Iberian Grounds Special

I intend to catch a couple of pre season games this week but I wont able to post about them till Sunday. Until then, here a selection of grounds I visited while travelling through Spain last year. Our first stop was Bilbao which is just about my favourite European city I've visited. You have to know the basics of Spanish in a lot of places but it is certainly worth the effort. We visited the San Mames, which is also known as the Cathedral almost has a British feel to it. I was glad to visit it as the club plan to move to a new ground in the next couple of years.

Note the arch on top of the stand.

We then moved on to Madrid. Obviously a lot bigger than Bilbao and so has a very different feel. Also a lot more people spoke in English. In keeping with other posts there is a fantastic bullfighting themed bar on the Plaza Mayor where we meet some Mexican football fans who kindly explained us the finer points of bullfighting and were very excited about Chicharito's exploits in the premier league. The first ground we visited was the Bernabeu. As with the Nou Camp you are taken back by the sheer size of the place.

Helping the grass.

We were then finally able to catch a tour at Vicente Calderon Stadium, home to Atheltico Madrid. While no where near as big as the Bernabeu, it certainly has a lot of character. 

Normal service will be resumed this weekend!