Pre-Game

6/13-14/14

Tickets in hand!

After 10 much needed hours of sleep, we headed back to the airport to pick up our tickets. WE FINALLY HAVE THEM IN HAND!!!! And the most coveted ticket of all – El Final! We were SO EXCITED we had to take pictures! We spent the better part of the day watching the day’s games at the airport: Mexico v. Cameroon (viva Mexico!) and Spain v. Netherlands (Ugh, Spain, what happened?! But YAY for Henny & Andy! That “flying Dutchman” goal by van Persie was AMAZING!) 

Watching the game at the airport.

Uruguay's warning to Brazil: the ghost of 1950 (they beat Brazil in Brazil in 1950). 

Again, the airport was filled with national pride from all four corners of the globe. This time, though, the getups were a bit more creative. Sadly, our flight was filled with what appeared to be mostly Uruguayans and just the one Tico, unless all the others were traveling incognito. We got in so late that by the time we got checked into our bungalow and drove around town trying to find something to eat, it was midnight and the only place open was a Texas steak house – I kid you not. Their tacos were pretty good but the fresh made juices were great! I love traveling to the tropics – so many more delicious fruits than we have back in the States.

USA fans.

South African fan

Columbian fan

Nick finally found some fellow Ticos at the airport!

On game day, we traveled around Fortaleza to see some of the town. It’s an old City, established by the Dutch in 1637 as a fortress on Brazil’s northeast coast (capital of the state of Ceará) and then taken over by the Portuguese in 1654. With ample slave labor, the area prospered from cattle and cotton (sound familiar?) but nowadays is mostly a beach tourist spot known for its surfing – apparently one of the world’s top kite surfing destinations, thanks to the West African winds that blow across the Atlantic.

Obligatory town soccer field next to church.

We drove through a small town called Aquiraz, where we visited a 300 year old cathedral in the town square and its neighboring jail, which has been turned into the Museu Sacro São José de Ribamar. [Nick: The town hall is on the second floor of the jail, so a corrupt politician just had to fall one floor and land in jail. A short commute from ecstasy to despair.] The walls and iron bars, even the ceiling are the original construction. Since this is an area along the Atlantic Coast, they didn’t have any mud to build bricks. So the walls are made from sand, rocks and whale blubber – another fun whale fact for you Aquarium folks ;o) We also learned that the equivalent Brazilian phrase for someone being “two-faced” is to say that they are “hollow saints” – different on the inside than what they appear on the outside. This literally comes from the wooden saints carved to adorn the churches that were made hollow to hide contraband, several of which were on display at the museum.  Very cool.

Town church

Jail keys

Hollow saints