If everything goes right, I’ll get to attend a soccer (fútbol) match when I’m in Florence. I put it that way because although I think I’ve bought a ticket from what I hope is a legitimate sales outlet, I’m operating on faith that it’ll all work out.
A Digression: One thing about us Americans is that we are accustomed to being absolutely sure about logistical details. Our stores and services have their hours printed on the door, for example, and we are confident they will open at the stated hour. In fact, we’ll stand there on the sidewalk impatiently shifting our feet and glancing at our watches until someone from the inside saunters over with the magic key. Not so in Europe, as far as I’ve experienced. Store hours are often unannounced and irregular and asking anyone passing by yields only a shrug. They’ll be open when they open, seems to be the prevailing sentiment.
This attitude plays out in countless other scenarios. While visiting Americans obsess over timetables, confirmation numbers, detailed directions, euro conversion, and menu options, Europeans look on with bemusement. It’s not that they’re trying to withhold information, they just don’t understand why we are so anal about everything. They seem to go with the flow, knowing they can work through obstacles if they arise. Which, often, they don’t if you can exercise patience.
So, about the fútbol ticket. I probably made the American mistake of trying to buy one too early (it was months ago) because I didn’t want to miss out. I ended up buying a reasonably priced ticket with a ridiculous transaction fee via FootballTicket.net. But I think this is a re-sale outlet and the way it works is that a few days before the match they will email/text me my electronic ticket.
Yes, it feels sketchy, but I did search online reviews and it seems to be a legit outfit. I sure hope so because I had to give my passport number to secure the ticket, which, yikes, but I have been asked for my passport in all sorts of European situations. As it happens, I received an email from FootballTicket.net just this morning alerting me that the match got rescheduled by one day (no problem) and asking me to confirm I still want the ticket. I clicked that I do. And I confirmed the schedule change on the team website (see? American!) I don’t think I’m going to have an awesome seat, but my confirmation says I’ll be on the long side (good) in an upper tier (nosebleed?) with a clear view.
I think I’ll have fun wherever I sit, so long as it’s inside the stadium.
But isn’t fútbol really boring? you ask. No, it is not! Check back for my next post in which I’ll share some of my fútbol journey.
"The Franchi Stadium: an icon of passion and history, where every match becomes an unforgettable emotion and cheering turns into a symphony of colors and sounds!"
* This translates literally to "Don't lose yourself in a glass of water!" which can also, roughly mean "chill out and don't make such a big deal of things"
For another example of American anxiety in the face of European nonchalance, see this blog post regarding access to our B&B in Marseille, and this one for how it panned out (scroll to the bottom of this one).
One more thing: it's not "fútbol" in Italian. But we'll get to that next time.
Now I'm curious to see how this turns out, although I think you are right that they are more relaxed than we Americans are.
ReplyDelete