Viaje

We started the year doing what we love most: traveling with Atleti.

When it was announced that Marbella would be our next opponent in the Copa del Rey, and we saw that Marbella was doing things right by offering affordable ticket prices and confirming that the match would be played in Málaga, we barely had time to think about it. Some members of our peña requested tickets through Atlético de Madrid’s virtual office, and a few days later, we were informed that they had been granted.

On Sunday, December 15, the Atlético-Getafe match was played, marking the last game of 2024 at the red-and-white stadium, and the club wanted to celebrate in grand style. They also aimed to recreate one of the highlights of last season, when the match against Sevilla on Matchday 3 took place on December 23. To celebrate Christmas with football, every fan found a Santa hat on their seat.

Last Sunday was no different, this time against Getafe. The match was scheduled at the perfect family-friendly hour: 2:00 PM. Vermouth, Atleti, and tardeo. That was the plan, and it went off perfectly. The club announced various activities, including inflatables, trampolines, ball pits, and slides for children and their parents. And here came the twist, featuring the trendy concept of tardeo. In venues like El Brindis, Bendita Locura, La Gradona, El Bonanno, and El Gran Escenario, tardeo took center stage—and how!

There are blogs, vlogs, and other nonsense meant to replace the travel chronicles of those who truly travel. Because no one will ever understand what it means to follow Atlético Madrid if they prefer to try the local cuisine instead of mingling with the fans, take a car or public transport instead of joining the fan march and singing at the top of their lungs, and when they don’t fully immerse themselves in the red-and-white passion with everything it entails.

Paris Saint-Germain. Parc des Princes. Paris. Champions League. Atlético de Madrid. Who could resist all that appeal? So we ordered our tickets through the peña and headed to Paris.

Thanks to the friendship connecting us with other peñas, we managed to organize a comfortable and easy trip: some members of the Peña Atlética of Germany joined the trip organized by Peña Atlético de Madrid Gent, and we all traveled together on the same bus along with our brothers from Panadero Díaz in Brussels. We’re not used to such comfort, and sharing the trip with other red-and-white fans, along with some beers and sandwiches, turned out to be an absolute pleasure. For the first time, we were joined by Juliana, our spider mascot named in honor of Julián Álvarez, who made it through the journey without a scratch. Other members of our peña traveled by train and even by plane.

The Day of the Peñas is a day designed for all peñistas to come to the stadium and celebrate that we are one red-and-white family. Unfortunately, the sanction imposed a few days ago by Atlético de Madrid on the members of the animation section dampened the festive atmosphere compared to previous years. Many members who had nothing to do with the throwing of lighters during the last derby were unable to enter. Not only that, but they now face a ban from traveling to matches for five games, even though some had already booked flights and hotels.