Most of you know how much I like to climb, and I cant think of a single week in the last 3-4 years that I havent been climbing at least once. As expected, the wedding and planning took up so much time, that I havent had a chance to get a good climbing session in, in over a month. Katy understands this addiction :), and has been so nice to try to help me find some climbing in the city, so I dont go stir crazy. A few days ago, we tried to find the only indoor climbing gym in Lisbon, only to find it closed down and out of business...total bummer, but supposedly there are a few artificial climbing walls in a couple of parks within the city. So yesterday, we went looking for one of the artifical walls...but after walking a few miles, we realized that it was farther than we thought. So the drought continues...hopefully just until tomorrow when I travel to Cascais, about 30 minutes by rail, to climb on some boulders on the rocky Atlantic coast.
But there is more to life than climbing:) (I know, I cant believe I just said that either). After we wandered around for a couple of hours yesterday, it was time to catch a real European soccer match...and boy were we not dissapointed. I've been to near 100 Clemson soccer games, when I was in college, but it was nothing like this. The stadium was incredible, the crowd was excited, and the match was thrilling! I felt like I was at a Clemson football game, except everything was green and white, instead of orange and white, and the ball was round instead of oblong. The people greeted each other and shared their lives since last they'd met...just like IPTAY folks catching up before the game. Each person had an investment in the team, the game, and the sport, just like a real Clemson fan feels about the Tigers and college football. The action was so much faster and more precise than any of the college games I had been to. It was nice to be part of the experience and share the atmosphere with the locals. A quick goal, by SC Portugal (the home team), within the first minutes had the crowd in a good mood, and a second followed not too far behind. The Nacional team scored with a great header before the half to make the score 2-1. The second half was tense, with plenty of yellow cards being waved. A goal in the last 5 minutes sealed the deal for SC Portugal and had the crowd erupting in confidence and exhuberance. We both left with a smile on our face and 24,000 new friends. We couldnt have asked for a better time or a better display of European football! Once again, I'm having problems uploading pictures from my computer, so I'll post some pics from Katy's computer later today, but stay tuned...you gotta see the inside of the stadium.
But there is more to life than climbing:) (I know, I cant believe I just said that either). After we wandered around for a couple of hours yesterday, it was time to catch a real European soccer match...and boy were we not dissapointed. I've been to near 100 Clemson soccer games, when I was in college, but it was nothing like this. The stadium was incredible, the crowd was excited, and the match was thrilling! I felt like I was at a Clemson football game, except everything was green and white, instead of orange and white, and the ball was round instead of oblong. The people greeted each other and shared their lives since last they'd met...just like IPTAY folks catching up before the game. Each person had an investment in the team, the game, and the sport, just like a real Clemson fan feels about the Tigers and college football. The action was so much faster and more precise than any of the college games I had been to. It was nice to be part of the experience and share the atmosphere with the locals. A quick goal, by SC Portugal (the home team), within the first minutes had the crowd in a good mood, and a second followed not too far behind. The Nacional team scored with a great header before the half to make the score 2-1. The second half was tense, with plenty of yellow cards being waved. A goal in the last 5 minutes sealed the deal for SC Portugal and had the crowd erupting in confidence and exhuberance. We both left with a smile on our face and 24,000 new friends. We couldnt have asked for a better time or a better display of European football! Once again, I'm having problems uploading pictures from my computer, so I'll post some pics from Katy's computer later today, but stay tuned...you gotta see the inside of the stadium.
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