In the end, Brazil was a lot of fun, and the World Cup was a blast. As if it would be otherwise. The country threw a great party.

That said, neither the Brazilian system nor FIFA made it easy for us.

Futball viewing in Manaus, with Teatro Amazonas in the background

The people on the ground were terrific. The locals were warm and helpful. In Manaus, we only had to stand on the street corner for a few minutes squinting at street signs for someone to approach and ask if we spoke English or Spanish and offer to help. People were generally friendly and in a terrific mood (thank goodness Brazil kept winning while we were there, right?)

The fans were great as well. There were tons of Americans, well, everywhere. We met fellow Washingtonians while game watching in the main square in downtown Manaus, and then saw our plane…