The World Cup from Madrid

So many people have been asking me what it was like to watch from downtown Madrid as Spain won the World Cup this year that I thought I would record my experience just for kicks (no pun was initially intended, but then I thought, "Ha! How clever! That would be a pretty corny pun; I'll leave it in there!").

I know this is a long post, but if you don't read anything else, read Chapter 1 and Chapter 5!

CHAPTER 1 - THE PRE-GAME WARMUP

The game here didn't start until 8:30pm, but my journey into Madrid began at 4, mostly because I knew that everyone and their moms would be there and the public transportation would be very crowded and unpleasant if I waited much longer. I was headed into town with a friend, and our first sign that we were getting closer was when a group of about 10 guys (mid 20s) got on the train. None of them had shirts on, they were all quite drunk (already), and all of them were decked out in Spain paraphernalia. They burst into the train blowing vuvuzelas (which are nothing new here - they have been used at soccer games in Spain since as long as anyone can remember), waving flags, and chanting something akin to "DOWN WITH THE F#@$*ING DUTCH!"

They never once settled down for the rest of the 30 min ride into Madrid, and only stopped to take a breath to pour and drink a round of whiskey every few minutes. At every stop more joined their number. When the train conductor came over the loudspeaker and said, "We remind you that the consumption of alcohol is prohibited on Madrid train transportation," they ERUPTED into cheers and vuvuzela screams and banged on the windows and ceiling and floor and jumped on all the chairs and waved their flags and poured another round of drinks.

CHAPTER 2 - PICKING A PRIME SPOT

We finally made it into Madrid, hopped on the subway (different from the train), and headed north. The big outdoor setup with the screens was in the middle of Madrid, and they were expecting 500,000 people to show up - basically twice the size of Grand Rapids for all you GR people reading this. We originally were going to join them there, but it was around 100 degrees (it doesn't get dark here until 10:30pm) and we would be packed shoulder to shoulder with people for 3 hours until the game started and then another 2 hours during the game, all the while standing and being unable to move. And plus, it's often hard to see the screens outside since it's light so late. So we decided to head a little farther north and go to a bar (a sports restaurant equivalent in the U.S.) where we knew there would be a good atmosphere, chairs, air conditioning, good TVs, and cold drinks.

CHAPTER 3 - THE GAME

Many people have commented that the 3rd and 4th place game was more entertaining to watch than the Spain Netherlands game. I agree and disagree. It's usually like that. The 3rd and 4th place teams can play relaxed and take risks since there's nothing really at stake, but the finalists usually play much more reserved in order to lower the risks of making big mistakes. HOWEVER, good soccer aside, I don't think anyone would argue that the Germany Uruguay game was WAAAY less intense than the Spain Netherlands game. Which, of course, made the game very entertaining, just in a different way. So, yes and no. As for me, my whole body was shaking during the game. I couldn't sit still. As another Spaniard said later, "We've suffered a lot this World Cup (with Spain's close games); I'm just glad that I can sleep tonight." It was one of the most thrilling games I've ever watched despite the at-times-lacking quality of play. I don't know how anyone could watch that game and then say that soccer is boring - whether you cared about either of the teams or not.

CHAPTER 4 - THE GOAL

Spain erupted - for 6 minutes straight, until the game ended. People went streaking. Fireworks went off. Lots of people cried. Even though I was about 2 miles from the downtown area with the screens, I could hear the crowds from there yelling - for you GR people, it was about like being at Cornerstone and hearing people yell from Calvin.

CHAPTER 5 - THE AFTER PARTY (THE BEST PART)

I got back on the train to head back to my town without much incident. While I was waiting for the train, though, the boarding area around me was packed with crazy, chanting fans (it was the last train out of Madrid - at midnight). At one point a security guard tried to get people to back away from the tracks as the train neared, but someone yelled, "WE'RE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD - LEAVE US ALONE!!!" To which everyone cheered and ignored the guy. He just quietly backed away.

When I got on the train, I discovered, to my amused surprise, that I had gotten back on the same car with the same guys as before the game - along with another 100 people or so. There was standing room only. The chanting and vuvuzelas were nonstop and it was all amplified now that we were in an enclosed space. For some reason the air conditioning had been turned off, so felt like a million degrees in there with all those people. People were complaining at first until someone yelled, "WHO WANTS WATER!???!" Everyone erupted into cheers again and people started taking out their water bottles and flinging water all over the car! I thought that was crazy enough until someone else yelled, "AND NOW WITH THE BEER!!!" And so then water and beer was being flung all over everyone.

At least half of the people in the car were smoking as well, all within the vicinity of 4 NO SMOKING signs. The funny thing was, when a old wino got on the train at one stop and needed a place to sit, one crazy 20s something decked-out fan got up to give him his seat and said, "Here, sit down! We're the champions of the world!" The guy sat down, but then pulled out a bong and tried to light up some weed. Everyone got all quiet around the guy when they saw and then someone politely tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Hey dude, sorry, but you can't do that here. That's illegal. You're not allowed to do that. If you're going to do that, you're going to have to get off the train." The old guy looked up and said, "Well, can I just smoke then?" And the Spaniard answered, "Oh, yeah, sure! Smoking's totally cool! Just don't do any of that stuff." And with that the wino pulled out a cigarette and the partying resumed.

Well, by this time there was 1/8 inch of water and beer covering the floor, not to mention dripping from the ceiling and windows. AND it was a million degrees in there. So now it was hot AND sweaty AND humid. Drunk people are not the brightest. So people were complaining even more (between chants, of course), until one drunk guy started his own chant, "WE'RE ON A SAUNA TRAIN!! THAT'S F#@&$ING AWESOME!!!" And the people took up the chant with great enthusiasm. Which was nice....because I'd much rather be in a hot, sweaty, crowded, smoky, humid train car with 100 happy drunk people than in a hot, sweaty, crowded, smoky, humid train car with 100 angry drunk people.

I finally arrived at my stop, got a ride home, took a shower, and watched the after-party still happening in Madrid on TV for the next hour until I went to bed.

It was still going on when I turned on the TV the next morning.

THE END