on to Lapa to see the Lapa steps. Such colourful steps with thousands of tiles amongst the grime of everyday life in the area. The guide pointed out a few Canadian tiles to me and I got pictures of them. Selarón’s staircase, it is steps separating Lapa and Santa Teresa. It is over 200 steps entirely covered in tiles, the majority are red but there are tiles representing things all over the world from countries to Tom & Jerry to a playboy bunny. Visitors were able to donate tiles and Jorge Selarón added them to his masterpiece. He turned the grey steps into a thing of beauty which he said showcased the beauty of the Brazilian people. After the steps it was the Santa Teresa cathedral which is unlike any cathedral I have ever seen. It was pretty cool. The final stop in our tour was Sugarloaf Mountain. It is almost 400 m above the harbor and boasts a spectacular view of Rio looking in from the bay. You take a set of two cable cars to get to the top. The first takes you to Morro da Urca, a smaller mountain and then from there you take a second line up to Sugarloaf. You can even see Christ the Redeemer from the top. It was a full day and I got back to the hostel exhausted from walking and lack of sleep. It was a good day however.
June 21, 2014
Today was a beach day. We went to Ipanema and spent the afternoon on the beach. It was a nice day and the sun was out. Sun, sand, water, caipirinha, churros and corn. Sadly no tan resulted from it for some reason. We then strolled down to Copacabana where we met up with a co-worker of Sonia’s and saw the Fan Fest set up. We grabbed dinner there and checked out the stalls set up with goodies and souvenirs. It was my last night in Rio and it was a nice, relaxing one.
June 22, 2014
Not much to say. I hung out in the hostel all morning after checking out before catching a ride to the airport in the early evening. Flew into Curitiba and caught a taxi to my hostel where I had an 8 person, female dorm and 6 of the 7 other girls were from Australia. It was a cute little place and it might have been nice to be there another day, not that I think there is much to do in Curitiba.
June 23, 2014
MATCH DAY
I did not care that Spain was out, that it was a disappointing tournament. I donned my new Spain jersey as proud of them as ever. I know a lot of people sold their tickets or simply didn’t go since the game “didn’t matter” but honestly the thought never occurred to me. I support my team win or lose so there was never an option other than going. I made friends with two of the Australians and their friend who met them there and we went down to the stadium together. They ribbed me about wearing the wrong jersey but it was fun and not hostile so it was all ok.
The match was good. They were relaxed and looked like they were enjoying themselves some for the first time all tournament. I was so proud of them for going out there and playing so well and I got to see some pretty great things. I got to see Iniesta play his 100th match for Spain which is massive. I got to see David Villa play (most likely) his last match for Spain and score. I got to see Fernando Torres score. I got to see Sergio Ramos rule the defence with the armband on. I got to see Fernando have his shirt ripped and change on the sidelines (swoon). I got to see Spain win. I left that match feeling happy.
After the match I met up with the Aussies again and we walked through Curitiba towards the town center. We bought fresh, chocolate covered strawberries from a vendor that were so sweet and juicy. We walked down the first pedestrian street way in Brazil. We ended up at a German restaurant that had multiple TVs for dinner to watch the Brazil match. We drank lots of beer and ate bratwurst and were given beer vouchers by this nice Brazilian lady. She gave us a lot so we ended up giving some away. We joked about using them to check off another country for me. In the end we gave them to two Australian guys. The one had this pretty sweet tux jacket made from Australian beer labels or something. I gave mine to his friend in exchange for a kiss. It was simple and fun and I declared it counted. We didn’t stay out too late since we all had early flights the next morning.
June 24, 2014/June 25, 2014
Airplanes, Airports, Shuttle Busses and Layovers.
I caught a taxi to the airport at 7:30 am with one of the other girls to save money. Waited around for my flight back to Rio via Sao Paulo. Waited in Sao Paulo for the connection. Then waited several hours before my flight from Rio to Toronto (via Sao Paulo and Miami) left. Layovers all over the place so plenty of waiting around. I arrived back in Toronto at 1:40 pm on the 25th.
