For The Love of Travel

Slept in later this morning to compensate for getting to bed in the wee hours of the morning, returning from volleyball match which finished at 12.45.

Quite a drama last night…we leave the stadium and get redirected (by the national militia!) away from the metro station I know, to another I don’t – “just turn right down that street they point, then left at the next….follow the other people”. Apparently Macarana metro station closes at 1am.

Yes well, within a block, people are going every which way, and there is no way of knowing where the ‘other station’ is.  And it’s now starting to rain….lovely, not!

Taking stock, saw a Subway franchise about 500m away and headed for it thinking it might have Internet. When I got there, no internet.  Saw a guy using his phone and asked whether he spoke English…mercifully a little and also some Spanish, so we got by.

Connected through using Silvio’s  iPhone hotspot, to Uber and ordered a taxi, (thank god I had downloaded that app!) and Elvaldo my driver arrived in 2 mins! Love that service!! And my fellow passenger was Katia, who had been part of the national Brazilian volleyball team a few years ago, now plays with a Brasilia State club. What are the odds?  

By the time we got to Copacabana, the beach boulevard was a carpark…beach volleyball had just finished and fans were spilling out of the beach stadium and out onto the road….40 mins later, Elvaldo dropped me off at apartment for a very reasonable $20 Brazilian Real (AUS$10).  

But the real story today…Men’s semi finals, ITALY vs USA…..Italy won  ????.  A five setter that both pleased and frustrated the audience. Many serves went out or into the net, not what you expect at this elite level…but maybe more kindly explained by ‘nerves’. Italy did it the hard way, letting the US get way ahead in points and then had to play ‘catch up’.  But they truly got their act together in the last 5th set, my Ivan ( yes I’ve appropriated him), won some amazing spike and serve points and led his team to victory.

So Italy  ?? will be in the playoff for the gold medal, with either Russia or Brazil (to be determined after a further match tonight).

It took 2 hours for Serbia’s women’s team to shatter the USA’s hope of winning a gold medal. Each team had won 2 sets, Serbia teetered on the brink of losing the fifth…..the USA team needed just two points to finish them off. But USA star Rachael Adams served into the net, giving Serbia match point, and the top-ranked Americans couldn’t hold off the final assault.

First-time semifinalists Serbia will now advance to take on the winner of China and the Netherlands in the other semifinal tonight.

The Americans will take on the loser for a bronze medal.

Brankica Mihajlović, 25 years, was dominant for Serbia, particularly in the second and third sets as the Americans struggled to do anything with her spikes and couldn’t seem to get any hits over her block attempts.  

She is now my absolute fave women’s blocker, spiker and server from all the teams I’ve seen. She was THE star player of the match.

Tonight, at 22.15, teams red (China) and orange (Netherlands) played off to the sounds of majorly supportive, if slightly weirdly dressed, fans. You’ve got to hand it to these 2 Dutch folk for hamming (sorry cheesing) it up! ?  The gold/silver playoff will be China vs Serbia.

Can’t wait.!!

 

You don’t just get volleyball at Maracanzinho…you get a mighty entertainment package. Strobe, colour-changing, pulsating lights when the teams come on; background music to reflect the volleyball shots from teams – high spirited and funky (good shot); dancers and capoeira exponents during time outs and end of sets..and it goes on….today is Men’s quarter finals day and I have 3 matches to watch.

Men’s USA VS POLAND – what can we say…there was huge crowd support for the Yanks who drowned out those chanting ‘Polska, Polska, Polska’. But on the day, the Yanks blocked and spiked much better and deserved to win. 

Men’s IRAN VS ITALY – the teams were very well matched and it was a nail biter of a first set that resulted in 31/29 win to Italy after a 4th set point! While Iran had some standout shot moments, Italy went on to win the next 2 sets. A substantial set of Iranian supporters for their team, and were allowed to be political.

Ivan Zaytsev, 27 years old, no 9 was my fave spiker from Team Italy, who also managed a mean set, oh and a fab reception of the other team’s serve…great all rounder but his spikes were awesomely powerful and expertly placed. He serves and spikes at about 120 km/h. Russian born, of Olympic stock (his Dad was captain of Russia’s national volleyball squad in the 70’s and a gold medallist; his mum a swimmer). He’s been playing with Italy since 2008.

Men’s BRAZIL VS ARGENTINA – as you can imagine, the stadium was fully booked out with a pumped and dressed up crowd. Ear splitting support for each team as they won their respective points. Argentinian supporters must have been hoarse after their team won a set, but Brazil played magnificently and won 3:1.