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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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GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport? We are very lucky th HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport?

We are very lucky that the Geneva Airport is very near because it is located 4 km northwest of the city centre. It takes us less than 15mins by car & is easier to get to than airports outside the city.

BUT also means that many of the Geneva residents suffer from AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION. 

In some parts of Geneva, like Vernier, Meyrin, Bellevue, Versoix, etc will have the airplane pass on top of you or very near you. This is something to consider when you are MOVING TO GENEVA & looking for a home.

When we were in @bioparcgeneve recently, it felt like airplane after airplane was going overhead every few mins. The poor animals were screaming each time.

A  report by the European Environment Agency(EEA) in 2017 said that 12% or 73,500 Geneva residents have their hearing disturbed by aircraft noise. Probably the figures have risen with the natural increase population & travel?

“The EEA describes noise as a pervasive pollutant that directly affects the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. Populations exposed to high noise levels can exhibit stress reactions, sleep-stage changes, and clinical symptoms like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. All of these can contribute to premature mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that humans exposed to noise levels above 40 decibels at night experience adverse health effects.

Across Europe it is estimated that noise contributed to at least 900,000 additional cases of hypertension in 2011.” - @le_news_ch 

DID YOU KNOW that owners of homes affected by the noise can request for soundproofing to be paid for by GVA? 

Check if your home meets the conditions for FREE SOUNDPROOFING c/o Genève Aéroport here:

https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Geneve-Aeroport/Questions-Reponses-FAQ/Bruit#

SAVE or SHARE this now with someone you know who might be moving to Geneva or is already suffering from aircraft #noisepollution. 

#UDWinGeneva #UDWgenevagoodtoknow #expatingeneva #diplofamily #expatlife #genevaswitzerland #expatingeneva #filipinoingeneva #pinoyingeneva #movingtogeneva #movingtoswitzerland #movingtogeneva #genevaexpats #switzerlandexpatlife #geneva #genevaswitzerland
MERCADONA HAUL Whenever we go to Spain, we love t MERCADONA HAUL

Whenever we go to Spain, we love to go to @mercadona. It might be small but has a good affordable selection. It’s my thrifty Spanish MIL’s favorite.

We were so lucky that we had a @mercadona right beside our hotel Marina Badalona. Very convenient.
Our favorite things to bring home are:

☕️ frozen porras (bigger than churros)

🐑 baby lamb chops (the only lamb I eat coz it’s not malangsa & all you need to do is fry till crispy in olive oil with S&P) it’s called Chuletas Cabrito but TD calls it lechal 

🐽 chicharon or crispy pork rinds

🥔 Homemade potato chips. The best potato chips for me are from Spain. I don’t know how it’s so much yummier! The olive oil???

🎣 canned Sardines & tuna for me and Yaya B

TIPS:

🧊 For frozen items, we usually ask the hotel before we buy if they can put it in their freezer until we fly.

✍️ I usually bring different sizes ZIPLOCK BAGS, MASKING TAPE & MARKER when we travel so we can put everything in, label with our name and room number.

📸 then I take a photo so we can just show it to the staff and they can easily find it in their freezer.

✈️ When it’s time to pack, I placed our beach towels around the frozen packages coz I know they will SWEAT & I don’t want our other things to get wet 💦 

What  grocery do you usually like to shop for when in Spain? Where do you buy them?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries #udwtraveltips #udwtraveltip #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW C FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW Calisthenics Park 

📍Chem. des Tuileries 140, 1293 Bellevue

After the lovely BIOPARC we headed across to this chill park with ample PARKING that had so many things for kids & anyone who wants to move & work out:

⚽️ The kids wanted to kick around a football so we borrowed a ball from @boxup.app (they also have pumps, 🏓, 🏐, 🏀, etc) just download the app & turn on your Bluetooth & follow instructions! Return after 3hrs.

👟 Outdoor gym - this was a huge hit with the kids

⚽️ football - this too!

🏀 basketball court

🏓 Ping-pong 

🏐 Beach volleyball court

🤸🏻 Monkey bars

🛝 small playground

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon guys @lidia_otilia_botezatu! 
How lucky are we to have these beautiful, clean open spaces. And the free rental gear is AMAZING! so convenient.

This is in Geneva, about 15mins drive from where we live.

SAVE THIS on your list of PARKS to visit!

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. It’s not as close as the bioparc but bring earplugs/earphones if you are sensitive.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
BIOPARC GENÈVE Yesterday was a holiday in Switze BIOPARC GENÈVE

Yesterday was a holiday in Switzerland (except for Geneva). It was raining & miserable so I wanted to take @diplobaby out for a few hours. Thankfully midafternoon it stopped raining.

We met with our friends @lidia_otilia_botezatu in @bioparcgeneve and had a lovely time in this volunteer run zoo.

TIPS💡

🆓 It’s free for families on your FIRST visit!

🦢 you walk inside animal enclosures so wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty/stepping on poop. We wore boots & happy we did

🅿️ there’s parking inside on wood chips, if it’s full there’s another pavement parking (free up to 4hrs) across the roundabout 

🦔 Do not feed or touch the animals no matter how cute they are

🗺️ There are 2 routes (purple & blue) and 1-1.5hrs #diplshould be enough 

❎ Park closes at 4pm

SAVE THIS NOW if your looking for a fun & not too you can do in well und2hrs. It’s nice that you can go inside unlike most zoos so it’s quite unique.

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. @diplobaby who is super noise sensitive did not mind as much as I thought he would because he was so entertained by the animals.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
MARINA BADALONA HOTEL At first we were going to MARINA BADALONA HOTEL 

At first we were going to stay in the heart of Barcelona, where we stayed 8 years ago (I didn’t even know that @diplobaby was already in my tummy at 2 weeks old) but the “hotel” is now expensive with no amenities & small rooms. So TD found a hotel in #badalona - a 20min taxi ride from Barcelona city center - that was so fabulous & slightly less expensive.

SAVE THIS NOW for future trips to Barcelona

WHY I LOVED marinabadalona
🤍 All white interiors was so beautiful & calming
🤍 Gorgeous view of the Marina 
🤍 Everything was so aesthetic, even where you tap your card to enter the room
🤍 Massive bed
🤍 Electric curtains
🤍 Lots of closet space & hangers
🤍 2 TVs
🤍 Refrigerator
🤍 White/cream Nespresso & kettle
🤍 Architecture & interior design is sooooo me!
🤍 Small rooftop pool with unbelievable views (need to do a separate post)
🤍 5min walk to the beach
🤍 Gorg esplanade
🤍 Yummy restos beside
🤍 Mercadona right beside - so convenient!

FEW RECOS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
✌️ Loved the textured wall paper, but it’s difficult to keep clean inside the bathroom
✌️ The bathroom surface area was a bit small & our stuff kept falling off the sink
✌️ Not a single chair in the family room so when we had room service we had to eat standing
✌️ No salt & pepper with room service so we called to ask & were told we would be charged for them taking it up. After TD clarified that there was no S&P with our meal, they said they would bring it up. The person brought a small bowl of of salt & pepper combined. The salt was for DiploBaby’s salmon, but he can’t eat pepper, I wanted both for my pesto. Had to run down in my slippers & the resto staff were very apologetic coz who serves a mixed S&P ever? They gave me individually packaged ones which I really appreciated.
✌️ Since the hotel has a pool & is by the beach, I wish there was a place to hang & dry swim suits. Our suits & watershoes did not dry in the tub.

All in all the value we got from staying in this hotel was so high compared to a more expensive hotel in Barcelona. No hotel stay is perfect.

Now, would I stay there again? YES PLEASE! Would you?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries
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