#21: FC Barcelona

Saturday morning we were supposed to have a cava tour (cava is a champagne-like drink made here in Catalonia) but unfortunately, only 4 people showed up at the appointed time--not enough for the tour.  Instead I worked on my paper for class and had an early dinner with Ellen before the FC Barcelona game.  Our college purchased the tickets for us and will bill them to our student accounts in the spring, but unfortunately the tickets weren't all together--they were in twos and threes around the stadium.  Most people were at least in the same section but a few rows apart, if they weren't sitting directly next to each other.

On the Jumbotron:  FC Barcelona versus Real Racing

I'm not much of a soccer person, but you can't say you've been to Barcelona and didn't see a Barça game.  Soccer is practically a religion, and a game at Camp Nou (the name of the stadium) is like a fellowship.  On the metro to get to the match, there were a large number of Germans in town for the game.  At the stadium, I also ran into Brits, French, Americans, Portuguese...  everybody loves Barça.

Here are the rules to be a successful FC Barcelona spectator:

1)  There is no team better than Barça.

2)  There is NO TEAM better than Barça.

3)  Wear your team spirit in the form of a jersey, scarf, hat, flag, lap blanket, or facepaint. Don't be ashamed.

4)  When someone makes a goal, you stand up to cheer, shout and clap.  Lack of participation is only acceptable if you are elderly, pregnant, or looking for a good beatdown after the match.

5)  When anyone on the team makes a goal, you chant their name a few times to show your pleasure.

6)  When someone on the pitch makes a good play but is unsuccessful, clap anyway.

7)   Learn the chants and songs before you attend.  You will hear them A LOT.

8)   Be prepared to do the wave.  For no apparent reason, we did the wave 4 times before it died out.

9)  If you don't know anything about soccer, pay attention to the reactions of the people around you during plays.  A good play will be capped by a "Mol ve!" (Very good!).  A bad call by a ref will be followed by a string of swear words, booing and sulking.  Take note of the swear words--they are very florid and may come in handy during later matches.  

10)  Notice I didn't say a bad play by Barcelona.  THERE ARE NO BAD PLAYS BY BARCELONA.

Rule #3 in full effect! Go Barça!!

Barça wins 3-0! Underneath the crest are the names of the 3 players that made goals.

Travel tips:  To be polite, ask your questions in Spanish but don't be surprised when most people say "I don't speak Spanish."  A large population at each game are tourists just like you.  Ladies, go to the bathroom whenever you like--even halftime.  The best part about being at a male-dominated activity is that there are no long lines for the restroom.  Before you enter the stadium, buy souvenirs you're interested in from the street vendors.  They may be pricey, but it's very hard to cross through a stream of 100,000 people to find what you want after the match.  Same goes for food--buy snacks before the game while the lines aren't long.  In fact, we arrived about an hour before the match and there was still a sizeable crowd (although nobody tailgates, from what i've seen).  It was perfect because I had time to find the seats, get a snack, and figure out where the restrooms were before the bulk of the spectators arrived.

Above all: BE EXTRA VIGILANT.  With thousands of people getting on and off the metro at various stops and huge, thick crowds, pickpocketing is at an all time high after Barça games.  It's so simple for someone to bump you while trying to squeeze into the train car or for a stray hand to steal your ticket or cash from your purse walking through the crowds.  Although I did take my satchel with me, my hand was directly covering the zipper at all times and I didn't put anything in my coat or pants pockets.  But sometimes even that isn't enough--one girl's wristlet was stolen off her arm as she tried to get onto a crowded metro train.  With so many people everywhere, it's impossible to see who did what or where they went, so just be careful.