THE MATCH - El Clasico - FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid
So…. This post is going to be a little different than most and that’s because it’s not all about photography. Why?? Because I took my amazing daughter to see a Futbol Match at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and I didn’t take my camera., The day was about her getting to see her favorite futbol team - FC Barcelona. Everything I took was with my iPhone and that’s ok.
The day started at 8:00 AM when we pulled out of the driveway here in Piedmont, OK and headed south on I-35 towards Dallas or Arlington to be exact. The game was between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid which is known as El Clasico. It is a major rivalry between the two and it started back on May 13, 1902 and FC Barcelona won the match 3-1. Not far from this year’s outcome when Barcelona won 3-0.
The planning for this trip started a couple months before the event with me buying tickets, parking and planning the day. As I said, Barcelona is her favorite team and she was beyond excited that we were going to be there to watch them. The last couple of months have been filled with talk of the upcoming game and filling me in on all the players present and past (Lionel Messi). Yes.. she is a massive Messi fan and it shows in everything she does, her room decorations and her posts to social media. She loves the guy.
She told me she wanted to try In-N-Out while we are in Dallas since we dont have one in Oklahoma City so we made plans to grab a bite before the game. The drive was filled with excitement and talk of the match and I think I was nearly up to speed on everyone and thing that was going to happen. The only thing I had on her was that I have been to an event in AT&T Stadium a few years ago when U2 was in concert but this was totally different - It was a sporting event and it was amazing to say the least. I was excited for her reaction when we were approaching the turn down the street AT&T Stadium sat on and hearing what she said. It was —- WOW… Exactly what I thought it would be. She was impressed to say the least.
We got the car parked in out $50 parking lot (absurd) and started the short walk to the stadium gates where we stood in line for what seemed like hours in the 100+ degree temperatures. Finally we got in and headed inside. We stopped along the way to get shots of her in front of the giant video board, the turf outside and the stadium itself. Once inside we jumped in line to buy our shirts, scarves and a hat before the line got too long. While in line she walked over to see the field and came back with all kinds of information for me. IT WAS REAL GRASS!!! Yep.. The teams wouldn’t come play there is they didnt bring grass in and cover that horrible turf the Cowboys play on. When a real sport comes to town they can demand what they want and it was done. Like I said this is one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports and we were here to watch it!!
Lots happened and too much to put down in my write-up but needless to say it was amazing and her comment to me was - This is the best day of my life including being born. Not sure you can ask for more from your daughter than that! The game was amazing, the people were amazing, the time spent with her was amazing and truly something that wont be forgotten anytime soon for sure.
Lots of pics from the day are posted below so take a look - remember these are iPhone images so not with my camera.
After the game we walked around to let some of the 82,000+ fans get out of the building and made our way to the parking lot to pack up and leave. The drive home was long and tiring but well worth it. She was exhausted and slept most of the way home and we finally pulled back into the driveway at a little after 11:00 PM.
TRULY AN AMAZING DAY WITH MY DAUGHTER!!!
JBP
