Well we have now topped that. FIFA Confederation Cup in Rio! Months ago Jamison got tickets from the ticket lottery. Well, "got tickets" is misleading. He bought and reserved tickets in his name months ago. But you see FIFA has a rule that you must pickup tickets in person. And did you know the nearest ticketing office is in Rio.
So my amazing husband needed to pick up the tickets Friday (since 30,000 people still had not picked up their tickets by Thursday). We did not want to have to leave our house at 2 am to get them today, so he drove to Rio.
And back. Friday.
And then he did it again today!
Now that is quite a story.
Today's game was Mexico vs Italy. Mexico won the gold in the London Olympics and Itlay was second place in the European tournament. Two really great teams. We were so lucky to see some of the best soccer players in the world!
It was awesome, says Jamison. Nothing compares to being there.
Of course we cheered for Italy. It was really nice to be able to cheer along side Jamison (we are from rival universities). And it was such an intense game. I think the last full game I saw was ReAl Salt Lake almost two years ago. And I really don't know much about the game. But this one was so intense for me.
We were 12 rows from the field in a corner. It was so close. I loved to hear the thud of the soccer shoe against the ball. It was so impressive. I used to think soccer was boring (sorry again). But it is not. It is intense and never stops and one well placed kick in the goal can make all the difference.
I was amazed at the abilities of these players. Simply amazed. The athleticism, the speed, the agility, the no fear of a "catching" a speeding soccer ball with your head. Amazing!
They played in the Maracana Stadium that is just getting finished. It was very impressive. Security was very tight. You could not even walk close to the stadium without a ticket. The roads around the stadium were closed to traffic. heavily armored army guys were all over. You went through metal detectors and got wanded, then through another secure gate to get in. Plus there were so many volunteers helping with directions and all that we met spoke English. That was awesome.
We drove to Rio, parked in the airport, we took a taxi to the stadium (or as close as cars can get, about 20-30 minute walk (past the protest*)). After the game we thought we would save time by taking the Metro / subway. But so did 1,000's of others. It is amazing to shuffle along to the station with so many people. After a quick metro ride (the subway was nice and clean). We got out to take a bus back to the airport. I think we waited about 40 minutes for a bus. But one eventually came and we made it back to the airport. Grab a quick snack for dinner. Then sat in traffic just trying to get out of the parking garage.
We made it safely home just before midnight. Jamison drove the whole way. He credits the busy Brazilian roads with lots of trucks and lots of curves to keeping him awake. I was so grateful for our friend Camilla (our Portuguese teacher) who stayed with the kids all day. And I was so grateful to kiss each of the sleeping kids on the forehead when we got safely home.
An AMAZING DAY!
*OK, we missed the huge protest of 600 people with tear gas and everything. The protest on our side of the stadium was only about 150 people with some signs. I am grateful for answers to prayers that kept us safe and helped us even unknowingly avoid bigger problems.
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