On top of the world
TRUMPETS, vuvuzelas and car horns blared long into the night, in between the songs of jubilation, as thousands of London’s Spanish residents and tourists celebrated their football team’s historic first World Cup by taking over the West End.
Even the policemen stood aside while the famous statue of Eros was scaled by hordes of flag-waving Spaniards, together with a pair of rival fans wearing incongruous orange shirts (Dutch courage?). No wonder the crowds at one point began chanting “Piccadilly, Español”.
The throng in the streets below Eros contained a good many Brits supporting Spain, plus, if the messages on El País from around the world are anything to go by, plenty of London’s Latin American community as well.
And it’s a pleasure to report that there wasn’t a single hint of trouble – the occasional encounter with wandering pockets of Dutch fans passed off amiably, and even though vast quantities of alcohol were drunk, there was no sign of drunkenness.
The reign of Spain
On Sunday, their footballers passed their way to glory. But when it comes to food, fashion and architecture – not to mention sun, sand and sea – the Spanish have long been world champions, says Simon Calder
Up for the copa…
ANTICIPATION has been quietly but steadily building among London’s Spanish community in the past few days, and it’s now ready to explode on Wednesday night.
So where best to watch the action and enjoy the atmosphere as Spain take on Germany in the World Cup semi-final?
Most of the 200 or so Spanish bars and restaurants in the capital should be a good bet, but unfortunately the British half of LondonSpanish will only to get to glance up at the big screen in the office while at my other job. Otherwise my choice would probably be Camino, just across the road from King’s Cross station. It’s a spacious venue with good bar service and an excellent outdoor space.
A quick look at these YouTube scenes after Spain’s triumph at the 2008 European Championships would seem to indicate that Soho and the rest of the West End will be quite lively. If you’ve got some Spanish friends you’ll soon create your own atmosphere in your chosen bar or pub. If not, just follow the red and yellow flags and shirts to find a good spot.
Continue Reading… LondonSpanish
Maybe we should spell it fútbol
THIS might be football’s first African World Cup, but we can’t help noticing that it’s also a very Spanish-speaking affair. South America has always been well represented at the Mundial, of course, and we’re not just talking about Portuguese-speaking Brazil.
The difference this time is the way the so-called lesser teams from Latin America have so thoroughly outperformed the European ‘powers’ such as England, France and Italy. Oh, and Spain actually have a good chance of finally winning the World Cup for the first time to add to their European championship.
Paraguay and Uruguay – whose population combined is only slightly bigger than London’s – have both surprised the experts in reaching the quarter-finals alongside Spain and Argentina. Mexico and Chile did well too, and no doubt consider themselves unfortunate to have been paired with favourites Argentina and Brazil at the first knock-out stage.
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