Friends and family know that I’m not a huge fan of desportes, but the last World Cup changed all that for me. It’s the first time in my life I can say that I have been captivated, glued to the television, by a game. And while I may not be up on the latest player stats, I do have an immense appreciation for the culture and history around sports. The fútbol game I saw last night—FC Barcelona vs Valenicia CF at Camp Nou stadium—did not disappoint. Nowhere in the States will you see 99,000 fans turn out for a soccer match. The dynamic attendees were very focused on the game, and only loud when they needed to be. There were times amidst some crazy ball-work near the goal, when one could have heard a pin drop. Attribute this to the lack of alcoholic beverages inside the premise (prohibited—we had to down a couple of Estrella Damms before entry) or lack of blaring anthems and the latest top 20 coming through the speakers during every gap in gameplay, or fans, who were more classy, and protective towards criticism of their team, than rowdy (well, at least until the last 20 minutes!). In the end my Catalan friend, who was kind enough to come with me to the game and upgrade my seat, accurately predicted the 2-1 victory, and even got us out of the stadium 4 minutes ahead of the crowds. The remainder of the night was spent celebrating a birthday in a college suburb, first with tapas and wine at a small private bar, then onto another bar where I saw a fight break out over a foosball match, and finally to this amazing dance club on the outskirts, filled to the brim with cigarette smoke and the most attractive young people I have ever seen in my life. I made it back to my place in Poble Sec around 4am, and just awoke a couple hours ago. Meeting a friend within the hour for a walk in a new part of town, and hopefully ending the weekend at a relaxed pace.

Photos from the game: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7461316@N08/sets/72157625056747675/