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Watching REAL MADRID play at Bernabeu

February 15, 2023

One of the biggest thing on our itinerary for this trip was watching a REAL MADRID GAME LIVE AT BERNABEU. TD & I have always wanted to watch them play live and we want DiploBaby to have this experience too.

The only problem was we were both a little under the weather, but these tickets were not cheap so we soldiered on knowing that the excitement of the game will definitely give us a little reprieve from our sickness.

DiploBaby not in the mood
Cab dropped us off here coz the roads were closed

The moment DiploBaby came out of the car he could feel the excitement in the air. We saw so many people: groups of friends, families with their kids, etc. It made him forget his grumpiness. We were dropped off by gate 44 & had to walk all the way to gate 2. No choice coz the streets were closed.

We saw alot of these people with neon green jackets & flags. I wonder what they are for? Maybe for the VIP guests?

ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION SITE

One of the things that really stood out is that The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is still unfinished. All the construction dust did note bode for my already failing health.

It’s a literal construction site.

FINALLY OUR GATE!

You can see how unfinished it is in this pic.

UNCOVERED DRINKS

We brought bottled sparkling water with us because we didn’t want to have to buy. They allowed us to take them inside as long as we throw away the cover at the entrance. The reason for this is the safety of the people in the stadium.

  • Bottles with caps can be used to hit or throw at people. If there is no cap the liquid will fall off & not cause more serious injuries like a full, capped bottle.
  • A capped bottle can be refilled with something gross or harmful & thrown at people.
  • A full, capped bottle that falls on the ground is a tripping hazard. An open bottle will just be crushed.

This is a good article to read about it. We were very careful and held our drinks so they didn’t spill.

REAL MADRID VS EL CHE

This was the only Real Madrid game that was on during our trip to Madrid. We really thought about it & since one of our priorities is to have DiploBaby enjoy football matches with his dad, we budgeted for it. Wow, these are great seats. Not too expensive but not cheap either.

VIP SEATING

I was jealous that these people have a table to enjoy their food and drinks. So I asked TD. Apparently, the VIP seats start at 295 Euros each. Okay never mind.

I wonder if they can smell the smoke in the VIP seats? LOL!

NOSEBLEED SEATS

Even the nosebleed seats are full. When I was showing DiploBaby the nosebleed seats he asked me why they are called that.

A common tongue-in-cheek reference to having seats at the upper tiers of a stadium is “sitting in the nosebleed section,” or “nosebleed seats.” The reference alludes to the tendency for mountain climbers to suffer nosebleeds at high altitudes.

– WIKIPEDIA

How lucky are we that we could swing these seats. We just have to budget & not spend much on shopping for this trip. Strictly only things we really need or cannot get in Switzerland. For me the experience & memories is an important thing to have for our memory banks, especially DiploBaby .

WAITING FOR THE GAME TO START

When we arrived there was super loud music & the players were warming up & doing drills. Be prepared for a lot of noise. After they had to fix the precious grass & mist them. The grass of a top stadium like Bernabeu is very expensive & they really take special care of them. The reason they mist the grass is to make the football & players travel faster, protect the players from the harsh impact of dry grass/ground & protects the investment in the stadium. As I said, it’s special expensive grass. No wonder players can easily slid through the grass without injuring their knees!

I really admire these security personal. They never once looked back to see the game no matter how exciting it sounded. At first I was wondering what these fluffy things were. I thought they were birds. TD said their mics.

RAISING AWARENESS

They displayed the Turkish & Syrian flag to raise awareness & ask for donations for the victims of the earthquake that had just happened.

See those dark blue seats? Those are the Outdoor Boxes between the Presidential Box & team benches. The best seats cushioned seats in the house with TV monitors with a hospitality area for gourmet food.

I always find it so cute that they have cute kids with the team in the beginning. Only REAL MADRID though, not EL CHE coz I’m sure it’s a hassle to bring kids for an away game.

THE SUPER FANS

Behind the REAL MADRID GOAL are the REAL MADRID SUPER FANS/CHEERING SQUAD. They are the best seats in the house if you don’t mind going a little deaf coz the cheering & drumming is incessant.

#4 ALABA #ProudlyPinoy

We were also so thrilled to be watching a half-Filipino player in David Alaba. Though he is an Austrian National, he is from a Visayan Filipina named Gina (former beauty queen) to moved to Austria to work as a nurse & a Nigerian father who moved to Vienna to study.

He used to be with Bayern Munich, winning 10 Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues, and six German Cups, before moving to Real Madrid.

STADIUM HEATING DURING WINTER

Because I wasn’t feeling well I was vacilating between feeling warm because of the heaters & also cold becuase it was a cold winter evening.

