In London you can watch Barcelona games... while in a boat on the River Thames
Barcelona is a global addiction. You only need to turn up at the Camp Nou on match-day and you'll find thousands of people from all over the world, here to watch the team in action. As such, there are a lot of fans in other countries who can't always make it over to the Catalan capital to watch the game. In London they have found a solution.
Barcelona supporters in England's capital can gather to watch the club's games on... a boat. It's called Bar and Co, and can be found on the River Thames, a short walk from either Temple or Embankment stations, with great views of London landmarks. The Penya Blaugrana London - the oldest official fan club outside of Spain - have been heading to the boat to watch the games for about five years.
If the boat is unavailable for use they watch the game at a nearby pub, called Philomena's, but for the upcoming two finals, in the Copa del Rey against Athletic Club and the Champions League final, against Juventus, the boat will be buzzing. SPORT paid Bar and Co a visit for the Catalan derby a few weeks ago, which saw Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0.
It was a sunny day - not often the case in London - but it meant the game could either be watched on the top deck or down below. According to president Eduard Manas, around 40% of the members of the Penya are Catalan, 10% Spanish, 30% English and 20% from various other places around the world, so there's always an interesting mix of people aboard the boat.
If you're a Barcelona fan from Spain who's on holiday and needs to catch the game, or you're a supporter based in London, this is a great option to get a little taste of Catalonia. From the tapas menu to the ice cold Estrellas on offer, through to the Barcelona anthem being played at the end of the game - it's certainly worth climbing aboard. You might have to get there early though - for big games the boat will get full pretty quickly.
