Porto Alegre: Part 2

We were extremely excited to view our first World Cup game in person.

It was about a three mile walk through the city centre to the Estadio Beira-Rio (River Giant) stadium. Staying true to the name, the stadium lies on the bank of the Guaiba River. Walking throughout the streets was fascinating. Fans from both Honduras and France proudly wore their national team attires. Musicians were also present throughout the walk to the stadium, and the French contingent loved dancing with their flags and berets.

Before the game started, we headed to the FIFA Fan Fest. Every host site is required to have a spot for locals/people without tickets to watch every game. It's an outdoor venue with a gigantic big screen. Little restaurants and bars outline the perimeter of the spot. After we had a tasty chicken/steak skewer, we headed over to the stadium for the game.

We lucked out…sitting in the first row of the stadium on the field, right between the corner kick flag and the goal. Looking out at the stadium was a sight to behold. It wasn't overly big (40,000), but it was beautiful. France thoroughly dominated the game, in a somewhat lethargic performance. The atmosphere wasn't great, and ironically enough, fans of the local side Internacional were louder than French and Honduran fans!

The next day, we headed to the trendy Cidade Baixa neighborhood to watch more of the games. We ran into a group of Australians (also looking for a bar) and we joined them for lunch at this vegetarian restaurant. It wasn't the type of place to host for games. It was a quieter place with an older crowd. In order to accommodate us, they placed us in our own separate portion of the restaurant and even set up a television for us to watch.

Later that day, we went to the historic city centre and went shopping for our loved ones. It was raining at this time. The area was very reminiscent of Venice Beach, with tons of kiosks set up in rows surrounding the town square.

At night, we met up with the Americans living in Porto Alegre and watched the USA beat Ghana at a bar called Thomas Pub in the Moinhos De Vento neighborhood. It was awesome to watch the game with fellow Yanks, especially in the manner in which we won.

The following afternoon, we took a double decker bus tour of Porto Alegre. We saw all of the neighborhoods, and were allowed to get out and explore. We saw the famed Moinhos De Vento  Parque (Windmill Park) and also Rua Goncalo Carvahlo (The Most Beautiful Street in the World). Trees curled up into each other at the top of the street, forming an impressive canopy over the street. It was truly beautiful.

At one point, I was interviewed by Government officials working in the tourist department. They took down my name and asked me questions about my time in PA. They were both very nice.

At night, we went to a famous Thai restaurant called Koh Pee Pee. When trying to flag down a cab on the way, our driver attempted to take us to a sex brothel. We politely declined, and he proceeded to act like a Samurai for ten minutes, attempting to speak Japanese. It was bizarre. At least the food was great.

The highlight of PA was the Australia/Holland game. We were seated ten rows from the field behind the goal, and in the Australian cheering section. The Aussies were absolutely fantastic, and it was so fun sitting with them. I'll never forget the Australians going crazy over Tim Cahill's insane volley goal with his left foot.

Later that day, a tremendously nice couple helped call us a cab for the following morning (when we had to get to the airport for an early flight). They went out of their way to help us, after hearing us talk about our dilemma in a supermarket. They even invited us back to their flat for coffee. IThese people could not have been nicer.

At night, we ate at a traditional churrascaria. At this place, servers walk around in waves with every single type of meat imaginable. Huge hunks of sausage, beef, chicken and other things (like chicken heart) were on gigantic skewers, and a simple nod of the head would determine whether or not you wanted a piece. We were absolutely stuffed at the end of the night.

We then walked through a Gaucho festival (think outdoor swap meet) at the end of the night. It was mostly little kiosks with traditional Gaucho garb and little trinkets. They also had tons of BBQ shacks and bars. It was a cool atmosphere, considering it was made up of mostly locals. We were virtually the only tourists there.

Porto Alegre: Part 1

On the 14th, we made the trip down south to Porto Alegre. In the Sao Paulo airport, we randomly ran into former Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza and the best American soccer journalist, Grant Wahl. I got pictures with both, and Grant was particularly nice. He chatted with us a bit about the United States team. It's bizarre we've seen not only those two, but also Barry Sanders and Amy Adams.

 

PA is the most southern hosting city in the country for the World Cup. It's located near Argentina and Uruguay in the Rio Grande do Sul, and from a cultural standpoint, it's closer to those countries as opposed to the rest of Brazil. It's a 'Gaucho' region, with a great deal of people originating from Italian and German descent. A majority of the people look Caucasian, and the women are stunning.

