Barcelona report - the Zwolle view

"report" of the "canal-jumping(not), bar-ca-va hopping, most glorious & painful victory in europe"
I feel shattered, drained, sore and very tired...getting back to Zwolle Friday at around 11 am with a gammy leg and every muscle aching .....was it worth it? for that result? YESSSSS!!..
It was probably the most physically painful and uncomfortable journey of my life..and I got really worried on the flight when my chest, back and stomach muscles cramped up...but now I am just sleeping and resting in the hope my body will carry me to Anfield in a weeks time...
after all the trouble with LFC TO and ALSIN had last week...and all the "off field" bullsh*te it was ironic that my left leg looks how the media expected JAR's right leg to look had CRAIG really belted it with a 9-iron...and for Craig to pass to JAR to score with his "gammy right leg " at Barca was for me a smile that over comes much of my own pain...(.....)
I had a good journey tovia schipol, on time and even a "seat number" for a change..on veuling to Barca...met a beauty called Marina (argentinian girl living in Rotterdam...) and exchanged a few smiles before she met her local boyfriend, and as Nico & the "Lunatics" were flying in from Brussels , their flight only 30 minutes behind mine meant it was a short wait...and the "cheapo tours welcomes Mr. Van Dyke & co" sign was seen, and I met Jan(1) Minky & sammy..off to the hostel and at plaza catalunya we did some bus - hunting...and eventually checked in to the 6-bed room! ...at the seapoint hostel...with a view of the sea!
then it was a brisk walk along the harbour...to the Cava-bar, (carr. de la Reina Cristina) ..and drunk muchos bottles...where their best stuff was 4 euros a bottle - and tapas! ...then when they were closing we went to a pub where the lads completely drunk out all the beer the bar had...and sung Liverpool songs...but I had one beer too many..
we were larking around and got lost walking back to the hostel..and one of the guys jumped the small canal...when I saw NIco do it, I thought "I can do that" ...I was wrong...i landed in the water and got my shoes and socks wet...I thought that was the only problem...
then as we walked further one of the others told me "Chris, your boot is full of RED..."......there was a trail of blood.......I said "its only a flesh-wound" ..but it kept on bleeding , my mates convinced me to go to the hospital...they kept me 2 hours and put SEVEN stiches in the wound!..the doctor (monica) reckoned its not broken, but I will check it out on monday at the local hospital...
thanks to Nico & Minky for waiting half the night at the ER for me, and got me back to the hostel bed at about 06hrs by taxi from the hospital and on the morning of the game I was completely out of it, the alchohol, pain-killers, and lack of sleep meant that when anyone tried to phone me I couldnt concentrate, (thats why I said to Marc S that he would have to sort his ticket out himself!, i couldnt move and was completely shattered at the time)
then the hostel guests had woken us up every half an hour ...eventually we got up and went back to the bar-ca-va ....it has been difficult to walk...but seemed to be better when I kept on the move so we just kept drinking Cava and patxeran(!)...in fact by the time we "Lunatics" my previous nights experience had "enrolled" me! ..had met Murray and co and gone on to the "Bilbao Bierra" tapas bar near the cathedral we were well oiled...in fact Nico "conned" me , by stopping off at different bars on the way up, so I wouldnt realise how far we had walked...?
Anyway, the lads were in such boyant mood, it felt like we were celebrating winning BEFORE the game, and I told Murray - WE WILL WIN tonight - I FEEL IT!...Marc D and others met us in the Basque bar and got out the banners, sung songs (and chatted with ladies; Miriam & Michelle &...) and I made my own way back to a pub (full) to watch the game , with my leg up on a stool, I was made up when we won , but forgot, and when I celebrated i certainly didnt do the leg much good...everyone was buying me drinks and suprisingly there were few barca fans ! ....
we had to check out at 10 hrs the next morning,,,and the sun was up on the sea view cafe outside , spent a while looking for somewhere to leave the bags and repeated the programmme of Bar-Ca-va & Basque Bar (with Jan number 2 !) until mid-night or thereabouts when my leg finally wouldnt let me go on...i just couldnt summon the energy and the rest of my muscles were screaming "stop!"...so I went by taxi to the airport to wait for my (first flight) out ...the alchohol leaving and the pain arriving is one of the worst physical feelings I can remember...the first day after the accident alcvhohol helped numb the pain of my leg ...but in the last day it hurt a lot..and especially coming back from Barca to Zwolle, as I had to get an early flight , sitting on a hard seat in the airport from 01 until 06 hrs trying to sleep...as we had hardly slept a couple of hours since arrival...anyway beating Barca was good ..no?
I am now back in Zwolle , crawling around the apartment floor, taking 30 mins getting down 2 flights to the loo or kitchen..the realities of living alone..please excuse me for not answering text or phone messages asking me if i am going to Anfield for ManUre , I booked my flight & accomodation, form 2-7th march - i still INTEND to go...BUT..i am not "fit" and when I got back to my flat I just needed to sleep...I will sleep and rest as much as possible, i have just taken the bandage off and my leg is stiff, sore, swollen and colourful...so I will just try and keep it up and move as little as possible this weekend, and check it out on monday...
Thanks everyone for "well-wishers" and I would like to especially thank ; RAFA and the LIVERPOOL team ; Nico and the Lunatics;( Minky, Jan, Jan, and Sammy), Murray and anyone else I have forgotten to mention "who was dere" oh and thanks for the invite to go live in Antwerp-Ekeren...I know you were drunk lads, but the thought was nice! ;-)
YNWA
Chris SMITH R.I.P. (Really Incredibly P*ssed)
euro-scouser
p.s.
I didnt get much chance to use my spanish , apart from ordering in bars and shops and those 2 mad chileans...all the people I met seemed to be Brits, Flemish-belgians, dutch , italians or french etc...and of course "LIVERPOOL family" of about 10,000...