While we were in Barcelona, Barcelona's soccer team was playing Madrids soccer team in Madrid for the championship. You could tell most of the city was watching the game because the streets were pretty quiet there wasant much traffic at all. I could feel the excitement in the air as I stepped outside to see if I could see any of the fireworks going off I was hearing from my room. Gary our tour guide was glued to the tv watching the game he was going for Madrid because thats where he was from. A couple minutes after I was outside Gary ran outside jumping up and down with excitement he told me "Real Madrid Won were champions". As soon as he finished that sentence he was on the phone with friends in Madrid singing what I think were victory chants that the team sings after wining games.

The next day you could tell most of Barcelona was very disapointed. While walking the crowded Gary "whispered to me look how disapointed everyone looks I wish I had my Real Madrid team flag so I could go running through the streets with it but I wouldn't dare because I would probably get my butt kicked" When I was standing still for a moment I could hear peoples conversations in spanish talking about the game. The things I understood most was how frustrated the people were because Barcelona was leading through out most of the game. Also people were talking about which players are going to be playing again next year and how they thought the team needed to adapt to have another chance at a championship next year.

Another conversation I had and this one was all in Spanish because he didn't speak any english was with the tour guide Gary was training in Madrid our first night in Spain. Im sorry I dont remember his name because he was a nice guy. I sat next to him and Gary at the Museo de Vino and it came up that Gary was cuban like me. Gary told me that his friend had just come back from a trip to Cuba not to long ago. I asked him what his impressions were and if he thought I should go to Cuba.Im glad I understood all of his response in Spanish He told me that Havana where he was staying was very beautiful but that it was a little annoying that there are all these people hanging around the hotels trying to get you to go places they wanted you to visit he said they were very persistant. Also he said that he didn't feel all that safe he was often approached by pimps trying to keep their employees busy and when he wasn't intereted he said they got a little hostel. Im glad he told me this because I would like to visit my distant family in Havana one day and now I have an idea of what to expect if I visit any of the touristy areas which I probably would.