So Long Spain
09 July 2010 | Póvoa de Varzim
Cathy
Friday
I left Bayona for home in a thunderstorm. I returned on humid sweltering Wednesday - the night Spain won their place in the World Cup Final. We watched the match with every possible generation of Spanish families, most wearing red, many with the Spanish flag painted on their cheeks. Their cheers and tension and particularly their triumphant jubilation is a memory we will treasure. That night even the heavens joined the delighted cacophony as again the lightning flared and the thunder bellowed.
We will be watching the final in Portugal, however. Yes, when we came into harbour we had crossed the border. My body clock doesn't know what it's doing with the hour going backwards and forwards and back again! We're in Póvoa de Varzim and to be honest I've no idea how to pronounce it. This has been something of a worry for me as we really had to use both our French and Spanish on our travels so far and neither of us speaks a word of Portuguese. Amazingly everybody we've met so far has spoken perfect English with a better accent than us. To be fair this has only been in the marina and club bar so far but it was wonderfully welcoming.
So now we're proudly flying the Portuguese flag and tomorrow we will explore further afield. But come The Final we will be cheering for Spain. I hope our hosts forgive us.