Barca!

A Session In BARCA!!! By Kevin Rooney WITH quite vocal Manchester United fans in the corner bartering away at a Liverpool supporter you might well think yours truly was back home. Instead, I was in Paddy Flaherty’s Irish Bar in Barcelona on the second night of a stag weekend. I presume the United ones saw the Liverpool supporter as an easy target with an audience of a large pool of Catalans in the rest of the bar. The Man U supporters did not  fancy the challenge of rousing their Catalan cousins much like the team itself as it later transpired. With half of Barcelona city decamped in the English capital London for the big match, I must admit it was a little bit surreal heading in the other direction. Needless to say I knew there would still be a cracker atmosphere and I was proved correct in that line of thinking. [caption id="attachment_24583" align="alignleft" width="460" caption="Can you see Kevin? He must be in there somewhere. "][/caption] Cataluynia was a sea of Barca shirts all weekend and plenty of fakes were doing the rounds as yours truly found out. Still, they were a lot cheaper than the authentic ones to say the least. The first day of the stag weekend we encountered an unemployment protest in the city’s main square. The protest rapidly descended into a mini-riot leaving one thinking if he had ever left Northern Ireland in the first place. Spanish social security, it transpires, is nowhere near as generous as its Irish and British counterparts. After a couple of weeks signing on, a person’s dole dries up completely. No wonder why the protesters turned violent. The ‘Policia’ in their riot gear on a sweltering hot summers’ day took no prisoners and lashed out into the protesters. The comical moment came when a policeman took a huge swipe and somehow took out his own colleagues. So a mini-riot welcomed us to Barcelona. Down by the beach and the locals reckon near on seven million people make the pilgrimage in search of the sun every year. On our weekend, some 7000 were present on the beach and we weren’t even into June. Let’s just say Barcelona beach is a bit different from our very own Tyrella or Ballyhornan.  Apart from the fact it actually is sunny in Barcelona, there were salespeople stalking the beach. My group and I were offered drugs in broad daylight which shook us a bit. There were massages being offered (some took up that offer!) and people selling the type of rubbish one associates with a bad Saturday market back home. Yours truly went very red and had to apply the after-sun after a second visit to the beach. Camp Nou, situated in the east of the city, is within 25 minutes walking distance of the city centre. The taxis, identified by their yellow and black livery, will happily run you there. They are not very dear – tour buses also cover the stadium but will only stop for a brief look. Camp Nou is the world’s second – biggest soccer stadium behind the Maracana in Rio, Brazil. The 98,000 seats arc up into the skyline – the museum is a tribute to one of world soccer’s greatest teams. Barcelona FC know how to make a Euro or two – at [caption id="attachment_24584" align="alignright" width="400" caption="The Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona."][/caption] 20 Euros a ticket and some 2000 passing through the gates for the tour every day it is a not too insignificant contribution to their bulging coffers. Amongst the tributes inside are Ronaldo (the original), Sir Bobby Robson and Gary Lineker. Ireland’s very own Patrick (Patricio) O’ Connell, who played and managed this great club in the early 1900s, it seemed did not merit a tribute. Alas, I have since found out their is a bust of him in the museum but it must have passed us by. The Argentinian Lionel Messi, the undisputed world’s best footballer, has his own section within the museum. Something about this preturbed me as he is still playing and will be for at least another decade. Should something like this not wait until the great Messi has retired. Then all his accomplishments could be taken into account. The rehearsals were underway on the pitch for the victory party the following night. The rehearsals were some eight hours before THAT match even kicked-off. Needless to say Barcelona do not do self-doubt. Defeat is not even in their dictionary! Barcelona does not do ‘cheap’ in any great way either. Over the course of our three night visit, the only thing that did not sting the pockets were the taxis. A lunch, for seven, set us back 120 euros and you will not get a drink for less than six euros. Flaherty’s Irish Bar does drink promotions for 1 and 2 euros but only Mon-Fri. Anybody venturing down the shots and spirits route will have their money rightly swallowed up. Barcelona has a plethora of museums and cathedrals if that type of thing interests you – art galleries also seemed very popular with the tourists. And this traveller noted the amount of Chinese taking in the sights. Ever since the communist regime in China give way to capitalism just that little bit, the populace with their new found wealth have decided to take in the sights and sounds of the world. And of course there were the usual Yanks, most of whom could be heard before they were seen! There were exceptions. Alas, Megan and Erin from America had us enthralled in Flaherty’s post-match on the Saturday!! Thanks girls!! Placa de Cataluynia had the big screens erected for the match of the – this stag party give it a miss as alcohol was prohibited. That’s the Irish for you!! As we were making our way back to our apartment in the early hours of Sunday morning it was noted the amount of Police about. Reports later informed us of 80 arrests and 120 injured in the city centre after the match. Tragically, one girl lost her life after a fall at a fountain in the suburbs of the city. Sunday brought the victory parade through the city centre by the jubilant team – one member of the stag party got close to the action! Rodney got soaked in champagne by the Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol. I think that made his weekend! A cracker weekend had by all – just make sure you come with plenty of euros if you do decide to visit Bacelona.  Aer Lingus fly daily (May to September) from Dublin and Belfast to Barcelona. Visit www.aerlingus.com There are great rates for apartments, houses and villas on www.cometobarcelona.com ]]>