DaveRich

Last weekend was the final round of matches in the Apertura Season and I went to the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona in the La Paternal Barrio to see the Argentinos Juniors v Newell's game. Argentinos was Diego's first profesional club and his prescence is everywhere in and around the stadium. Argentinos were originally founded as the 'Martyrs of Chicago' in homage to the anarchists that were imprisoned or hanged following the haymarket riot in Chicago in 1886. The clubs ability to produce world class players such as Maradona, Riquelme, Redondo, Julio Arca, Coloccini and Cambiasso has seen them been given the nickname 'El Semillero' (the seed garden). Argentinos have not had the best of seasons and in the week leading up to the game some local newspapes had reported that the Bravas had been threatening the ... read more

On Sunday night it was off to the Liniers Barrio to catch the Velez Sarsfield v Boca match. Velez were top of the league by 3 points with 4 games left to play. I went with a few guys from the Spanish school led by one of the teachers who is a big Velez fan. It was really easy to get tickets - we just arrived at the stadium a couple of hours before kick off and went to the ticket booth. It was 12US$ for a ticket, not bad for a top of the league clash. We left at 4 and got back at midnight and thats without any pre or post match beers! This was my first experience of standing in the popular section (the area behind the goal) and I have to admit ... read more

I made a side trip to Harpers Ferry, the famous historical town on the confluence of the Shenadoah and Potomac rivers. Its a fantastic place to visit and really is like a trip into the past. I then drove down through the Shenadoah Valley and did some hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Also visited some places I have to admit I'd never heard of before such as Harrisonburg and Winchester. I was heavily reliant on the old GPS! Some chat on Harper's Ferry below (sorry I have run out of time!). Next stop Buenos Aires. ... read more

Despite living in the US for 7 years I never once made it to the nations capital! Although managed to visit Vegas 6 times - what does that tell us!). I decided to put the record straight and stopped off for a couple of days on route to Houston. Its a great city to walk around and easy to see all the sights.... read more

Went back home for a few weeks to stay with my folks and catch up with family. Had some cracking days walking in the hills in the beautiful border countryside. Trained for the Great Edinburgh 10K run. Got nowhere near my personal best but enjoyed the run - too many hills compared with the runs I did in Houston!... read more