The trip was incredible, an amazing experience despite the lows. Do I wish the results had been different? Absolutely. Did I enjoy myself? Absolutely. Yes there were times I was frustrated, lonely, heartbroken, self-loathing and miserable. There were also times I was thrilled, happy, excited, awed, tipsy, grateful, wanted, brave and proud. Would I go back to Brazil? I don’t know. It was incredible to me mostly because of the World Cup and the atmosphere that brought. I didn’t fall in love with the country so maybe not. I don’t have a single regret in going though. I made some friends and even if it is never more than a comment here or there on Facebook in the future or nothing at all they touched my life and helped to make it just a bit better in those two weeks. I love the Spain team just as much as when I left with high hopes and will continue to love them even as beloved players retire and new ones show up. I got to see Spain play in a World Cup and that is a pretty damn awesome thing to be able to say.
June 11, 2014
It was a day of contradicting emotions. I left Toronto in the late afternoon and was a mix of giddy excitement and nerves. The first leg of my journey to Brazil was from Toronto to New York and then from New York to Sao Paulo overnight.
June 12, 2014
This entire day was pretty much devoted to airplanes and airports. I got in to Sao Paulo around 8:00 am and had almost 7 hours to kill before my connection to Rio. Luckily I needed three of those to stand in line at the FIFA Ticketing center and pick up my match tickets! I whiled the time away chatting some with the family in front of me and reading The Doors of Time on my playbook. So glad I thought to put it on. My first match is the following day in Salvador - Spain vs. Netherlands. It was another lengthy layover in Rio before I moved on to Salvador and by the time I landed at 11 pm I was exhausted and ready to sleep. I was excited to be in Brazil but also nervous because I had yet to figure out how to get to the stadium and I like to plan things. I didn't see much of the hostel that night since it was quite late when I arrived. I noted that the rooms were tiny (Just two bunk beds and 4 lockers, no room for anything else.) I set an alarm and fell to a fitful sleep. The room was sticky hot and I was still keyed up.
June 13, 2014
MATCH DAY!
I was in a four person, mixed dorm. One of the guys left that morning but there was a girl from Canada and a guy from Mexico that were still there. We chatted a bit as we got up and started moving about that morning and I quickly discovered they were both attending the match. Lauren was supporting the Netherlands (born in Edmonton but of Dutch descent) and Eric was simply seeing a handful of random matches. We agreed to go to the match, and into the town before together. There was a huge influx of Dutch supporters in the area and the nearby square was where the pre-party was going down. It happened to be the Salvador base for the traveling Dutch fan base but despite all the orange was plenty of fun. People were selling beer and food and drinks, there was lots of cheering and celebrating going on. It was a beautiful day (some odd rain here and there) and the atmosphere was contagious. We drank beer and just milled about taking photos and commenting on some elaborate outfits people had donned. There were some Brazilian boys doing Capoeira; the martial arts, fight dancing. It was fun to see. I felt a little out of place in my Spain jersey amongst all the orange but not threatened. Though two supporters did grab me and draw a Dutch flag on my cheek. (My other one already had the Spain flag.) I kept it while in the middle of the crowd but when we moved off to the side I wiped it off and drew on a second Spain one! I had two Danish boys come up to me and ask if I would give them a Spain flag as well. They were wearing German league jerseys and already had been given Dutch flags but I happily complied.
We found a restaurant to grab some lunch at on the street where a TV was set up so we could watch the Mexico game for Eric. Sadly they were really slow and we never did get our food. I did try my first Caipirinha. (traditional Brazilian drink made with sugar and lime muddled together and cane sugar liquor) It was strong but so sweet and refreshing. I quickly decided it was a new favourite drink. We left for the stadium following the general flow of people and stopped for a snack of crackers and water at the supermarket nearby. We made plans to meet back there after the match as we all were sitting in different sections.
