FCBARCELONA.CAT

05.08.2007 07:58

Rest and sightseeing

David Saura

A group of five players and president Joan Laporta took advantage of the morning off to visit the Great Wall of China. The rest of the squad preferred to rest at the hotel and let the hours go by in the build up to the match.

The original idea was to start Sunday with a gentle training session, but Frank Rijkaard decided to call it off and let his players have half a day off before lunch at 13.30 (local time).

Most of the players opted to stay at the Hotel Westin Beijin, but others preferred a spot of tourism, such as Xavi, Jorquera, Oleguer, Dimas and Crosas, who went to the Great Wall of China, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. The players were joined by president Joan Laporta, director Albert Perrín, technical secretary, Txiki Begiristain and fitness coach Albert Roca.

Two hours visit

The players only had two hours to explore the amazing sight of this ancient military fortification, a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1987, and the amazing views. Under the typical mist in the region, which has been following the team since they arrived in Beijing, the views were not as stunning as might have been hoped..

Juyongguan Pass

The players enjoyed a section of the Wall known as Juyongguan Pass, 50 kilometres outside of Beijing, in the district of Changping. The pass was, historically, an important strategic point, and is in a 20 kilometre valley that formed a defensive position in the northeast of the capital.

Sweat and tiredness

Being a Sunday, the place was packed with tourists, most of whom were Asian. Some took the opportunity to take pictures of the players, but generally they were left alone to enjoy an interesting day out. The pounding heat made scaling the walls along the steps a challenging task even for the athletes that the Barça players are.