A Spanish Dolcevita and a Footballer´s Mecca

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A Spanish Dolcevita and a Footballer´s Mecca

It appears both Dom & I took our Accounting lectures at uni just that bit too seriously - as after 5 months of travel, we have perfected and should re-write the chapter about Just In Time theory.

Despite our heightened awareness regarding our pending heathrow-post-terrorist-alert experience we still were capable of sleeping in until midday on the day we were to fly out at 5pm. Now, this may not sound quite so bad, however when you´ve got to get to the post office to send home un-needed luggage, pick up necessities like a passport from the Brazilian embassy in town and then travel over an hour to get to the airport, for a 2.5 pre-arrival check-in, we were pushing the limits!!

But as always, (touch wood) we managed to live to tell the tale and were able to leave the UK unscathed and without any major airport agro.

Arriving at Madrid, we navigated our way into town via the very user-friendly metro system, and arrived at hospedaje dolcevita. In the heart of the night life, our place was run by a lovely gay couple who, besides a love of 60s classic films, had developed a very funky hostel, with sweet decor, mood lighting and pot plants adorning each rooms little spanish balcony.

Anyway, our 4 days in Madrid were just wicked and we fell in love with the city instantly! So much beautiful character and charm, amazing architecture and best of all - a night life to match any big city. I must say, Dom and I did really enjoy the pace... Our days consisted of:
- getting up late morning
- seeing some of the sites, museums and/or sitting in a park or local pool
- grabbing some bread and cheese for late lunch on-the-go
- having a nap around 5pm
- heading to a square for an alfresco beer under the gaze of beautiful buildings and to the sound of local buskers and their guitars, harmonicas or accordions
- late night dinner of tapas or other suitable substitute at around 10:30pm
- night-cap back under the stars
- bed well after midnight

The days were scorchers (over 40 degrees) and the nights were those perfect-balmy-European nights that only seemed to exist in old black and white movies.

La Dolcevita - very apt indeed.


But the sweet life of Madrid doesn´t end there… A few hours at Stadium Bernabau really capped it all off… so over to Dom!

A Footballer´s Mecca

My first football match was Everton vs Liverpool at Goodison Park at the age of 8. A mighty fine game to attend as a young and avid Liverpool fan. I asked YT about her first football match "This is it" was the response. "No way," I said "your first match is at the Bernabau seeing Los Galacticos". You are a very lucky lady indeed Miss Templar!

I have to say that I was very excited at the prospect of seeing the worlds finest pedal their wares and display their unbelievable talents to a crowd of c80,000 people for a friendly! The noise was incredible and the sound of approximately 50,000 horns going off simultaneously was absolutely awesome and of course deafening! The boys included Beckham, Cannavaro, Roberto Carlos, Emerson, Raul, Robinho and Van Nistelrooy (second rate Man U striker) and these boys can play some beautiful football. One touch was the order of the night and they passed like the best in the world should. Beckham had a blinder and Roberto Carlos is truly outstanding. Los Galacticos beat Anderlecht 3-0 to lift the Santiago Bernebau trophy and then we stayed until the lights went out and it was time to go home. Needless to say, I was a very happy man and YT experienced how a game called football that is played with your feet, not your hands, should really be played!

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Photos

Dom at Footballer´s Mecca!
Stadium Bernabau, Madrid

Comments

[Reetz]

Way to go!
Now I'm feeling like having Tapas for lunch... don't you just love the life style...