Last leg (!) of the journey, and a game for which I no longer have a ticket for. But would you believe I have had an offer of a wheelchair ticket.
Wheelchair ticket
The sole of my foot feels like those pieces of plastic with bubbles that everyone likes to pop. Except I am trying not to pop the blisters.
Today, Friday, there is no football, so once again it is like a holiday. I travelled overnight from Curitiba and arrived back in Belo Horizonte about 11a.m.
Modern Art Museum Belo Horizonte
Decided to go up to the Lake at Pampulpa. Had a hobble round to the Art Museum (you’ll have guessed, designed by Oscar) was going to see his church, but decided to save it for my next visit.
In the evening Lou was singing so I went to see her, before returning to Espitinho Mangabeiras, where this all began. On the Saturday, my final day, I was up early as I had received an email when I got in last night about 1am giving me an address to go to meet situs deposit pulsa tanpa potongan my wheelchair companion. Pampulpha is near the stadium and I was worried that they would shut the roads off. I didn’t want to walk.
Lou singing in BH, Brazil
We met and my friend was pleased with my acting, with me like this we were confident we would get in, all that was missing was the wheelchair.
We went in as early as we could in case of any problems, but there were none. The wheelchair next to us didn’t turn up so we had two excellent seats almost on the half way line.
Of course, you now know that the match went to extra time and penalties. I knew that was going to happen when I booked my flight last year.
Brazil v Chile, Belo Horizonte
They changed the departure time a few times. It’s now 5p.m. now and I am on the bus to the airport and the plane doesn’t leave till 8p.m.
Belo Horizonte Revisited
Today’s background music. Kasabian, Klub Foot. Every time you hear Ahahaha, that’s me taking another step.
Curitiba
So, first thing I did upon arrival in Curitiba was to check the distance from the stadium back to the bus station I am told it was 4km and takes one hour. I have 45 minutes, to get back. Mmmmmm.
Anyway, today I will take it easy, found there is a free tourist bus that travels round the city so decided to use that.
First stop, The Eye.
The Eye, Curitiba, Brazil
By now you may have grasped the concept the Brazilian cities I have visited are huge. Today in Curitiba, at the Oscar Niemeyer museum (where else!) The Eye there is a section on architecture and the development of Brazil.
In the first half of the 20th century Brazil was inspired by Paris, however the desire for new plans lead to the cities looking more American (or to me Japanese) as the cities extend for mile after mile, after mile.
Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil
Two problems I can see – the Brazilian road system appears unlike anywhere else with a habit of having to drive in a loop to get going in the direction you want, and a vast amount of underpasses, making it very confusing to get around.
The second – the lack of useful public transport. This is something that they were starting to address in the World Cup however the only new finished project I can recall is the metro in Brasilia. Elsewhere there is evidence of work starting….but none completed.
At the museum they acknowledge “It will take a lot of innovation to intervene and overcome the problems of infrastructure, mobility, and public space of cities.” They are not wrong. Monorail appears an appropriate solution, and there is evidence they are thinking about this…..but will they ever finish?
I spent the morning at the museum and rejoined the tourist bus on its 40km journey round the city.
Disembarked in the city centre and walked (sort of) to the ground so that I knew the terrain after the game. Kick off 5p.m. Bus leaves 19.45.
There were obvious signs that the builders had cut short their work on the stadium, as one annex was closed off. Elsewhere the signs had been nails on the ground at both Belo Horizonte and Natal and temporary staircasing at São Paulo.
The two teams on show were as bad as Greece, even more fitting the worst one qualified from the group.
Curitiba, Brazil
Bearing in mind my condition I decided to leave early, I had seen a sign for taxis and changed my mind at the last minute and headed for that. It was pitch black and it was difficult to follow the signs but I believed it was straight on. I expected to find a row of taxis waiting.
I hobbled to the edge of the 2km exclusion zone, a common feature around the grounds. Then asked a policeman where the taxis were he just pointed out into the street to the queuing traffic. (Note to self. Stick to original plan).
So I kept going and found a taxi arriving 20 minutes before departure.
After that I think I need to put my foot up for 14 and three quarter hours, as I travel back to Belo Horizonte where this all began.
