What a day! A couple of good friends invited me to spend the day with them yesterday before I leave, and we set off for the beach Es Caragol, which apparently looks like this (according to the ever-helpful google images):
or maybe this:
But, I´m not sure, because in order to get there, you need to show a special certificate saying that you are a resident of Santanyí, and my friends forgot to get a new certificate this year. Oops. So, instead, we went to S’Almunia, a small cove that has views like this (all photos from here down are mine):
We swam, basked in the sun, and talked until we worked up enough of an appetite to go back to their house and eat Indian food and sample their collection of hot sauces that they brought back from a trip in the US. (No photos, sorry, we ate it all too quickly!)
For all you footie fans out there, you’ll know the Barça-Man U championship match was last night, and that Barcelona KICKED ASS! FC Barcelona is now the 2011 European champion! In the evening, my friends and I went to a bar in Porreres to watch the game with a couple of my friends’ friends, who happen to be one of my 13-year-old students and her dad. There was good company all around; the bar was packed full of old people, little kids and their dads, and a few verrrry tipsy middle-aged guys. Inside, a projector and screen were set up, and out on the main plaza, all of the public benches had been dragged into a semicircle, and a wide-screen TV was perched on top of a bookshelf just outside of the bar. The little old ladies were my favorite: they cheered just as loud as the rest in high, little voices (“Barça! Barça!”).
The most exciting goal was definitely this one near the end:
When Barcelona won, there were hugs all around
And then people started setting off fireworks outside
The excitement was wonderful! (for Americans: picture an international version of the Superbowl, when not only the fate of a sports trophy rests on the game, but also the dreams of independence of a would-be-nation). When Barça plays, it isn’t only a soccer game; people view it as a political statement. Barcelona belongs to Catalunya and the rest of Catalan-speaking Spain, and when Barça wins, everyone’s Catalan pride comes to the fore. My friends assured me that half of Spain (the Madrid supporters) would be very sad after Barça won the championship. Lucky me, Mallorca is firmly in Barça territory!
My buff came in handy (thanks, Dad!)
All in all, it was an excellent Saturday!
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