An early start to beat the queue. We made another effort to see the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. And persistence paid off though the cloud cover kept us from seeing the views. Still spectacular. Looming out the cloud as I gasped my way up the final steps. And then I thought we'd have the … Continue reading Redemption
After an aborted attempt to see Christ the Redeemer, due to ticketing issues and there being a shorter day (Brazil were playing later), the day changed direction to a more relaxed focus. A trip to Copacabana beach was mooted and approved. Partly for beach activities (a one in a life time opportunity albeit likely to … Continue reading Beach Scene
Biggest radio antenna ever for personal headphones! This is the way they roll on Copacabana Beach.
By which I mean we only watched two games of football but took them in while doing some tourista activities. Morning saw us wandering from the Lapa area to the Santa Theresa neighbourhood via the Escaderia Selaron. A fantastic piece of artwork that was created and updated for 20 years by Jorge Selaron. It ultimately … Continue reading Day off
First Game and a trip to the Maracana. Intense, atmospheric and in your face. Arrival: Riot police, fandemonium and 4 helicopters overhead. The fans were trading songs and chants for 45 minutes before kick off trying to drown out the PA. With a mix of fans styles from standard through crazy to period. Argentina won … Continue reading Argentina vs Bosnia-H
Forgot to mention we also got a great welcome at the airport. After 18 hours of total travel this was enough to raise a smile. Fuleco the tournament mascot.
Just a quick note on arrival. A slightly late start with a flight delay, a swift 11 hour transfer, a nights sleep and now getting ready for Argentina v Bosnia tonight. Obviously, greeted by giant flag outside the hotel. That for now
England's first game of the tournament and I'll be in the air (flying...not superman-esque obviously) so it's fingers crossed for the team and that there's not too much rioting back home depending how things go! Putting out positive thoughts that the players will give a good account of themselves and there's minimal carping in the press. … Continue reading England and Me on Deck
Destination: Brazil for three weeks from June 14th through July 7th. That's the plan though it does run a little deeper than that. Schedule: The itinerary has us taking in four cities, eight matches and as much of everything else along the way that time will permit. Group: The tour party is made up of myself and a … Continue reading The Plan…
Todays the day, the culmination of years of preparation by people all round the world and especially the Brazilian hosts. The tournament kicks off with Brazil vs Croatia in Sao Paulo. There's been some unrest lately and threats of disruption due to some relevant concerns about whether the money assigned for the tournament could have been … Continue reading The Big Kick Off
Travel, Turmoil & Tom Foolery 