Real Madrid vs. Levante

GAME TIME!!!

The wait was over, I bundled up and hopped on the Metro Sunday night for the quick ride to Estadio Santiago Bernabéu for what seemed to be a good match up between Madrid's perennial powerhouse Real Madrid team and the upstart Levante club from Valencia.

Let's set the stage . . .

Real Madrid is in first place in the 20 team Spanish La Liga with a record of 18 wins, 1 tie and and 2 losses. You get three points for a win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. Real Madrid has 55 team points going into this weekend's contests.

As a point of information, Barcelona is in second place with 48 team points and Valencia is a distant third place with 37 team points.

That brings us to tonight's opponents for Real Madrid. Levante's record is 9 wins, 5 ties and 7 losses for a total of 32 team points good for fourth place at this time in the La Liga standings.

The interesting angle to tonight's game is that, at home back on Septemberr 18th, Levante handed Real Madrid one of their only two La Liga losses by a score of 1-0.

Concession Stands outside Bernabéu

Most people do not leave their seats during the game or at halftime by brining in their own food for the games, so these concessionaires do a good business.

I added one Real Madrid banner

to my collection tonight

The Spanish word for this phenomenon is

"WIND CHILL"

I am not sure what the equivalent English phrase is for this.

Who can forget Spain's first ever

World Cup Championship in 2010

Certainly not this guy.

Heavy Police Presence

Were they expecting trouble at a European soccer game?

Not the banner I purchased

But I was tempted.

This one speaks of Real Madrid's Ultras, their rowdy fans seated two levels below me, and their feelings about second place FC Barcelona.

The view from my seat

Tower A

Vomitorio 530-S

Sector 532, Row 1, Seat 5

Vomitorio 530-S?

My newest Real Madrid buddy,

Pedro from Toledo

His brother Antonio, also still from Toledo, and three of their brothers-in-law have all been season ticket holders together in this same row for 15 years. Because of the cold weather, the three brothers-in-law all sold their tickets for tonight's game back to the team who then sold them to me and two college roommate students from Williams College in Massachusetts.

Now Pedro was great, we chatted about his love and devotion to Real Madrid and their storied history. When I told him that I was from California, he declared his love for the Los Angeles Lakers and asked me if I knew that Pao Gasol is a Spaniard.

Actually, I did.

I asked him why the late start in such seasonably cold conditions and he simply stated that all Sunday games start at 9:30 p.m. because people have to work on Mondays. The Saturday games start at 10:00 p.m.

When his brother Antonio arrived, all bets were off. There is a certain, small percentage of Spanish men who talk with a voice that is equal parts deep, loud, raspy, wheezing and darn hard to understand.

Antonio is one of those, Pedro is not.

I understood about every third word that he said and just smiled and nodded. It didn't help that the two non-Spanish speaking college kids kept using me as a translator to ask questions for Antonio to answer.

During half time I asked Antonio who he thought were the five best soccer teams in the world.

Surprisingly he rated Real Madrid #1. After much soul searching and in very hushed tones he reluctantly annointed FC Barcelona into the second spot. His next three chioces, in order, were AC Milan, FC Bayern München and Manchester United.

Strange that he didn't mention the mighty Finja squad from Sweden.

GRACIAS A DIOS!!!

The overhang above our seats were loaded with these powerful radiating heaters but occasionally the strong gusts of wind disrupted their effectiveness.

Oh yes, chain smoking is indeed allowed inside Estadio Bernabú. I again use Pedro and Antonio as prime examples.

Real Madrid Stretching

Exchanging Warm and Fuzzy

Pre-Game Pleasantries

Retired Real Madrid great

Roberto Carlos would kick

a ceremonial first ball

The fans went crazy when he was introduced, Pedro from Toledo wept.

Antonio said something but what I do not for the life of me know!

GAME ON!!!

High Sticking?

Another Death on the Pitch

Levante scored first

Celebrating this much right next to the Real Madrid Ultras was really not a wise career move.

The Ultras were now demanding BLOOD!