ASTHMATICS BEWARE

There were so many people smoking behind us.. dozens and the air was going from the entrance & blowing it into us in the bleachers. I had to keep using my Ventolin inhaler, but boy was I suffering. So many people took smoke breaks during half-time that I had to stand by the entrance the whole time so I was up-wind.

SANITARY CONDITIONS

The toilets are all porta-potty with no running water or tissue so I’m glad I brought my alcohol-free sanitizer & my own tissue.

SNACKING WHILE WATCHING

It seems the locals love to eat while watching the game. Shelled nuts seem to be a favorite. If you didn’t bring any food, there are a lot of food stands outside & you are allowed to bring it in. The lines for the food kiosks inside were quite long.

EXPRESSING FRUSTRATION

When the Spanish feel like something unfair has happened they like to gesture with their hands & arms. DiploBaby was asking us at first why they were raising their hands. After I explained it to him, he learned very fast.

ONE FOR THE BUCKETLIST

DiploBaby was very happy to see Benzema & Vinicius playing. But when Luca Modrich came out to play, I got to check it off from my bucket list. When he came out, you can really feel his presence. The way he runs & moves. He’s a beast!

A SUPPORTIVE CROWD

What I love about the crowd when watching live is how they really clap & encourage after each failed attempt. I think it’s so encouraging for the team. And it’s not something we can really hear or experience when we watch on TV.

WINNING 4:0

Despite the smoke and me suffering for weeks after, I am still happy I got to experience this core memory with DiploBaby & TD.

Before this DiploBaby wasn’t really a huge fan of Real Madrid and this made TD sad because his mom is from Madrid & they are both huge fans of Real Madrid. Luckily this game changed it for DiploBaby & now it’s his favorite team!

EXITING THE STADIUM

CATCHING A RIDE

Despite waiting a while to exit, the task of catching a cab was not for the faint of heart. The Spanish don’t care if you have been waiting by the side of the road for a while. They will just go before you to catch the first cab that comes.

Basically, you need to run into the street and grab a cab before someone else does. I literally so someone almost get run over by a car. Missed him by an inch.

To get our cab, I ran into a massive roundabout when the cars were stopped and I was able to get one. But guess what? The driver’s cologne was so strong, even TD who isn’t sensitive couldn’t help but cough. I cracked the window open but it was still bad.

WHAT I BROUGHT WITH ME

I had lots of tissue for my nose & cough. Ventolin for my asthma. Purilyte food-safe kid-safe Sanitizer for cleaning hands after using the portapotties. Hyland’s Bioplasma was the only reason my nose wasn’t running the whole time & gave me energy to even attend the game. If I am unwell & I need to get myself up, this is what I take. It works everytime. But usually when I’m sick I tend to really stay home & rest. This just isn’t possible when you are traveling or have tickets to a Real Madrid game.

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

Av. de Concha Espina, 1, 28036 Madrid, Spain
+34913984300
Tours Mon – Sat 9:30 am –7 pm • Sun 10 am – 6:30 pm
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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

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FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

One of the things people love about the Philippine One of the things people love about the Philippines is the warmth & heartfelt friendships of the Filipino people.

And was reminded about that when @pattylaurel & her wonderful family took the time to meet up with us on their last day in Geneva.

Though we’ve only seen each other in person once before… lifetimes ago when I was handling marketing for @beautybarph and she was our gracious model for Dashing Diva, hanging out with them felts so warm & natural. 

Even @diplobaby was so happy to have such quick friends and playmates.

Thank you Patty for letting me use your photos. You & @patrickfilart take such amazing ones! Perfect combo of influencer & IG husband 🤪🤪🤪

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We had such a beautiful day together… the kids (and us) didn’t want it to end so we went from playground/dinner to a walk about in our neighborhood Château & even to the house! 😂

Thank you for the epic day Patty, Patrick, Theo & Astrid. Till we meet again! More adventures in Switzerland I hope!

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TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL One of the things we miss TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL

One of the things we miss about living in the Philippines & Indonesia is having a bidet in our bathrooms.

Here we have a MUJI TABO & TOTO PORTABLE BIDETS (dm for link if you want), but nothing beats the water pressure & convenience of a handheld bidet that’s connected to your plumbing IMO.

When I was in @jumbo.schweiz recently I saw a bidet that can be installed with the sink.

It only works if your sink is near your toilet so sadly it won’t work on our master’s bathroom.

I wasn’t sure our faucet was the correct size but I took a risk for CHF20.

Today I finally had the time to install it. I was # #mariomama again LOL!

The only time you might need a tool (pliers) is if you can’t loosen the AERATOR to remove it from your faucet.

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As a renter, I want to avoid making holes in the walls whenever I can. Even if I weren’t a renter I don’t recommend putting holes on tiles coz they might crack.

So I used the strongest @tesa_de  double sided tape on the bidet holder. You can see how I did it step by step on the video. Be sure to use Teflon scissors so they don’t get damaged by the adhesive. Clear monster tape will also work well for this.

