Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
I have to confess that I am not a huge fan of football. However, this did not stop me from visiting the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. I believe even if you do not desire to see something that you do not like, it is worth doing it because that something could be essential to the world. I will explain further now.
So 4th day in Madrid I was like should I go to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium or not? Will I loose my time? Will I comprehend anything from the football world? I decided to read more information about the stadium before choosing. I needed this one sentence to convince me “The home of Real Madrid”. What was I even thinking not to visit this place? Imagine that in this stadium Real Madrid, ranked 3nd in the world rankings, had many wins and has more than 60000 spectators almost in every game. Thousands of people would give everything to go there (especially the football fans). Hence, I decided to go.
I did a self tour. The visit started outstandingly at the highest point of the stadium (see pic above). There you have the chance to touch the sky and listen to the echo of 80000 fans in silence. I did not do that though. I could scare someone with my high notes. Afterwards, I went to the sensations room, you start your visit with your eyes closed and you listen to the white heartbeat, “the sound of your madridista heart”.Then you open your eyes to admire the best players of the present and past on the big screens.
I was impressed by the high tech screens and especially the large screen which was as large as a world map. You could see what was happening live all around the world (see pics below). On the screen you could see your username after twitted hashtag #tourbarnabeu
The next room was called “Kings of Europe” room where you were able to see the 10 European Cups along with the breathtaking audio and video presentation. I know that the word breathtaking sounds a little too much but I really mean it. The sounds and the videos made me feel strong and determined. Think it in another way. Those footballers had one target before they start the game, to score. The feeling when they scored was AMAZING. You could see their faces were filled with JOY!!! This is the feeling you get when you pass your A levels with A*, getting a job promotion, or winning the Jackpot.
Another interesting thing which I loved was the opportunity to see the shoes they used to wear back in the old days (see pics above). I could not believe that they used to wear those shoes (pic above), they do not look very comfortable at all. It is really amazing to see the change throughout the years. You realise that the world is developing every year. It is truly amazing what the humans can think and do.
I had the chance to go the most exclusive area of the stadium, reserved for executives, authorities and special guests (pic left). Of course I had the chance to go further to the field on which the white legends have been struggling for victory for almost 70 years (pic left).
I had the chance to discover their dressing rooms (pics above).
This is the press room (pic above). This is where 90 minutes after the match, another game for players , managers and journalists is on.
Overall, I do not regret going to the stadium. I felt the energy and the sense of the footballers thanks to the high use of technology. I felt emotional as well. Especially when I was watching the videos (on the huge screens), of their legendary goals. You could relate to their feelings and emotions. If you travel to Madrid do NOT forget to visit this stadium!