#2, in blue, for Levante is

Koné

Easily Levante's best offensive threat, he shined even though double teamed most of the night.

Ronaldo on the Penalty Kick

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like Corner Kick Action

Ronaldo Head Shot

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He would complete the Hat Trick with a third goal, this one a lazer shot from about 20 meters as he accounted for Real Madrid's first three scores.

Ultras Enjoying the moment

With a 4-2 victory for the home team firmly in hand, the Ultras, in a show of true sportsmanship, started to serenade one of the Levante players who goes simply by Ballesteros. They had a catchy four word song paired with a peppy beat.

The four words you ask?

"BALLESTEROS, HIJO DE PUTA!"

It was so nice to hear 80,000 fans, including Pedro and Antonio, loudly pouring out their love for a respected visiting player.

By the way, Antonio could indeed say these four magical words with perfect Spanish diction.

The game was over by 11:30 p.m. and after dealing with the hordes of fans all trying to get into the one and only entrance to the nearby Metro station, I got back to my stop at 12:30 a.m. still wired because of the big game experience.

Chocolaterías San Ginés, just a few blocks from my hotel it was then, to celebrate the Real Madrid experience with an order of hot chocolate and churros.

I was in bed by 1:00 a.m. anticipating my last day of adventure in Spain, an AVE high speed train trip to Segovia to the northwest.

Thun, Switzerland on Tuesday, it is indeed time to get to work!!!

The Spanish Civil War

Sunday promised to be a great day in Madrid as I had two activities in mind. The first was a three hour walking tour of the city that concentrated on a fascinating and gruesome subject, the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War.

This conflict is often referred to as the opening ideological and military salvos of World War II. It was here that both Hitler and Stalin started testing each other's military might. Germany aided General Franco's rebellious Nationalist side while the USSR helped the duly elected Republicans who were running the country at the time of the outbreak of hostilities. This tour was scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. in Plaza Mayor.

The second landmark event, the main reason to spend the weekend in Madrid before arriving in Thun, Switzerland on Tuesday, was a journey to venerable Estadio Santiago Bernabéu to watch a Spanish La Liga soccer game with home team Real Madrid taking on a Levante squad, based in Valencia, at 9:30 p.m.

More about the game in my next blogpost.

I was up way too early as I am still fighting jet lag and my biological clock continues to be way out of whack, so I opted for wee stretch of the legs before hitting the Civil War tour.

That's 23º F. at 9:00 a.m.

How cold will it be at 9:30 p.m. tonight for the game?

BRRRRR!

Hostal Las Fuentes

World's Smallest Elevator

My walk took me near several more outstanding examples of Spanish architecture like these that follow.

Maybe not this one

Nebraska?

Salon La Mallorquina

I mentioned this great pastry shop, located at Puerta del Sol, in Friday's post. I've tried to get in for two days now but it was wall-to-wall with customers each time that I tried.

Not on Sunday morning.

So I swooped in to have two of their signature rosquillas cookies. One was a tonta meaning plain while the other one was a lista signifying that it was iced. The lista was covered with a rich lemon frosting.

YUM!

On the left, Yemas

I wasn't done yet as I saw these yemas delights that are a staple in Ávila, the city that I did not get a chance to visit yesterday.

They look like hard boiled egg yolks, which I abhor. Yemas is Spanish for egg yolks.

The candy I liked.

Both of them.

Plaza Mayor's Sunday Morning

Stamp and Coin Collector's Market

I collect neither BUT . . .

They set up shop underneath the arcades all around the Plaza. I was able to buy several inexpensive and different Spanish stamps celebrating Camino de Santiago Holy Years in 1965, 1971, 1982 and 2010. A Holy Year is any year that the Feast of St. James falls on a Sunday. It was a Holy Year when I made my pilgrimmage in 2010.

I also bought a not so inexpensive Spanish special edition 10 Euros coin that commemorated the 2010 Año Jacobeo as well.

Good times indeed!

King Phillip III's Statue

in the middle of Plaza Mayor

It was he who ordered the construction of Plaza Mayor in 1619.

