Barcelona study abroad Summer 2011: Day 8/Camp Nou and 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! It feels very weird to not be in the States celebrating today with my family and friends. Instead of shooting fireworks and soaking up the sun, I got to go on the tour of a lifetime. Today we went to Camp Nou (the FC Barcelona soccer stadium). I was a little nervous at first because the weather wasn't ideal and the professor told us to meet him at a metro station far out in the city. But luckily I found my way there and for a little while, was the only one there so I feared that I was in the wrong place. Then some of my classmates started to show up and after about 30 minutes of waiting, we headed towards the stadium. I have gained a reputation as a notorious picture taker and super-tourist because I am ALWAYS taking pictures of pretty much everything. I think they are just jealous! I have the "let them haters hate" mindset in full effect. After taking an outside tour of the stadium at the junior football academy, we made our way to the entrance of the museum. Barcelona has their soccer stadium, basketball arena, ice rink, and more all right next to each other. The stadium was HUGE and there is SO much history within its walls. They have rooms and rooms of trophies and photos and old memorabilia and even a room with a many videos singing their anthem in sync. We walked all throughout the stadium, the visiting training/locker room, saw the Champions League Cup, and were able to get right next to the field. On the opposite side of the stadium, many seats in the middle are colored differently than the rest to spell "Més Que Un Club", which means "More than a club". Their stadium seats 99,354 people and doesn't look like there is a bad seat in the house! Except for maybe the seats far under the upper level. I am a little disappointed that their season was over before I got here because I really want to experience a match, but I guess that just gives me another reason to come back to Barcelona! Some friends and I had to leave a little bit early because we had class immediately following the tour, but we were late anyways. I am very thankful for the opportunity to visit the museum/stadium and I continue to gain more respect for this sport, little by little. I can't wait until the next world cup! The weather cooperated for most of the day, but ironically enough, once we got down to the field where the goals were, it began to rain so we didn't get to soak up the moment like we would have if it was a sunny day. And once we left, it began to clear up, haha. Oh well! After class, a friend and I were going to go to the Gaudí house (Casa Batlló) until we realized that it cost about 18 Euro per person so we decided to save that until later. So, with my free time I decided to walk back to school from campus and try to improve my navigation skills. And on the way I found a Levi's store, which was perfect because I needed another pair of jeans other than my older, sort of faded ones, and there was no way that I was going to buy a pair of spanish brand jeans with buttons instead of a zipper! I really did try to speak spanish when I got in there, but one of the employees spoke great English, so I decided to speed up the process and use the language that I have been speaking for 20 years. Unfortunately they didn't have very many pairs in my size, but all you need is one! And I found it! I decided to try a few other pairs on though in a smaller size, and boy was that a struggle. I would never EVER be able to wear skinny jeans! They are too tight for me to even put my hand in my pocket to get my phone out and they provide no movability! I really thought that I was going to rip a pair when I tried to make some moves. I also thought me and my 2 God-given companions were going to choke to death so I hurried to get them off, but they were so tight that I struggled to even do that! Girls, I respect you for wearing tight jeans and I now realize what you have to go through every time you put them on and take them off. Clothes here are way too expensive, even with these super sales going on. (I am such a guy, I hate spending more than $40 on some clothes haha). After I left the store, I walked back to my apartment and passed a Nike store. This one was very nice and had 3 levels, a basement, ground floor, and second floor. And on the second floor, I saw something that I had never seen before. They had a roped off (like a VIP area) glass room with a desk in the front where you could customize your own Nike shoes. They had designs on display and somebody to show you the different styles and types of shoes that you could build. But, when I tried to take a picture of the place, they ran out and said that it was not allowed! And the same thing happened at Camp Nou when I tried to take a picture of the Champions League Cup. I really wanted to go into this place and see what things were like on the other side of the rope, but you either had to be a high-roller or make an appointment or something. Or speak good enough Spanish to ask how to get in there! Well, tonight should be a good time. I wanted to go to Hard Rock Cafe with some friends to celebrate some American food on this American holiday, but it is tough to reach people when you don't have a cell phone or their email addresses. So, it's just a microwavable meal for me tonight! And then a lot of the people on the program are going to an American bar called Dow Jones (yes, like the stock market) to celebrate together. And after that, I think we are going to an Irish pub with Karaoke and free hot dogs! Whoo hoooo, AMERICA AMERICA AMERICA!!!

Camp Nou

Camp Nou museum entrance

right outside of the walk to the stadium

"more than a club"

stadium

artwork inside the museum

inside the museum

sponsors

Champions League Cup

visiting locker room

view from the field, ground level (right when it started raining)

some of the FC Barcelona team

picture inside of the museum

old jerseys

South Africa gear, etc.

FC Botiga store outside of the stadium

human statue. They love their FC Barcelona sports!

Nike store

Nike Design studio, very private

Camp Nou museum/stadium ticket

So we had a great time at Dow Jones, enjoyed the red, white, and blue decorations, and sang the national anthem and bursted into chants of U-S-A (I even managed to get a nice little video). It was standing-room only in this small to medium-sized bar, which made it even more fun. It was filled with Americans and some people from across Europe, but I finally began to crack out of my shell and talk to new people. We were there for about 2 hours, but then we wanted to go check out the Irish pub with free hot dogs. So, a few of us hopped in a cab to take us there, only once we got there, they were closed! We saw many of our fellow classmates standing outside, only to tell us at the bar was closed, but we went inside to check it out anyways. It was much bigger and seemed even more festive than Dow Jones. There were not many people inside, but some people still tried to continue the festivities even though the lights were turned on and the music was turned off. I managed to sneak by a few of the employees and take pictures of the remains of the party. After leaving, my roommate and I decided to take a cab back, but then we thought we were close enough to walk back, so we got the cab driver to drop us off. What a bad idea! It was dark and we passed our street sign and landmarks. We went 8 blocks too far and 4 blocks down, but we only realized this once we passed a street sweeper and struggled to ask for directions. But it was ok, it ONLY took us an hour to walk back to the apartment, but at least I got some sweet pictures of graffiti and statues. Oh well, at least we made it back! This was definitely a good 4th of July, especially considering that it was outside of the States. I hope everyone else had a great holiday as well and were able to spend it with family and friends. God bless the veterans, the troops, and their families. We love you!