Well, that game did not work out how we hoped it would. I thought London’s Arsenal had it in the bag. Their goalie hadn’t allowed a single goal in ten games, nearly 1,000 minutes of play, and he got the old red card early and the rest of the squad tuffed it out for a long time and then fell a bit apart under a blinding rain and a blistering Barcelona attack.
Did anyone else catch the match on ESPN? I did not expect so much pagentry and spectacle. Wow. The Wiley Traveler’s boyfriend Daniel promises pictures from right in the stands etc. We’ll see if he comes thru I have hopes! Even with tv coverage I can not imagine being there in person. Arsenal got a charter jet and took the whole staff from London to Paris for the match. Big times I’m sure. And yes, the signature player Thierry Henry was ripping mad the whole second half. Seriously outdone with his coach. The commentators later said the Arsenal coach lost the match and the Barcelona one won it. I totally saw their point. Their 10 man squad (one short because of their goalie being tossed out) had to have been just worn out, what with the rain and they got no replacements. Meanwhile, the 11 man Barcelona squad had replacements that came in and got things going.
Still a great match and still proudly wearing my Arsenal hat when I take off for Italy next week.
Coming up next: In other EUROPEAN SPORTING NEWS – rowing down the Arno through Florence. Friends just back from their adventure have all the details of this fun way to see Italy. Then in ITALIAN COOKING NEWS omg, the slowest of all Slow Foods. The Wiley Traveler herself has sent us the most amazing photos of the start-to-finish six day, long slow process of turning our slow-traveling garden snails into garlic buttered escargot. She promises the story to go with the pictures as soon as she gets back from Switzerland early next week.
See you in Italy (in only 6 days!)
Stew