Various People: A crowd at the futbol in Buenos Aires

Okay, this is from the "Maybe you had to be there part" shelf in the Elsewhere vaults but . . .

In Buenos Aires we went to a huge soccer ("futbol") match at Rio del Plata Stadium -- about 60,000 in the stadium where U2 filmed their U23D concert film -- between River and Arsenale. It was near the airport so planes would fly alarmingly (but further way than they appeared, we hope) behind the scoreboard.

It was a hoot: the crowd in one stand sang and thumped drums from start to finish, the wee boy next to me seemed to know something intimate and filthy about the referee's mother, we whistled by way of jeering when the opposition scored, there were police with large dogs patrolling the perimeter, a man yelled "cafeee, cafeee, cafeee" in my ear when selling coffee, we stomped and roared some more . . .

And a couple of days later I was at famous Boca Stadium having a look at the museum there which celebrates all the famous players from the club, among them Diego Maradona -- a massive sculpture of whom dominates the foyer.

We bought stuff for soccer-fan friends at home . . . and I couldn't resist the album of the Boca crowd singing at a match.

Lots of great and silly fun.

If you are ever in BsAs this is The Thing To Do, no question. I like what Lonely Planet says, "Games are nearly always safe . . ."