When you think of Spain it doesn’t take too long going down the list of cultural touchstones until you reach the beautiful game.. fútbol.  So while I would want to go to a match simply for the pure enjoyment of watching the sport, I also wanted to experience this important Spanish slice of life while I was in Seville.

The city has two teams – FC Sevilla, the more accomplished and decorated side, and Real Betis, the city’s “second” team that has struggled throughout its history.  Real Betis is known to have some of the most loyal supporters in Spain, even drawing huge crowds when they bounce down to the country’s second division, a place they were as recently as the previous season.  But this year, they ascended back into La Liga, and on a Saturday night in October, were taking on RCD Espanyol.  With a little help from our Airbnb host back in Madrid, we obtained tickets for the match, and were among the first people through the gates when they opened at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.

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