The World Cup only happens every four years. It is a time
where the whole world puts everything on hold to celebrate the great sport of
football (yes I will refer to it as football…) on the global stage. Attending a
World Cup has been a dream of mine for years now, and what better place to see
one than in the football-crazed nation of Brazil?! When looking at summer
travel for this year the dates lined up perfectly for a full on South America
adventure. The first stop was Rio de Janeiro.
On the trip I ended up in Rio twice. The first stop was
quite short but I was able to meet up with a buddy from JMU, Shawn McEvoy, and
his friend Lara who lived in Brazil and was a great host. We were able to tour
around some of the main sites while we were together. We were also able to
catch a US match and Brazil match at the “Fan Fest” which was basically a giant
TV on Copacabana Beach with 25,000 screaming fans. It was the next best thing
to being at the match. We also got up to Sugar Loaf Mountain for some
incredible views of the city. Time was short because my friend Kevin and some
of his buddies were waiting for me up in Recife for us to see the US play their
final group match against German.
This is where the story gets sad for a moment. June 26 is a
day that will live in infamy. US v. Germany. The match we were all waiting for.
It would determine if the US would advance. Germany was looking like a serious
contender. And we had tickets in hand (well two out of the four). The
match was
at 1pm but we were an hour south of the stadium. So we were on the road by 8am
to get to the US tailgate early to score two tickets and start the party. Only
problem? Rain. Lots of. Well rain and lack of drainage systems. The road to the
stadium was flooded. We are talking waist high water not once, not twice, but 6
separate areas. We had a Chevy Cobalt rental which miraculously was able to
drive through these rivers time and time again. The issue was traffic. After
over 4 hours in traffic we had no shot of making it to the game. With tickets
in hand we made the executive decision to bail out and watch at a local bar.
Such a frustrating day from start to finish but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
In the end I didn’t get to actually see any of the World Cup matches which I am
actually ok with. More on that later.
After Recife, Kevin’s friends Rob and Eric went back to the
States. Kevin went to Vittoria to see family, where I would meet him a few days
later. I spent the next three days in a town called Olinda right next to
Vittoria. It was my redemption for June 26. Olinda is an old colorful
cobblestone
colonial town. It was incredible to walk the streets and get lost
with different churches, historic sites, art galleries, and street vendors. I
had an incredible time there and had the opposite experience from Fan Fest as I
watched matches on plastic chairs at local corner bars. Equally as fun as the
25,000 mob at CopaCabana.
In Vittoria Kevin has quite the family contingent. We stayed
with his Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin in their beautiful home and were more than
taken care of. Three elaborate meals a day. Being carted around to different
family members. And able to relax from the hectic travels we had up to that
point. Communication was a bit challenging as our Portuguese was severely
limited and his Aunt and Uncle had limited English. Luckily Kevin’s cousin
translated for us most of the time and we were able to joke, tell stories, and
have a great time.
The last Brazil stop was back in Rio with Kevin this time.
The highlight was absolutely the 4th of July. Not only was it Denise
Witt’s Birthday (and America too I guess…) but it was the quarter finals and there
was a match in Rio. Kevin and I arrived early at the stadiums wearing USA
jerseys, flags, and top hats. All with the accessory sign that said simply “Need
Tickets”. To say the least it was a seller’s market. Tickets were going for
about $1,000 USD for one. We spent all morning trying to get
tickets and were
able to get one for $250!!! In the process we had dozens of people come to take
pictures with the silly Americans celebrating our countries independence day. One
ticket wasn’t good enough because it was two or nothing. So as the start time
approached we decided to flip our ticket and call it a day. We ended up selling
it for $500 and basically getting paid for our morning! Not a bad day at all
but this was my last official chance to see a World Cup game. I am hoping to
get to another World Cup in the future and next time? I will have tickets in
hand for sure.
Kevin flew out from Brazil the following morning back to
Doha but my adventure would continue. Next it was off to Peru for Maccu Picchu
and the Amazon Rainforest. But I will leave those stories for the next posting.
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