Espanyol: The other club

Last weekend I attended an Espanyol game for the first time. I know what you´re thinking: What is a Barça fan doing at an Espanyol game? In my defense I wasn´t there for the teams I was there because two of my favorite Mexican players were playing: Andres Guardado and Hector Moreno. I don´t regret going, football is football. Its a beautiful game and it doesn´t matter who plays. I was surprised with with how many people showed up. I´m not saying they have a small fan base but I´ve seen different Espanyol games and the stadium never looked as full as when I went.

My trip to the stadium started with a funny story. I´m so bad at planning, anything whether its an important trip or a small event the next day. I showed up at the metro not knowing what metro stop to get off at but I did see a few Espanyol fans. I would just follow them, and I did. I followed them almost to the stadium until a group of Espanyol fans chanting and yelling made their way to me. They asked me if I was going to the Espanyol game and I nodded, so one of the girls grabbed my hand and dragged me into their group, accepting me as one of their own. How mad do you think they will be if they found out I was a Barça fan?, was all I kept thinking. They didn´t ask me if I was an Espanyol fan so technically I wasn´t lying. Some did look at me confused as to whether I wasn´t joining in the chants, but they just assumed I was shy. As we arrived at the stadium one of the guys handed me an Espanyol scarf. Don´t push it. I did grab it though, but I did not wear it. We had an interesting conversation about how I was from the US and they were surprised that I knew that much about football being American and a girl.

As the game was about to start I headed to my seat and realized that the Espanyol games had a different atmosphere. Espanyol is more of a  family club, most people don´t become fans because they think the club is great or because its popular. They don´t have as many titles as other Spanish teams although they have been successful. The reason why most Espanyol fans are Espanyol fans is because their parents were Espanyol fans, and so were their grandparents. The love for the team is passed down from generation to generation and that’s how they keep the club and fan base alive. It was different from other games I´ve been to. In all the Barça games I´ve been too there is a man or group of people sitting behind me yelling insults or criticizing our players when they miss a shot. During the Espanyol game I heard none. I know not all Barça fans are the same way and not all Espanyol fans are completely loyal to their club. But while I was there the fans clapped whenever a player missed, like giving them their support, even for Sergio Garcia who was not having a good game.

As minute 21 approached people started to clap. They clapped for a straight minute in honor of the Espanyol player Daniel Jarque who died at the age of 26. He wore the kit number 21. Right inside the stadium there is also a statue in his honor, he was a very loved player.

The Espanyol fans get a little too happy when the team scores. The guy next to me who I didn´t even know turned to me and hugged me and then continued to jump up and down. My overall experience was a great one. I would definitely go again maybe this time not alone.

Valencia

This weekend my friends and I took a trip to Valencia. I didn’t know how beautiful that city was. It’s not as big as Barcelona. Valencia has about a lot less inhabitants but nonetheless its a big city. We stayed at a hotel near the city center that was only a few minutes away from the Valencia soccer stadium and from the beach. Although two days was not enough to really get to know Valencia I had a lot of fun and I hope to go back soon, maybe this time for a bit longer. During our stay we entered the Catedral de Valenica on la Plaza de La Reina. Our tour guide mentioned that was the place you could see the whole city once we were on the top. What we didn’t think about was the fact that there were no elevators. We had to climb more than 230 steps to get to the top and that’s when we realized how out of shape we were. Once we reached the top, it was definitely worth it. I was able to not only see he whole city but I was able to see the sea as well.

We didn’t know that during this time, Valencia was celebrating Falles. During the month of March they have fireworks every day a 2pm and then at midnight. It’s something everyone should see, I can’t even explain how great it was. On the last day they burn a huge papier-mâché falla. I want to go back during the burning of the falla, I’ve seen videos and its definitely an experience. The beach was also a great place to visit.