The Canadoca's "GRAMS" took care of her on Tuesday so that Mr. DRL and I could take in the Brazil vs. N. Korea game on Copacabana at the FIFA Fan Fest. Mr. DRL arrived about an hour before game time and got in no problem. I arrived slightly later and friends of ours who had arrived ahead of me set up shop on the beach, so I joined them.
I left my apartment about five minutes after the game began. I can't explain the silence and tension in the city. There was no one on the street. No traffic. Stores were closed. Establishments serving those watching the game were the only ones open, and for those first minutes at least, everything was still within those I passed. It was emotional; I felt like crying! I'm not really into futebol, but I am really into experiencing this.
When I arrived on Copa, there were thousands of people. Watching the game. Pretty much silently (though the speakers were BLARING), and the yellow, green and blue crowd was sooooo still.
Watching on the outside of the Copa FIFA Fan Fest is awesome. You can get chairs from vendors, beer from vendors, watch the crowd, take a swim... although I hear they have KONI in there...
Mr. DRL left the Fanfest at half-time to join us. It took him awhile, and the second half had started by the time he made it near where we were. You'd think in a crowd so huge it would have taken forever to find him but when he was the ONLY person moving, it didn't. Crazy.
There was a bit of ruckus to report - during the half-time break, a big crowd of screaming people came running towards us - we kind of backed away but really didn't know what was going on or what to do. Then a Brazilian fellow who was behind us said it was just a fight and we saw loads of police heading into the center of the crowd. Mr. DRL happened to be on the other side of the giant crowd at the time when the police pulled out a kid with a gun... we're assuming the incidents were one and the same.
As much as Rio gets a reputation, really this could happen anywhere. Inside the Fan Fest, there is security preventing such incidents.
Of course, in the second half, the game and crowd got very exciting with the two goals Brazil scored!
It was fantastic - can't wait for more!
Really stunning isn't it? It's the first time i am able to enjoy some of the World Cup fever here. I'm speechless when i think about these masses of people walking from the Metro towards the beach to see the game. Nobody seems to care about work or anything else (unthinkable in Switzerland and probably one reason our team is already back home)
Posted by: Roland | June 26, 2010 at 10:19 AM