The match. It was good, it was bad. I don’t really know how to explain it. I couldn’t really believe I was actually at WORLD CUP!!! And watching SPAIN PLAY! Even though I wasn’t close I saw Sergio Ramos playing in person. I had seen several of the others that I loved through Real Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea matches but this was the first time I got to see Sergio and it was literally a dream come true. The penalty might have been a soft penalty but seeing Xabi Alonso so cool, calm and collected was incredible. He was so confident placing that ball, running up to it and just boom! Back of the net. Then the second half and when they came back out something was off. They weren’t playing like normal and it was sad to see but not to take away from Netherlands because they played a great game. It was horrible to see them lose, and so completely. I still had faith in my team and I argued with many a person that night that one game does not rule them out, that the last Euros they lost their first match and went on to win it, that Iker Casillas was still amazing and one game does not mean he is over.
In short, I did not let the loss dampen my faith or my spirits for long. I met back up with Lauren and Eric along with four guys from the states. (New Jersey I think…) We walked back towards the square and drank and laughed and bought Acarajé; a traditional Bahia meal. It is basically a bread of sorts that is made from black-eyes peas and deep fried. It is then split in half and filled with shrimp and such. The Bahia ladies make it fresh right there at their stand and it is DELICIOUS!! It was even more so since we had barely eaten that day.
We also saw Kobe Bryant on the street. I don’t have any interest in basketball or him but I still rand down the street with Lauren and everyone else to try and get a photo of him. He went into a restaurant with a group of people, laughing at the mass of people running.
Lauren and I made it back to the hostel around 2 am since we were well and drunk by that point. Also wet. It poured and I knew trying to stay out of it was futile so I let myself get soaked. Laughing and dancing in the street to the amazement of one of the guys. I could have checked off an American that night but he wasn’t that attractive and we lost them at some point in the night. I had arranged for a driver to take me to the airport in the morning via the hostel and went to bed sad about the match but happy.
June 14, 2014
More airports and airplanes. I got to the hostel in Rio in the early evening and right away knew it was a much nicer place than the one in Salvador. Which was nice since I was going to be there just over a week. I spent a quiet night getting settled in and watching the England vs. Italy match on TV.
June 15, 2014
Lazy day. I had the whole day with nothing planned. I slept in a bit, checked e-mails and let people know I was safe and sound. Unfortunately I woke up with the beginnings of a cold. I stayed at the hostel all day and watched the matches up at the rooftop bar. Drank some beer and caipirinha. I wrote a bit and just hung around. No one was particularly friendly, not that they were rude and I kept to myself. This is the downside to traveling alone. I am not an outgoing person and I hesitate to initiate anything. Throw in that a lot of the others guests at the hostel did not speak much English and I was probably seen as a bit of a loner. I did get to try Feijoada; a traditional Portuguese dish. One of the workers at the hostel makes it every Sunday and you can pay for a plate. It is a stew of black beans with pork and kidney beans and kale. It was quite delicious though not my favourite thing.
I was in an 8 person, female dorm but there were only two other girls in the room that day. They were both from Argentina and either were completely inconsiderate or not used to staying in hostels. Their stuff was pretty much EVERYWHERE! They turned lights on and talked loudly with no regard to whether people were sleeping. It was alright because I expect a certain amount of inconvenience in dorms.
June 16, 2014
The first half of this day was probably the low part of my entire trip. (With one obvious exception) I felt lonely and surrounded by too many people. None of whom wanted to talk to me. The Argentinean girls had said a few things to me but I also knew they were the type of girls I would not want to spend longer than five minutes with. I wanted to do something and yet feared it. I still had a couple days before the match and a few days after before I left Rio. I didn’t know the area and the map didn’t help. I let everyone’s concern get to me until I was basically sitting in the hostel with nothing to do, feeling miserable and wishing I had the guts to go out and hating myself for not doing it. This was when Michelle made my day infinitely better. I talked to her on twitter and she convinced me to just get out, to put on headphones so I didn’t have to interact but to just go out and it would be ok. She was right.