*** Amazon affiliate links on my bio under BIDET HACKS ****

WHY CANT YOU INSTALL IT IN YOUR TOILET

The toilets here are all built in. There are no exposed tubes to connect bidets to like in Asia. 

That’s why this hack is a God send! No plumbing experience or tools needed! YAY!

WHERE TO BUY

https://undiplomaticwife.com/bidet-install-hack/

Feel free to dm me if you have any questions!

#DiploHome #diplohomegeneva #diy #bidet #bidetlife #expatlife #expatliving #genevaexpats #genevaexpat #genevaexpatwomen #expatinswitzerland
HUMIDIFIER HACK Did you know that each home shoul HUMIDIFIER HACK

Did you know that each home should have humidifiers whether it’s in winter or summer?

Yes! It should be in
- closets
- caves
- storage lockers
- basements
- attics
- bathrooms
- any other area that doesn’t have through air or air conditioner 

To prevent molds from damaging your property!

Here’s the hack: Don’t throw the container because you can buy refills. 

DM me on where to buy wherever you are!

#diplohome #homehacks
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The concern going to Rovaniemi is that it’s too cold 🥶 I’ve heard of people going in winter & didn’t enjoy it coz they felt like frozen popsicles. You have 2 options:

1. Go in SPRING like us so prices are lower, no long lines/crowds & no need for super thick snow suits, but low chance of seeing Aurora Borealis & some places might be closed/melted. 

3. A friend who lived in Scandinavia told us for Aurora Borealis, the best time is SEPTEMBER coz it’s not too cold yet. Though some resorts might only be opening in OCTOBER like @glass_resort.

FOR US:

❄️ End of first week of April: We didn’t really know  that we picked the perfect time. We were there for only 3 days & 2 nights because that was all our budget would allow. The lows were -3/5 C but the week before it was literally -18C YIKES! 🥶

❄️ At lows of -3/5 and 0-3 highs it’s manageable layering our @uniqloeurope Ultra Light Down Jackets. We didn’t end up using our waterproof snow jackets.

 ❄️ bring waterproof shoes/boots so you don’t get sick if melted snow gets in. 

❄️ If you will touch snow/have snowball fights, waterproof gloves are a must

❄️ Ask hotel if sleds are free to borrow

❄️ Bring SPF coz snow reflects sun

❄️ As you can see in the reel on our first day it was winter wonderland. The day after things started melting. On our last day things were starting to puddle. After I imagine rivers!

❄️ there was this gigantic snowman & I was too tired to take a pic. It disappeared the next day to my disappointment.

❄️ The SNOWMAN WORLD was already closed when we arrived. It would have been so cool to see the ice resto/bar, slides & disco!

❄️ We found out that the day we were leaving was also the last full day of our hotel. So though Santa Claus Office is open 365 days a year, check with the hotels to see which ones are open.

☀️ Summer activities are different. For example the huskies pull sleds with wheels.

🌈 BONUS TIP: If you pick a resort inside @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi, 3 days is enough. Because of the perfect location of @glass_resort we were able to make SO many wonderful memories in such a short time.

#udwinsantaclausvillage
PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife + OUR FIRST TIME TO PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife

+ OUR FIRST TIME TO HOST AMBASSADORS IN OUR SWISS #DIPLOHOME
(Except for my FIL of course)

This has to have been the most hectic weekend in recent memory here. Each day @diplobaby had a kid’s party to attend. (Thankfully here you leave the child for 2-2.5hrs & parents can do errands while waiting)

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Last Saturday, TD and I were hosting a lunch for his boss & also a little farewell for the boss of the other mission. And as you guys know we were really stressed with a clogged kitchen sink drain. Not the most convenient or sweet smelling when you are having people over.

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Cleaning the pipes under the sink might NOT HAVE RESOLVED the problem, but at least our home did not smell! Also I learned to do something new! Win-win! 

TD told @diplobaby that I’m #MarioMama (from Mario Bros) 😂🪠

And I am quite relieved that TD & I managed to pull off a lunch in our little home with not just one, but TWO Ambassadors. Having one’s boss is always somewhat nerve-racking right??? I’m so happy we finally did it! 

We had pork adobo with mango, tomato & cilantro salad. And our fave spaghetti bolognese. I bought small cakes from our favorite boulangerie in the little French town next door. 

P.S. 
For those of you were asking if we finally had to call a professional for our kitchen sink. In a way yes we did. After all our best efforts, we finally had to ask for help. We feel so lucky to have such a lovely landlord who came and had the knowledge to remove the clog from the pipes that were built into the wall. We are ever so grateful to him for coming on his weekend.

This is #diplolife guys… PARTIES AND PLUMBING! LOL!!!

#UDWinGeneva #undiplomaticwife #diplofamily #thediplomat #thediplomaticwife
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