So, no guesses on the reason for the Scottish invasion? *sniffles* I'd hope at least someone on this side of the Atlantic would have chimed in... after all, similar events were taking place in a dozen or so cities around the continent!
I'll give you a few more clues and let's see if you can't figure it out before the end of the post...
Number one, although lots of them were turning crispy red on the beach or downing bears on one of Alicante's many terraces,
many more were to be seen hanging around this place:
Ok, yeah... that's in Spanish and it translates as "World Champions - Welcome to the Club Selección", Selección as in Spain's national football team (soccer for those on the other side of the pond). So why were Scots hanging around a place dedicated to Spain's current darlings? Well, among the many tents set up on this Esplanade on the harbour, most people (including lots of Spaniards) came to line up and go in here:
Yes dear, that man is wearing a sheep on his head! lol!
I don't know if you saw this on the news yesterday... but football-loving-octopus-lovers are in mourning:
I'm not usually into football-related topics outside of the World Cup... but I had so much fun with the Paul stories this summer that I can't help but feeling a bit sad. :o( Spaniards wanted to adopt him (to save him from ending up on a German bbq after Spain's semi-final victory against the Germans), they even put him on their flag:
And I managed to get my English students interested in a news report when I did a listening exercise based on a YouTube video showing Paul's prediction in favour of Spain!
He was so much a part of my World Cup fun last summer that I adopted my own little Pol the Octopod at the Mallorca Aquarium. He won't be making football predictions, but he has been named the mascot of my new travelling blog! After all, you'd thing eight legs are better than two for travelling around the world! ;o)
Apparently Paul will be cremated, and the Aquarium in Germany has a "new Paul" ready to take up residence in the tank (octopi are always very popular in aquaria). Even here in Liège they've been talking about dipping into the football prediction game since we received our very own octopus from the Antwerp aquarium last month!
Farewell Paul, may you enjoy an endless supply of mussels from here on out!
You might have noticed it's been a bit quiet around here again lately... and that I haven't been visiting my favourite bloggers... haven't flown off to the moon or anything, just had my life invaded by cousins! My cousin from Mallorca has been visiting this past week with her 11 month old baby and her younger brother and sister (8 year-old twins)... I've been teaching the twins how to snorkel (they go crazy with the slightest little fishy... in a safe calm spot I take them that really isn't a big deal underwater!), and they still insist on using me as a jungle gym in the water... fortunately they saw me with crutches at their first communion last April so I just tell them I have to be careful if I don't want to re-injure myself and they calm down. :o)
my aquababy niece with her mommy (my cuz)
my snorkelling-crazy cousins!
And although wonderful and fun... it's EXHAUSTING!!!
Not to mention reddening... why do kids always want to go down to the pool/beach during the peak hours? They've got lovely Mediterranean skin and don't realise their redheaded cousin is turning into a lobster!!! So much for sunscreen... I had it right all these years by avoiding the 12pm-5pm time frame... and worse... I'm getting a thick white stripe up to my neck from my bikini and it's going to look aweful when I'm all dressed up for one of my best friends' wedding in 2 weeks! :p
Mix that in with a heavy dose of classes I have to prepare and run around to get to on time (always more work in summer when students are out of school)... and the result is "internet? what's that?" I have so much to write about too! The madness that is winning a World Cup, a unique procession and dancing in the town just up the coast, haven't written about books or movies in months! And I've still got Hogueras tales to share! Fun video segments from these various events to weave together... where do I sign up for 48h days?
Cousins leave tomorrow, but my sis is here from London and I have to catch up on class prep work (plus have 3 new students) so I might still be silent for a while longer... and will start writing before I catch up on reading ('cause otherwise I'll never get anything written!). But to leave you with a foretaste... this is me right before setting out to watch Spain's historic (and highly stressful!) World Cup victory:
Today's THE day! Today's the World CupFINAL... and Spain's in it!!! :o) We made it!!!