Locks like these with intials mean love

After being placed in spots like this one on Plaza Mayor with the initials of the two partners, the lovers throw away the key to symbolize their unbreakable love for each other.

Hey, it is St. Valentine's Day on Tuesday.

Colorful Plaza Mayor Frescoes

A relief of the Spanish Inquistion

Around Plaza Mayor there are several light posts with places to sit at their bases like this one. They show reliefs of events that have taken place at Plaza Mayor over the centuries.

Besides the brutal Inquistion, the Plaza has seen its share of bullfights, fires and royal pageantry also depicted in similar reliefs.

Spanish Civil War Tour Time!

Part of why I was hanging out for so long at Plaza Mayor is that this is where our tour would start.

That is our Tour Guide, Mark Connolly, holding the red umbrella. Mark hales from Dublin, Ireland and was very passionate, energetic and knowledgable about this provacative subject.

While focusing primarily on the Battle of Madrid, he really did a fine job teaching us about the root causes of the conflicts, the military history, brutality and long term ramification of the four year struggle.

Spain's first Socialist Party was founded

at this very restaurant in the 1870s

They serve great cod as well.

A Memorial to the Fallen

The Temple de Debod

This Egyptian temple had nothing to do with the Spanish Civil War but we passed by it as we walked.

It was a gift to Spanish government from Egypt in thanks for Franco's financial help with the Aswan Dam project in 1968.

The dam would have destroyed the temple so it was easy for the Egyptians to give it away.

A very simple Civil War Monument

Made from rubble from the Battle of Madrid, it was made nondescript on purpose so that neither side claims it as theirs.

Even today, 73 years after the war's end, the Civil War is still a very sore subject with Spaniards. We even had a few passer byes chime in with their 2 Euros worth when they realized the tour's topic.

A Pill Box by University City

The pictures that Mark showed us of this area at the end of the hostilities looked like Hiroshima without the afterglow.

Today's Home of Spain's Air Force

The Republicans used this building as a prison during the Civil War. About 2,000 of Franco's Nationalist were housed here and were due to be shipped to Valencia but once at Madrid's Barajas Airport they were summarily shot by their Republican guards and placed in a mass grave.

An estimated 238,000+ men and women faced similar summary executions at the hands of the troops on both sides.

An army officer on the pro-Catholic Nationalist side even infamously announcecd via a national radio broadcast that for every Republican you killed it would mean one less year in Purgatory.

That's my religion at its historical finest.

I know, I'll say five Hail Marys and an Our Father for that remark.

A scene from Men in Black?

After three intense hours, our tour ended here.

Awesome Tour!

Three of my English speaking Tour mates

The two ladies work together in London but are both friends from Toronto, Canada. When our Tour Guide mentioned the continuing Basque Separatist Movement it sent these two off in an anti-French Canadian Separatist rant.

Sorry St. Julie.

The young fellow is from Napa, California and attended Cardinal Newman H.S. the year they played Oaks Christian in the inaugural California State H.S. Football Bowl Game. His team lost a close won that they should have won. The Oaks Christian QB that season was Jimmy Clausen who this fellow hates with a passion to this very day in Madrid.

We bonded.

Well.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

at the Plaza de España

Maxibon

Maybe one of these would make St. Julie feel better.

SIDRA!!!

Almost back to my hotel, I stumbled upon this fine Asturian diner. My grandparents were from Spain's northern region of Asturias, so why not give it a whirl?

Sidra in the green bottle,

octopus to the left

Sidra is the adult beverage of choice for Asturianos. It's in my blood, no?

As seen in the previous picture, sidra must be poured from dizzying heights to let it breath.

I ordered one to go along with a fried meat tapas. I tipped the bartender 1 Euro and two seconds later he says here, finish the bottle.

International relations and all, what else could I do but say "Si, gracias!"

My first Sidra and Tapas

Fully lubricated and well fed, it was time to go to the hotel for a short nap before going to the BIG GAME.

Stay tuned for more on the Real Madrid-Levante game in the next blogpost.

Siesta time.