soccer explains it all.

after reading a book about how soccer explains the world a few years ago,

i've become more and more fascinated with the sport and its culture.

in nearly every place i've visited, soccer is king. 

it's the sports the kids play, the adults watch, and the culture is defined by.

futból=life. 

when i lived in spain, i had the chance to see real madrid play and became obsessed with messi babies, 

and yeah, ever since then, i've been determined to complete the rivalry tour and check out a fc barcelona game. 

so after another 24-hour travel day, we made sure to check that off our list as our first event in europe! 

and can i just tell you how crazy cool it was?

the cataluñans love their soccer just as much as their madrileño rivals... if not more!

the game was exciting, the crowd was electric, and the crowd's roars even more so-- i swear, you could hear them from miles away! 

after introducing hannah to the goodness of the spanish bocadillo + coke light, attempting to learn all of barca's chants, and watching our boy messi score two goals,

we deemed it a very successful evening. 

and i now may or may not be the proud owner of a #10 leo messi jersey.