World Cup Brazil 2014 is sadly coming to an end. For some us fortunate enough
to make it over here, it's just beginning. I'm going to scribble a daily diary
sharing some random thoughts and occurrences, as much as for my own
recollections as anything else. We've done half the travel already in the first
36 hours and I can only just recall what happened yesterday!
Day 1
Flew to São Paulo from Heathrow with BA. Managed to get in the lounge at Heathrow - simply has to be the best lounge around. Usually I wouldn't recommend anybody stressing much about not getting into a lounge - food is snacky and they are sometimes as busy as outside. BA at T5 is a gem of a lounge. I'd recommend breaking in.
Flight was ok. One of those bizarre feelings when the flight is slightly delayed and the captain kindly explains it is due to a technical problem. If my time has come, it bloody well better be on the way back! 11 and a half hours long, but ok. Slept about six of them. May be a record for me.
Drove half way to Belo Horizonte which is around 580km in total. Impossible to drive my favoured speeds here largely because the roads are so winding. Quality of roads is fine so far. Driving around São Paulo is fun. No chance of sleeping at the wheel after an 11 hour flight.
Staying in a hotel in a charming town called Varginha. Not much to the place but the name certainly makes for an awkward conversation when you're travelling with your dad. Not much to the place, and would have stayed in Tres Coracoes if I'd realised it was the birthplace of some kid called Pele. Varginha is apparently known for having extra-terrestrial visitors - yet to see any so far. Also known for its coffee and they're right - am on my second at breakfast already and not sure I'd pass a doping test right now. It is sensational though.
I've been to Brazil before and I've been to a lot of final tournaments and games before. There is a serious buzz in town. Forget the previous world record holders for 'flags per house/favela' ratio, the States and Canada are playing second fiddle to these guys in the flag stakes. Canada need not fear about their 'flag sewn to bag' ratio however.
Buzz for the game is building in our hotel already. Obviously we were not the only ones with the idea of driving half way to stay in Varginha and we're not the only ones feeling uncomfortable with the name.
So the game itself. Where to start. Neymar is a massive loss, Thiago Silva could be bigger. I actually quite like David Luiz, but he needs somebody disciplined and solid who knows his game well. That said, I expect them to come out and fight like tornadoes....the intensity of this match is going to be spectacular. Weather forecast is gentle also which makes for a lively game. I actually think this game is going to be decided as much as anything by psychology and tactics. The pressure on Brazil is huge but perhaps bigger for their fans than the players. I saw a fair bit of the Germans behind the scenes at EURO 2012 and I'm not totally convinced by them at key moments. I'm edging Brazil despite the absences here. I said a while back that I felt like this World Cup for Brazil is a little like the All Blacks in the last Rugby World Cup. Still see them winning this despite the absences.
Day 1
Flew to São Paulo from Heathrow with BA. Managed to get in the lounge at Heathrow - simply has to be the best lounge around. Usually I wouldn't recommend anybody stressing much about not getting into a lounge - food is snacky and they are sometimes as busy as outside. BA at T5 is a gem of a lounge. I'd recommend breaking in.
Flight was ok. One of those bizarre feelings when the flight is slightly delayed and the captain kindly explains it is due to a technical problem. If my time has come, it bloody well better be on the way back! 11 and a half hours long, but ok. Slept about six of them. May be a record for me.
Drove half way to Belo Horizonte which is around 580km in total. Impossible to drive my favoured speeds here largely because the roads are so winding. Quality of roads is fine so far. Driving around São Paulo is fun. No chance of sleeping at the wheel after an 11 hour flight.
Staying in a hotel in a charming town called Varginha. Not much to the place but the name certainly makes for an awkward conversation when you're travelling with your dad. Not much to the place, and would have stayed in Tres Coracoes if I'd realised it was the birthplace of some kid called Pele. Varginha is apparently known for having extra-terrestrial visitors - yet to see any so far. Also known for its coffee and they're right - am on my second at breakfast already and not sure I'd pass a doping test right now. It is sensational though.
I've been to Brazil before and I've been to a lot of final tournaments and games before. There is a serious buzz in town. Forget the previous world record holders for 'flags per house/favela' ratio, the States and Canada are playing second fiddle to these guys in the flag stakes. Canada need not fear about their 'flag sewn to bag' ratio however.
Buzz for the game is building in our hotel already. Obviously we were not the only ones with the idea of driving half way to stay in Varginha and we're not the only ones feeling uncomfortable with the name.
So the game itself. Where to start. Neymar is a massive loss, Thiago Silva could be bigger. I actually quite like David Luiz, but he needs somebody disciplined and solid who knows his game well. That said, I expect them to come out and fight like tornadoes....the intensity of this match is going to be spectacular. Weather forecast is gentle also which makes for a lively game. I actually think this game is going to be decided as much as anything by psychology and tactics. The pressure on Brazil is huge but perhaps bigger for their fans than the players. I saw a fair bit of the Germans behind the scenes at EURO 2012 and I'm not totally convinced by them at key moments. I'm edging Brazil despite the absences here. I said a while back that I felt like this World Cup for Brazil is a little like the All Blacks in the last Rugby World Cup. Still see them winning this despite the absences.
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