I put on my music and left the hostel and I had been out for less than five minutes when I ran into a guy from the hostel I had seen before. He asked what I was up to - I didn’t know, I had no plan in mind - and invited me to go down to a bar in Lapa with him and his friend to watch the Portugal vs. Germany match. As I had no plans I agreed and went back to the hostel with him to wait while he quickly showered and changed. Leo and his friend live in New York but grew up together in Israel. They were in Brazil with the friend’s father.
We went to a bar and watched the game and drank caipirinhas. They were impressed that I had come on my own and friendly. We wandered around afterwards and found a restaurant to grab some lunch. Leo paid for everything which was nice :) Back at the hostel we went up to the bar to watch the second match of the day and have a drink. His friend and father left to go meet some family friends that lived in the area and I ended up going back to their private room with Leo. Fun was had. Sadly, he was not a great kisser but I did get drinks, lunch and a joint out of the deal so all is well haha.
June 17, 2014
It was quiet around the hostel and I hung around inside and by the bar, charging my phone and playbook. Unfortunately I hadn’t brought an adaptor for my devices thinking that they had the same outlets which was half correct. They do but they also have the round 220V ones and the ones in the room were of the 220V variety. Luckily the ones by the computer area fit both so I could charge things there. I watched the Brazil match and was unimpressed, not that I would voice such an opinion in a room full of Brazilians!
That night two new girls joined the room. (There was no a mystery girl we hardly saw, the two Argentineans and two really young girls from Norway) These girls were from Florida and had been staying at the sister hostel down in Ipanema. Unfortunately they had been placed in a mixed dorm when they had booked an all-female dorm. They put up with it for a few days but they guys were incredibly messy, smelly and some other stuff led to them requesting a new room. That hostel was booked but they moved them to the Santa Teresa location. They had spent the previous week in Chile and came bearing wine which they invited me to share with them. We got to talking and it turns out they were going to the Spain vs. Chile match the following day. Once again I made plans to go with them.
June 18, 2014
MATCH DAY!
Heartbreak, nausea, pain. That was how I felt.
We headed down to the stadium and hung about in the area. I bought a Spain jersey at the FIFA fan shop. There were a LOT of Chile fans and they were loud and obnoxious. The actual match experience was the worst of the three. Spain was broken. Their spirit was gone and it was like they were resigned to losing before they even began. It was really hard to watch that. The fans (Chile and just Brazilians) were cruel. I have never experienced such negativity at a match. Just general hatred towards Spain as a whole regardless of what was happening on the pitch. There was boos when a Spain player touched the ball, jeers and derogatory chants when Diego Costa was anywhere near play and heartbreaking chants of ‘E-LI-MI-NADO!’ that made me want to scream and cry. It was a LONG match and I was nerves and grief throughout. The six minutes of added time at the end of the second half were the longest six minutes of my entire trip. And the worst. At that point I knew we weren’t winning, that we weren’t making it out of the group stages. I knew and yet I couldn’t abandon all hope until that final whistle blew. I made a mess of my hand tearing into it with my nails trying to calm some of the sickening heartbreak I was experiencing. When it was all over I wanted to cry and throw up. Except it wasn’t really over for me because I still had to deal with people seeing my Spain jersey (proud to wear it always no matter what) and laughing and mocking and fake sympathy. I had to withstand multiple people asking to take photos knowing that I was filling the role of token, heartbroken Spain fan. All I wanted to do was be back in bed crying and mourning for my team, for the boys I love so much. I managed to tamper down the nausea and hold off on the tears until we were back in the dorm at the hostel. Once again Michelle was there to help me. Talking with someone who actually love those boys, who felt the heartbreak like I did was good. Sonia and Natasha could be sympathetic (sincere unlike the Chileans) but they weren’t devoted to La Roja, they were sad for the team but didn’t FEEL the loss. I went to bed that night calmer but still completely heartbroken.
