The French take football (known to most Americans as soccer) very seriously. I came to this conclusion when I went to see France play against Romania. 

The Stade de France is located in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis. The stadium itself is massive. It's the fifth largest stadium in Europe and holds about 80,000 crazy fans. It's also home to France's national rugby team.

I have to be honest, I am not a huge fan of football (American or European) or any sport for that matter. So, it took a little nudge from my friends to get me to go to a game. Is it a game or a match? Anyway, I felt this was an authentic cultural experience.

The passion, energy, and pride that I witnessed from the crowd at this game was inspiring. I also had a good time.

The crowd applauded when the team almost made a goal--I guess for trying. I even got up and made some noise when they made two goals in the last 5 minutes of the game and won. Before that the game was tied 0-0. I'll be back.



BEFORE YOU GO

1. Stade de France is located in St. Denis. Take RER (express train) at Gare de Nord metro station to La Plaine-Stade de France.
2. You can also take the metro: Line 13, St. Denis-Porte de Paris.
3. Bus 256 to Avenue du Pt. Wilson.
4. Details: A football game is 90 minutes with one 10 minute break.
5. Don't take any large water bottles or containers to Stade de France. Security will make you toss it.
6. The cheapest tickets cost about $25. You can buy them online or at the stadium.
7. Still can't find it? Check out this map.

Interested in getting a feeling of what it's like to see a game? Take a look.