Podworld - Exploring interesting places

In one of the earlier postings I mentioned that the initial motivation for travelling to Argentina was to see football. That is not to say the other natural wonders did not stimulate and amaze but it was football that drew me there. My first exposure to the seemingly extraordinary nature of Argentine football was from my sitting room as a child watching the 1978 World Cup hosted and won by Argentina. I loved Mario Kempes and his flamboyant playing style Mural of Diego Maradona If you are a visitor to Argentina and would like to see a game read the blog carefully as I guide you through the a few pitfalls. Going to a match in Argentina is not like visiting your local game in Europe or the USA. First a little background. Our trip was in the Argentine spring or northern hemisphere autumn (fall.) Reading up on the Argentine league I learned that the authorities had decided to move the league to run in parallel to the major European leagues, i.e. during the Argentine summe...

It is not a country that features heavily in the travel sections of British Sunday newspapers. You will never see it shining down from the shelves of your local travel agent. Most of you friends will never have been there. Yet there is sits this vast country at the foot of the Americas. Argentina has been on my agenda since 1978 and I am happy to explain why. In that year the county played host to the globe's major single sport event the football (soccer for Aussie and USA readers) World Cup. I remember as young viewer being mesmerised by the colour, ticker-tape and joie de vie of the host nation as they swept to victory led by the charismatic forward Mario Kempes. Mario, I thought, I am coming to see your country. 38 years later sitting on the tarmac at Heathrow airport instead of the usual joy and pleasure of an anticipated trip I was griped with an unusual anxiety. What if Argentina failed to deliver? What if it had nothing to offer? Perhaps the travel writers had fail...

It is a long time since this blog was added to, too long in truth. There is a reason for this. The blog is a record of my travels around the world. The trouble has been that since the northern hemisphere spring I have only travelled to Spain and I have blogged ad nauseum about that. So little travel for a travel blogger might seem like a gross over sight but it is not. That is because the next adventure represents a major investment in travel and it begins a only a few days time. It is the culmination of a near-lifelong dream. Let me tell you the story about it. In 1978 as a child in Europe I sat transfixed as a remarkable spectacle unfolded before my eyes on the television. This was the World Cup final in which the hosts Argentina were playing the Netherlands. The Argentines was truly passionate about what they were witnessing and thousands of miles away I was with them. Driven by their clever midfield player Osvaldo Ardiles, led superbly by skipper Daniel Passarella and ...