Spain is passionate about its football, as is much of Europe, and Spain's team has consistently delivered with championships. The Eurocup was to be the "triple crown" for Spain, after winning the 2008 Eurocup and the 2010 World Cup. With each game, the excitement grew and the red and yellow spread.
A boost to the dismal Spanish economy? |
Flags can be added to balconies, cars, even bikes! |
Your ice cream cone now comes with a complimentary Spanish flag! |
Yes, the Ale Hop mascot even joined in! |
We chose a local spot to watch the game after we tried in vain to figure out if there was going to be an open air viewing on a big screen (only to see the pictures afterwards of the large crowds at Nuevo Centro and get an email about it from Couchsurfing--oh well!). We reserved a table and joined a very international crowd, all cheering for Spain however.
Spain is criticized for being a boring team at times in the media. I personally would pick a boring, winning team as my team any day--they're effective for sure. And, boy is that goalie amazing--people were calling for Saint Iker's official beatification on Twitter (the game set a Twitter record for most tweets/second for a sporting event and I loved following the commentary and excitement of some of my fellow "Spain twits").
It was an amazing game for Spain fans. As this Yahoo News story states, Spain define the word domination both in gaining the three titles and in shutting out Italy for a 4-0 victory.
As soon as the game ended, we went in search of the celebrations. We had a feeling Plaza Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) would be one of the gathering places, and within a few minutes people begin streaming in to the plaza in all their red and yellow glory. A big train of guys pushing their friend in a shopping cart, large crowds singing, guys with massive flags on building height poles, and fireworks (of course!)--well, the pictures give you a better idea:
And my three favorite pictures of the night:
The most adorable niña taking it all in n her Dad's shoulders |
An excited young fan climbing a pole and waving his flag with Town Hall in background |
They should have repainted it red and YELLOW! |
"Yo soy...
...Español
...Español
...Español!" was being sung in the crowds and we joined in many times. While it may not technically be true, en nuestros corazones somos españoles. Especially on a night like this one!
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