ESPAÑA!
ESPAÑA!
ESPAÑA!
Spain and I have gone completely football crazy!!! (that's soccer for you yanks! lol!) I wanted to share memories from these past several weeks of celebration and let some of you who've never seen World Cup Fever experience at least a little bit of it vicariously. ;o)
1st Round - Match 2: Spain vs Honduras 2:0
Saw it on a "giant" screen outdoors in a park in San Vicente (next town over), overflowing with very excited people, kiddies to oldies all praying for a decisive victory (since we had lost the first match against the Swiss)
Here's a taste:
1st Round - Match 3: Spain vs Chile 2:1
The decisive match! We needed to win to be first in our group and avoid playing Brazil in the next round!
Friends preparing the "ambiance" (there were three flags hanging on the walls, one of them mine!):
Everyone mostly ignoring the food and concentrating on the match:
Happy!
Round of 16: Spain vs Portugal 1:0
At my place, with a bunch of local crazies and a couple imported from Belgium!
GOOOOOOL!!!!!
VILLA! VILLA! VILLA MARAVILLA!!!
(that's what everyone's yelling this year as striker David Villa has scored 5 of Spain's 7 goals)
Celebrating:
OLÉ!!!
Quarter Finals: Spain vs Paraguay 1:0
Back at my place, fewer people but just as crazy! :p
A penalty shot leads to GOOOOL!!!
OHÉ! OHÉ! OHÉ! OHÉÉÉÉÉÉ!!!
Damn!!! The referee cancelled the goal 'cause apparently some players moved to soon! Back to 0:0 and talk about feeling bummed out!
But wait!
Halleluya:
GOOOOOOOL!!! Villa again!!!
Impatiently waiting for the referee to blow the whistle and end the match before the Paraguayans get a chance to score and get a tie:
V for VICTORY!!!
And finally, home from celebrating the Semi-Final against Germany. 1:0 for Spain!!!! YAY!!!!
And now I'm going to don my shirt, paint my face and head off to watch the historic final against Holland (neither country has ever won the World Cup) with my friends in a crowded bar in San Vicente. I fully hope to come home honking my horn like crazy and waving a lag out my window! Wether they win or lose.... as long as they play well! Being finalists would still be a big accomplishment... but I'm trusting Paul the Octopus who has granted Spain the VICTORY!!!
Ha! I got this in an e-mail forward yesterday, Spain's new flag:
So I'm fully counting on "La Roja" to bring this little gadget to its new home in Spain for the next four years:
The country's going crrrrrrazy!!!!! I just spent 20' driving around town with a flag hanging out my window honking my horn at any passers-by in red jerseys or other cars with flags! Sports history in the making: SPAIN IS IN THE FINAL OF THE WORLD CUP!!!! Our best match of the tournament so far (there's a great description of it on the NYTimes World Cup blog).... so much for Germany having scored 4 goals in each of their 3 previous matches... we barely let them even try for a couple of shots which were beautifully saved by Casillas! And what an astonishing goal by defense Puyol!!!! And Sunday we plan to teach the Dutch the same lesson as the Germans!
... for the ridicule that is the Spanish defeat by SWITZERLAND of all countries!!! If this were tennis I'd half expect it and be less disappointed (even though I'm a bigger tennis than football fan), but in FOOTBALL?!?!?! And add to the fact that they actually played very well... but that Swiss defense was just a damned brick wall!!! And stupid rebound... porqué no pudo Casillas guardar esa pelota en vez de que se rebotara? ;o(
PERO DIOS MIO QUE LES HA PASADO?!?!?!?!
ARRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!
Can you tell I'm a sore loser? >:(
So much for the European Champions being "favourites"... but Chile and Honduras had better look out! No more "nice guys"!
*grumble*
*grumble*
*grumble*
Am off to eat some Swiss chocolate or something. ;o(
And Nadal had better CRUSH Federer in Wimbledon.... ;o)
