It's game day in Brazil!

Yes, I am back at home, following the rest of the cup from my couch - but there were still a few posts that I had intended to make while on the trip that just never materialized. Now that I am back I thought I would catch up.   It's a way to pretend I’m still there.   So it’s time to pull on the Canary and grab a Caparina and start singing the 'Eu Sou Brasileiro' as I float back down memory lane.

It’s game day in Brazil! The first time we experienced it, I don’t think we fully appreciated what a big deal it was. We were in the Fan Zone in Fortaleza, across the street from our hotel. To get there, we walked across the street. We did not really have much of a sense of what was going on in the rest of the city. Sure we had seen the vendors selling their car flags (for gringos the price starts at R$ 6.  We paid R$4.  Who knows what the locals would pay) and yes, every other car was decked out with them.  And yes, almost everyone was wearing some version of Brazil kit. Hotels, stores and restaurants have made up their own, blending their logos with the team’s. My favorite is the fabric store that had already awarded the sixth star - nothing like confidence. Yes, it appeared Brazilians were into it.

But all that was just the tip of the iceberg. For the second game we were in Natal and it was here that we began to appreciate how deep the enthusiasm ran.

We knew the game was at 2 PM and we were planning to do some shopping, then find a place to have lunch and watch. That was not to be as we headed into Natal we noticed the roads were busier than they had been. In fact, they were jammed. It did not occur to us why. Everyone was going home.

It’s game day in Brazil! When we finally got across town to the shopping center, we found its gates locked (yes they have fences, gates and security around the parking lot. They also charge you to park in them even at the mall.) There was a sign in Portuguese. I did not get all of it but helps that my Spanish is coming back and I recognized: Dear clients, Copa do Mundo, and Closed. Same story at the grocery store. We started noticing it was the same story at every business.  Brazil was closed.

They had other things to do. Which was why they were all on the road, with us, trying to get to their TV. In fact we were all going nowhere, slowly. We decided to turn around and look for a restaurant. The first several we tried look like they had been filled for hours. No way to even get a chair, let alone a table or lunch. Back in the car and on the hunt. We finally found a place. We only missed the first half. We watched the second half with waiters and staff.  We were grateful they were working (kind of) and felt a little guilty for interrupting their party.  My guess is that this morning,  as the games get bigger, so will the party.