June 19, 2014
I had a lazy morning, unwilling to get out of bed in wake of Spain’s exit from the tournament. I stayed in bed all morning reading The Doors of Time. In a way it helped to transfer some of my sadness. I did eventually get up and I went into Lapa with Natasha and Sonia to have lunch and watch the afternoon match. We had planned on going down to the Rio Fan Fest which was down at Copacabana but it rained and we decided it wasn’t worth it. I booked a day tour through the hostel for the next day to finally do some of the touristy things in Rio.
That night we went out in Lapa, famous for its nightlife and five minutes away from the hostel. We met up with an Argentinean whom the girls had met at their previous hostel. He had two friends with him and we partied it up. We went to a bar to have some drinks and a snack and wandered around the streets where it was basically a street party. Sonia had a boyfriend back home but Natasha and I were free and we joked about each taking a friend. At the restaurant we were messing about laughing over who got which one and Natasha was saying she didn’t like that the one smoked so I told her to take the non-smoker. Which she did. We ended up at a salsa club which was pretty busy. We only got in because they were short on girls and the guys were with us. Everywhere you went there was like ten guys to every girl. You got hit on a lot, sometimes by creepy guys. I let Daniel (the Argentinean who smoked) convince me to dance which was a laugh since I am very bad at anything requiring rhythm really. But we had fun and drank and Sonia egged us on to be the first to check off Argentina. (I was first! Haha.) They boys walked us back to the hostel (and were probably aiming for an invite but they didn’t get one) We made out against the side of the building turning a goodbye into a ten minute ordeal which Sonia didn’t wait for. Daniel was a great kisser and cute. He told me he was going to improve his English for me and come to Toronto. Of course he doesn’t actually have any way of getting in touch with me but I took them for the pretty words they were and smiled and kissed him. I suppose he could find me easily enough on Facebook through his friend who has Sonia on Facebook but I doubt he will. Which is fine with me. By the time Natasha and I stumbled into the room it was 5:30 in the morning and we were laughing at the idea that we had to be up in two hours for tours. It was definitely worth it though and I had a great night.
June 20, 2014
I was up at 7:30 to get ready for my Best of Rio tour. They picked me up from the hostel at 8 and the first stop after gathering all the people was to go to the Christ the Redeemer statue. I recommend doing it via a tour if you are to go. You get to skip the huge ticket line and just head straight to the line to go up. The statue was impressive and offered a magnificent view of Rio. You could see the Maracana stadium and just all around. It was a pretty clear morning and we got lucky since clouds started rolling in as we left. After the statue we went to Santa Teresa and took a little stroll through the town. It has winding streets, beautiful colours, an old tram railway that is being rebuilt and is a pretty, little, artistic town. We then went on to Lapa to see the Lapa steps. Such colourful steps with thousands of tiles amongst the grime of everyday life in the area. The guide pointed out a few Canadian tiles to me and I got pictures of them. Selarón’s staircase, it is steps separating Lapa and Santa Teresa. It is over 200 steps entirely covered in tiles, the majority are red but there are tiles representing things all over the world from countries to Tom & Jerry to a playboy bunny. Visitors were able to donate tiles and Jorge Selarón added them to his masterpiece. He turned the grey steps into a thing of beauty which he said showcased the beauty of the Brazilian people. After the steps it was the Santa Teresa cathedral which is unlike any cathedral I have ever seen. It was pretty cool. The final stop in our tour was Sugarloaf Mountain. It is almost 400 m above the harbor and boasts a spectacular view of Rio looking in from the bay. You take a set of two cable cars to get to the top. The first takes you to Morro da Urca, a smaller mountain and then from there you take a second line up to Sugarloaf. You can even see Christ the Redeemer from the top. It was a full day and I got back to the hostel exhausted from walking and lack of sleep. It was a good day however.
