Football

Getting to a football game in Barcelona was high on A.'s list of things to do before going back to the U.S. What I didn't know before was that every game is sold out to season ticket holders, which are often passed from one generation to the next. Some discussion of that is found here and some facts about it are here. Because of that it is not easy to find tickets next to each other, but for games other than El Clásico and other biggies, it is not so hard to move a few seats over once you are there.

Getting to the game was part of the excitement with fans filling public transportation.

Just follow the crowds once you get close.

Posted around the stadium are historic badges from the club.

Also outside the stadium are places to pose for photos and to shoot a ball.
Look carefully and you can see that this kid scored 200 points on the first try.

No bags are allowed in so if you want food or drink you have to buy it there or put it in your pocket. If you buy water it is sold with the cap off, making it harder to throw onto the field!

A. and D. got there plenty early to watch the pre-game action, including the refs doing
a cool warm up (spinning and running around the pitch, interfering with the players a bit).

Their seats were in a quiet section unless the ref made a big call or there was a scoring chance and then it was super loud. Not far away was the Barça section, but even that seemed high-spirited without being rowdy.

A. was thrilled to see Messi, Neymar, and Suarez score. Staying in touch with a friend who was watching on television in Italy added to the fun.

Afterward the streets were fully swarmed with people, literally the streets and not just the sidewalks!

All photos by A. and written together.