The weather has been very Bay Area-esque for the most part. Apart from scattered sunshine, it's been cool and overcast, with a bit of drizzle. On the first day, we took the overground subway to the historic city center, and trudged uphill in the rain with 50 pound rolling suitcases in the rain. It wasn't the most pleasant means of transportation.

We settled into our AirBnB apartment. It's a quaint, smaller place but nice. It's located on the fringe of the Centro Historico. The buildings have a European feel to them. The city in general is quieter, smaller and less dirty when compared to Sao Paulo.

The streets are littered with small shops selling Brazilian snack foods and other miscellaneous items. It's also fascinating to see so many bars in close proximity to one another. Each "restaurant" has a television, and many people gather around to watch the games.

After unwinding on our initial day, we headed for the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood. It generally considered to be the nicest and wealthiest area in PA. We entered a packed bar called Thomas Pub and shared a table with some friendly middle aged Australians. We've met a ton of Australians on the trip, and they couldn't be nicer.

We chose this bar to watch England play Italy. As many of you know, i'm a massive supporter of the Italians. I came to the bar with the Italian flag draped over my shoulders. We did end up winning 2-1 (which was awesome). Shortly after the game ended, the bar transitioned to a club. A band played classic American music, and the atmospehere was a lot of fun. I did run into a group of drunk Italians from Bologna, and began to sing the Italian National Anthem with them (yes, I can sing it in Italian). It was a bit embarrassing for my friends, but a great moment nonetheless.

To end the night, we took a cab over to a local churrascaria called Garcia's. It's a buffet style restaurant with huge amounts of barbecued beef, chicken, rice and empanadas. 

Part two coming soon! 

Sao Paulo: Part Two

It's our last night in Sao Paulo, before we depart for Porto Alegre in the morning. Although our time here has been short, we've had an absolute blast.

On our first night, we walked a block over to Rua Aspicuelta. The street is loaded with bars and restaurants. The Croatian fan base was setting up shop at a bar called Posto 6 (their first game versus Brazil in Sao Paulo was the next day). Spontaneous chants cheering on the squad broke out among hundreds of Croatian supporters. At points, Croatians would stop cars and sway them back and forth. 

We left the scene around 11:00, but I could hear the fireworks and noise from 2:00 a.m. on...

Thursday was the opening day of the World Cup. By 11:00 a.m., Aspicuelta was jam packed. Vendors selling Brazil jerseys, flags, noise makers, (and beer) were littered on every corner. I managed to buy a Brazil jersey at a relatively decent price.

The atmosphere in the street was INSANE! Traffic effectively stopped at noon. For a mile (I kid not), you couldn't move. Everyone was snugly packed in, looking up at a massive big screen stationed on the top of a bar. Fortunately, the three of us were relatively close to the screen.

When Brazil scored it's first goal, we were doused with beer. Everyone threw their drinks in the air and screamed. Although I have no emotional tie to the country, I felt so happy.

Side note: Brazilian people are incredibly friendly. They love speaking in English, having conversations and asking about the states. My three favorite phrases in Portuguese thus far: "Obrigado" (thank you), "Voce fala ingles?" (do you speak English?) and "Voce e Bonita/Linda" (you are very pretty/beautiful). A group of Brazilian girls did think I was from Brazil...Thought that was pretty funny! The experience watching Brazil win the first game of the World Cup in Brazil is something I'll never forget. It was truly breathtaking.

We also befriended an American living in Sao Paulo. He led us to this cool local spot for street food. It was essentially an empanada filled with seasoned chicken. To say the least, it was delicious.

We got an early start on Friday. We headed for a place called Beco do Batman (translated as Batman's Cave). It was a two street stretch of incredibly eclectic and ornate street art. Describing them wouldn't do it justice. I'll post some pics below (and eventually on Facebook). Ironically, a guy from Minnesota was there taking pictures as well. He joined up with us and we made the 30 minute walk to a famous soccer museum called Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado De Carvalho. Colloquially, it's known as Estadio Pacaembu.

The museum is literally built into the side of the stadium. It provided us with a detailed look at the history of Brazilian futebol. We got to see the progression of the soccer ball itself, as well as the typical soccer boot.

We bid adieu to our friend from Minnesota (and other Americans we met from Washington D.C.) and went back to Aspicuelta. From there, we watched Holland demolish Spain (amidst a ton of rowdy Mexican fans). We got a quick bite and headed back to watch Chile defeat Australia. As a naive American, it was fascinating to see so many vendors selling cans and bottles of beer on the street. If it wasn't clear enough, drinking in public (and urinating) is acceptable.

