gerbie

Strolling around with no direction in a city I don't know yet. One of my favourite passtimes. In Valparaiso, a coastal town in Chile, I walk in one of the higher parts of the city and encounter many nice views. At one point, the improvised football pitch draws my attention. My route is even visible. I came from up high, just above the pitch, continued heading downhill, underneath the pitch. Just a nice stop in the middle to enjoy the great view and snap a picture.

Years later I found out that that wasn't as normal as it seems. A friend of mine is coïncidentally walking more or less the same route. And his eye does the same as mine. He wants to take a picture as well. His camera was a bit more expensive than mine or he was just unlucky. Anyway, he was robbed and never saw the picture. When he told me the story I searched my archives and found this shot. He confirmed it was exactly the picture he was hoping to take.

Sometimes a phone pole can be complicated when an artificial pitch needs to be layed somewhere. In this little village in South Africa they just ignore it and play around it. One adapts. So does the cow. Not as much grass anymore these days, but she finds her way. The boys from the town play on the other side. No extra defender obstucting them to get into the box.

Football is the most popular game in the world. It is played everywhere, at all levels and brings joy to billions. Wherever I travel, I bump into the game. Snap a shot and one gets an impression.