Estádio do Marítimo

Upon a recommendation of a friend, I was told that I have to go to a Nacional game. One of the local Madeiran football teams. I was in luck, too, as they were playing today in Funchal, the capital of the island. The difficulty lay in getting there without a car, but for now, I would spend the morning calling Sarah and planning Central America, exploring the local area around Porto da Cruz, and talking to the people in my hostel. They were nice enough to help me plan to get to Funchal. I planned my trip horribly as I arrived on a Saturday, and Sunday and Mondays have much less availability of public transport. Nonetheless, there was one bus that left to Funchal in the afternoon and should get me to the stadium just in time to get a seat. They did warn that they are incredibly unreliable, though. Although i was excited, I was also apprehensive about the whole ordeal, I was hoping the bus would arrive, tickets were available, and I'd be able to get an expensive taxi home. Yet, had I stayed at the hostel, I would have done nothing. So I journeyed up the hill, sweating considerably by the time I arrived, and sat around waiting for my bus. I waited close to half an hour, and just as I abandoned hope and began to walk back, it arrived. I figured this was some form of sign, and so I got on. I had about a 30-minute walk to the stadium, but it was nice as I got to explore the city of Funchal as I went. As i walked, i wandered past a rental car company that seemed legit but maybe dodgy enough to not care that I only have a digital license. When I spoke to the lady, she said that it would be fine and that I could grab a car tomorrow from Machico. It's a huge relief and very good news. When I got to the stadium, though, I received some horrible news. They had sold out of tickets. I spent 2 hours getting there, and would have to pay 40 euros to return empty-handed. I was gutted, and so, unsure what to do, I sat around and pondered by bleak situation. Then, out of nowhere, a man came up to me and asked if I wanted a ticket. Though I was once again skeptacle, I said that I sure do, and he offered me one for 50 euros. Although I would be wasting a lot of money by not going, I wasn't willing to double down and pay 50 euros for a ticket. When I said no thank you, he offered me the ticket for 10 euros. I was slightly confused by this. He was either very nice, horrible at bartering, or was planning to rob me. But given how much I had invested in this ordeal, I figured why not try my luck. Eventually, he got me in the stadium and sat with me, saving the day for me. He then explained the situation at Maritimao (the football team) and that he is an ambassador for the club. He said that this is a very important game for the club because the only 2 Madeiran teams were playing (making it a derby), in the final game of the season, with the teams being 3rd and 4th respectively. No wonder tickets had sold out. So, although I was at the Nacional game, it was in the stadium of the other maderian team, Mairitmao, and thus, they were my team for today. The atmosphere was incredible, and although the game started slow, Maritimao scored an incredible goal at about the 30th minute, sending the stadium into raptures. Just before the second half, maritimao scored another goal to make it 2-0. But Nacional clawed one back and started to dominate the second half. It seemed only a matter of time before they equalised. But against the run of play, Mairitimao scored a third at the very end, and the crowd went CRAZY. It was so much fun and one of the greatest experiences in my whole trip. Flares went off, the stadium was shaking, players ran into the crowd, the fans ran into the pitch, and the chants rang around the whole stadium, nearly blowing my eardrums. It was incredible, and I was so thankful to Luis for letting me experience it for just 10 euros. Even as I left, the friendly nature of Madeira only continued as a young girl walked with my back to the city centre. She tried to get me to go to a rave with her, but given the day I had, I was not really up for it, so I passed and began my journey home with an incredibly expensive taxi.Read more