The startling thing was seeing young children selling the alcohol. A majority of the vendors were 16. One was as young as 10. I had a conversation with this Brazilian flight attendant, and she said this was normal.

Sao Paulo was wonderful. The people were incredibly nice, the sites were great, and the women were absolutely beautiful. We head off to Porto Alegre in the morning. Known as gaucho country, it's supposedly akin to Argentina and Uruguay as opposed to the rest of Brazil. I absolutely cannot wait to view my first two World Cup games in person!

Sao Paulo: Part 1

Wow.

It's been a whirlwind last couple days. The travel to Brazil is not a joke -- as it took about 15 hours to reach our destination. Fortunately, the conveniences of personal in-flight entertainment, Apple products and sleeping aided in our trip South.

We reached Sao Paulo at 8:00 a.m. At that point, we came through the airport and waited in a ridiculously long line. It did move rather quickly. In the line, we saw fans from various teams and countries, including Germany, Japan, Mexico, Australia and the United States.

Taking a taxi to our area took about 45 minutes. Our driver looked like he was falling asleep at several moments. People on motorcycles darted in and out of traffic. It was a hectic ordeal, to say the least. Traffic was crazy and we were essentially greeted with a concerto of honking horns and angry motorists.

It was startling to see the favelas from the car. These flimsy structures were piled on top of each other  in impressive fashion. After speaking to a few natives, there's considerable inequality in Brazil when it comes to wealth.

Driving through the city, we saw a ton of car dealerships. The downtown area itself is older and poorer to an extent. We are staying in the Vila Madalena neighborhood -- one known as the 'SoHo' of Sao Paulo. The amount of graffiti and street art is also quite prevalent. There's an area called Batman's Cave, which we hope to check out today. Supposedly, it's pretty fantastic.

Our apartment is incredibly nice. Lea and Albert have been extremely helpful in hosting and helping with any questions we have. We were greeted with a lunch of grilled chicken, rice, beans and quische on the first day. It was quite good.

The neighborhood is an upscale one. Unlike the somewhat drab buildings downtown, these ones are more modern. Trees and greenery are all over the place. We are also a short walk from the main street, Aspicuelta. On this street exists a myriad of bars and restaurants. 

Part 2 will include everything we've done so far. I will post it before we leave for Porto Alegre in the morning.

The Humble Beginnings

La Copa Mundial.

Copa do Mundo.

Il Mondiale.

Coupe du Monde.

World Cup.

For any football/futbol/soccer enthusiast, it's sheer euphoria -- encapsulated in a cocoon of raw passion and patriotism. Aesthetically, the crystalline sea of color rivals the most beautiful of rainbows.

The grandeur surrounding the 32-team tournament is unparalleled to any other sporting event. It unapologetically captivates the planet for an entire month.

I will be experiencing this event in person. For two weeks, I will take the plunge down to the Southern Hemisphere in order to fulfill a childhood dream.

The trek will include trips to Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro. We will get the pleasure of seeing France/Honduras, Netherlands/Australia and Belgium/Russia.

My first real memory of the World Cup came in 1998. As a nine-year-old, I had just began to play organized soccer. I'll fondly remember my interest in the sport stemming from my British elementary school custodian, Dennis. He'd play with us at recess, and I absolutely was captivated by his intimate knowledge of the sport.

I remember distinctly watching the 1998 World Cup Final. Steely-eyed Zinedine Zidane and France contrasted with the eclectic canary yellow and green side of Brazil. The game provided wonderful theatre. Zidane's brilliance with his feet was akin to Van Gogh delicately crafting one of his masterpieces with a paintbrush. It truly was a sight to behold.

In 2002, I woke up at 3:00 a.m. to watch the US Men's National Team take on Germany in South Korea. I might've fallen asleep in my math class that morning, but it was more than worth it.

In 2006, the Azzurri won the World Cup. My mother, brother and I celebrated as if we had just won the lottery.

In 2010, Landon Donovan's iconic goal versus Algeria made me shed tears of joy. Never have I felt so fiercely proud to be an American.

It's a truly special game, and a game which has evoked emotion from millions.

I will update this blog as I travel throughout Brazil. This will be a personal memoir of sorts. However, I do want to share this journey with all of you.

Stay tuned...