June 21, 2014
Today was a beach day. We went to Ipanema and spent the afternoon on the beach. It was a nice day and the sun was out. Sun, sand, water, caipirinha, churros and corn. Sadly no tan resulted from it for some reason. We then strolled down to Copacabana where we met up with a co-worker of Sonia’s and saw the Fan Fest set up. We grabbed dinner there and checked out the stalls set up with goodies and souvenirs. It was my last night in Rio and it was a nice, relaxing one.
June 22, 2014
Not much to say. I hung out in the hostel all morning after checking out before catching a ride to the airport in the early evening. Flew into Curitiba and caught a taxi to my hostel where I had an 8 person, female dorm and 6 of the 7 other girls were from Australia. It was a cute little place and it might have been nice to be there another day, not that I think there is much to do in Curitiba.
June 23, 2014
MATCH DAY
I did not care that Spain was out, that it was a disappointing tournament. I donned my new Spain jersey as proud of them as ever. I know a lot of people sold their tickets or simply didn’t go since the game “didn’t matter” but honestly the thought never occurred to me. I support my team win or lose so there was never an option other than going. I made friends with two of the Australians and their friend who met them there and we went down to the stadium together. They ribbed me about wearing the wrong jersey but it was fun and not hostile so it was all ok.
The match was good. They were relaxed and looked like they were enjoying themselves some for the first time all tournament. I was so proud of them for going out there and playing so well and I got to see some pretty great things. I got to see Iniesta play his 100th match for Spain which is massive. I got to see David Villa play (most likely) his last match for Spain and score. I got to see Fernando Torres score. I got to see Sergio Ramos rule the defence with the armband on. I got to see Fernando have his shirt ripped and change on the sidelines (swoon). I got to see Spain win. I left that match feeling happy.
After the match I met up with the Aussies again and we walked through Curitiba towards the town center. We bought fresh, chocolate covered strawberries from a vendor that were so sweet and juicy. We walked down the first pedestrian street way in Brazil. We ended up at a German restaurant that had multiple TVs for dinner to watch the Brazil match. We drank lots of beer and ate bratwurst and were given beer vouchers by this nice Brazilian lady. She gave us a lot so we ended up giving some away. We joked about using them to check off another country for me. In the end we gave them to two Australian guys. The one had this pretty sweet tux jacket made from Australian beer labels or something. I gave mine to his friend in exchange for a kiss. It was simple and fun and I declared it counted. We didn’t stay out too late since we all had early flights the next morning.
June 24, 2014/June 25, 2014
Airplanes, Airports, Shuttle Busses and Layovers.
I caught a taxi to the airport at 7:30 am with one of the other girls to save money. Waited around for my flight back to Rio via Sao Paulo. Waited in Sao Paulo for the connection. Then waited several hours before my flight from Rio to Toronto (via Sao Paulo and Miami) left. Layovers all over the place so plenty of waiting around. I arrived back in Toronto at 1:40 pm on the 25th.
The trip was incredible, an amazing experience despite the lows. Do I wish the results had been different? Absolutely. Did I enjoy myself? Absolutely. Yes there were times I was frustrated, lonely, heartbroken, self-loathing and miserable. There were also times I was thrilled, happy, excited, awed, tipsy, grateful, wanted, brave and proud. Would I go back to Brazil? I don’t know. It was incredible to me mostly because of the World Cup and the atmosphere that brought. I didn’t fall in love with the country so maybe not. I don’t have a single regret in going though. I made some friends and even if it is never more than a comment here or there on Facebook in the future or nothing at all they touched my life and helped to make it just a bit better in those two weeks. I love the Spain team just as much as when I left with high hopes and will continue to love them even as beloved players retire and new ones show up. I got to see Spain play in a World Cup and that is a pretty damn awesome thing to be able to say.