Sunday, July 10 – Diary of a true fan

 

08:00     Alarm clock rings and wakes me up – stupid alarm. I was sleeping so well and dreaming that Portugal would be in the final of the EURO… I open my eyes and remember: PORTUGAL IS IN THE FINAL OF THE EURO, AND TODAY IS THE FINAL!

08:30     Posting some frog-jokes on Facebook. Tell all my French friends what I think about their team, their president and their bread.

09:00     Realize I forgot my Portugal-Team-Shirt at Ana’s place after the Poland game. Panic. Call her to find out if it is still there – yes, she even washed it and I can come and pick it up. Suddenly I remember that I can’t pick-up my shirt because I still haven’t found my car that I parked somewhere in Porto during the Croatia game. Absolutely can’t remember where. Panic Panic Panic. Good thing that there is a metro station close-by. Getting my shirt. On the way back I go to the Chinese shop next door and by a large Portugal-flag. Looks cool.

10:00     I think tonight is a good moment to enjoy a bottle of Port. Going to the cellar, opening a bottle of a 1985 Vintage and decanting it. Should be fine this evening.

10:05     I take a little sip – it’s really good stuff.

11:00     Slowly I’m getting excited. Watching the replay of the Croatia game while checking on the Port. Taking samples of the wine to see how it develops.

13:14     Quaresma scores and I start to cry again like last week… tears of joy… however, still can’t remember where I parked the car that night. I realize that the decanter is empty… oops. My bad. Going carefully downstairs to get another bottle… something a little bit lighter… a good Douro Red.

13:30     Liking all positive comments about Team Portugal on Facebook. Takes some time. Buttons on my keyboard are very small today, not easy to type. Read the answers from my French friends on Facebook and unfriend them all.

13:50     Getting the grill ready. Sardinhas!!!! I love sardines. Is not so easy to start the fire on the grill when only one hand is available – the other hand holds the wine glass. I used newspaper to start the fire – but stupid wind blew the burning newspaper off the balcony into Miss Clarinda’s rose garden. Learned that roses don’t smell nicely when they are burning.

14:05     Watching the replay of the penalty shoot-out Portugal against Poland. When Quaresma takes his shoot, I copy him and shoot an imaginary ball as hard as I can. Luckily my flying shoe misses the TV by an inch. I anyhow wanted to get rid of the ugly porcelain angel collection on the shelf that I had inherited from the aunt in Aveiro.

15:01     Opened another bottle of wine. Didn’t care to look at the label. Took a sip. Realized immediately that there is something very wrong with the wine. Looked at the label – OMG! A French wine!!! Went to the bathroom, spit everything out, flush the remaining so-called wine down the toilet. Called my doctor – he told me to drink some milk; doesn’t think I need to go to the hospital. I should be fine. Phew – close call!

15:10     Opened another bottle with some Portuguese words in the label – a Port from 1945. Niiiice. Decaaanting ish for losers. Pop and pour.

15:15     Just remembered the sardines and check the balcony. After an hour on the grill there is not much left. Taste like charcoal. Put some piri-piri-sauce over them – good flavor. But they make really funny crunchy noises when I eat them.

15:30     Sampling the wine. Goood shtuff. Have a great idea – go to the Chinese store shop next door and buy more Portugal flags. As I discover, the Chinese dude sells also Portugal underwear. I buy it – together with a Portugal scarf.

17:15     Terrible hicks-ups. I mean hick-ups. Makes the drinking of the wine sooooo difficult. Hick. Not funny. Decided to drink out of the decanter – I just lose too much Port when I try to fill it in the glassh.

18:00     Just went again to the Chinesh place shop thing. Need to buy new Portugal underwear – accident on the way to the bathroom. While I’m there, I got another handful of Portugal flags. They are sooooo beautiful. I shink I will marry one of shem.

18:15     Went to the tattoo-place by the metro-station, wanted to get “QUARESMA – AMO TE” on my arm. Unforshunately closed. No tattoo for me today. Took a pen and wrote a few dozen times “Quaresma” on my arms and legs.  Not sure about the shpelling however.

19:00     Shitting on the balcony… I mean shitting… sitting… sitting on the balcony. Finishin ze wine. Hick. Hick-up shtill zere.  Shtanding up, singin our hymn. Beautiful shong. Some dogs bark.

19:30     Need more underwear. Found another sardine on the balcony; don’t know from today or from the S.João party last month. Delicious with piri-piri.

19:40     Bottle another wine open. Good shtuff. Suddenly I remember where I parked my car – will get it after ze game if I find my second shoe.

19:45     Just realize that I don’t see any of my Portugal flags. Where are they? What did I do with them? I shink I had twelve the lasht time I counted shem. Finally I find two of them in the fridge – no idea where the others are.

19:54     The Hymn! The Hymn. The televishion shows how the players shing the Portugal hymn. Me standing in front of tv and sing ash loud ash I can. Suddenly I realize that ze game hash already shtarted and I’m still shinging.

20:10     Why are there two Ronaldoosh on ze field? And two Nanish?  Doeshn’t matter… PORTUGAL OLÉ, PORTUGAL OLÉ, PORTUGAL OLÉ !!!