Beer, Steak, Brazilian football (in heavy rain) and pizza

The day started off with a trip up to the stadium of Sao Paulo Futebol Clube to get hold of tickets for the match vs Botafogo a team from Rio who lie above them in the League.  We were informed that it was not an important league match as they had a cup tie later in the week.  Nevertheless we got some tickets, for the non ultras section.  They were quite cheap at 10 reals each which is about £2.50 back home.

After the purchase we cruised back into town again seeing it from the road.  Sao Paulo is very car dependant- it seems without a car it is difficult to get around.  We headed to the restaurant- this was great a true meat feast.  We had great ribs and chorizo cut off beef, washed down with Uruguyan beer.   In the otilets they even have dental floss and listerine so you can clean you teeth afterwards- good idea.  For desert we headed to a bakery for coffee and cakes.  This fat boy (me) did not hold back- chocolate gateau and brazilian leite pudding- with great coffee.  Food is truly great in Brazil.  Post this drove down towards Paulista, had a wander and I got a tshirt in case the locals resented my Chelsea shirt at the match.

We me Alexander again and headed to the match a bit early.  It was impossible to get an official shirt- sometimes they are not that commercial.  Headed into the ground- I chatted a bot with the steward about football.  The stadium is really old and truly a classic relic- quite an impressive view.  The problem was the rain.  In the end everyone was wrapped in plastic ponchos.  I am sure my mother will never the get that I made her sit in the pouring rain for nearly 3 hours to watch a football match.  The ponchos were effective, but it really rained.  In case yo have not noticed, unlike in the UK they do not seem to have considered outting a roof on- this would help.

The match was very dramatic- Sao Paulo scored in the first minute almost from a set piece bundled in.  Later in the second half the Rio team equalised with a scrappy goal.  Sao Paulo hit the bar twice and had a few other efforts in the second half but ultimately could not undo the 1-1 score.  The atmosphere was jovial, generally not aggressive, although certainly there were foul mouthed Brazilians.  The match was a spectacle with fireworks before and after.  The stadium was far from full- in fact half was virtually empty.  The home fans sang and bounced all match.

Later we headed to get pizza and beer, before calling it a night.