Traveling back to Manchester

Since I went to sleep relatively early Tuesday night, I woke up early Wednesday morning. I was at the hostel’s free breakfast as soon as it opened at 7:00 am and was on the train back to Manchester at 8:00 am.

Once again, I was nervous that I would need to pay a one way fare from Glasgow to Carlisle since I only had an England BritRail pass, but, once again, the conductor glanced at my pass and went onto the next passenger. I had successfully taken the train to and from Scotland and England four times without a penalty fare even though I had specifically bought an England only BritRail pass. I bought the pass in August before realizing there would be three matches I would want to attend in Scotland. If I planned to attend the Scottish matches originally I would have spent the extra $90 on the England and Scotland BritRail pass.

I arrived in Manchester at 11:18 and checked into the Hatter’s Hostel – the hostel I had booked a week earlier knowing I would attend the Manchester United Champions League match versus Wolfsburg. Of course, I was again too early to check into the hostel even though I had a single. However, this time I could check in by 1:00 pm.

Champions League: Sevilla at Rangers

In order to get to Ibrox Stadium, I took the subway from downtown Glasgow. I arrived at the Ibrox station around 4 pm even though the game did not start until 7:45 pm. My plan was to hang out at a few pubs in the neighborhood.

Obtaining Tickets
As soon as I got off the train a man selling Rangers souvenirs was offering to sell his two tickets to the match. His tickets were priced at £37 each. He would have sold me one for face value. Instead I chose to see what ticket prices were at the box office. I knew tickets were £40 each so wondered how he had gotten a £37 price point.

I went to the box office and asked if they had a student discount – the guy said no. Thus, I walked back to the souvenir man and offered him £30 – he said no. Thus, I walked back to the box office to buy a ticket. However, I saw a sign that said concessions (meaning less than 18 years old or over 65) that said £30. I asked the next guy at the ticket office if I could buy a concession seat and he said yes. I bought the ticket for £30.

Pre Game
The only pub I could find in the area was the Stadium Bar directly across the street from the Ibrox subway station. Once again, the pub did not serve any food so I had to wait until I got into the stadium to eat. In the pub I found out how the souvenir man received a £37 price point – it was included in a three game ticket package. The fan who gave me that information made fun of me when he saw I bought a concessions ticket. I figured he was just upset that I paid less than him.

Secondary Ticket Market
We actually could all have paid less than what we paid at the box office. For the first time since heading to Northern England, there were fans around the stadium with extra tickets. I counted at least 15-20 fans with extra tickets. Disappointed that I had not held out until game time, I was still happy to find out that fans were selling their extra tickets.

The Game
Sevilla crushed Rangers 4-1 as they scored a goal in the 50th, 64th 72nd and 74th minutes. It rained most of the match which left the pitch in similar shape to the two Villareal matches I attended. Each time a player cut water would jump up from the pitch. After Sevilla’s fourth goal (which gave them a 4-0 lead) fans started to leave.

Post Game
The line to get onto the train at the Ibrox subway stop was incredibly long after the game and with the rain coming down hard I walked back to the Stadium Bar to wait out the line. Around 15 minutes later the line had dispersed so I scampered into the subway stop to avoid the down pouring rain.

The pubs in downtown Scotland were closing down when I got back so I decided to head back to the Euro Hostel and go to sleep.

Touring around Glasgow, Scotland

Once again I was on an early train. And, once again, I was hoping I would not have to pay for a one way ticket to Scotland. This time I was taking the train from Manchester, England to Glasgow, Scotland. My plan was to attend the Rangers and Sevilla FC Champions League match on Tuesday night.

I took the 9:46 am train from Manchester and had to change trains in Preston, England. I was safe taking that train since the train only traveled in England. It was the Preston, England to Glasgow, Scotland train I was nervous about. However, when the conductor came by to look at my ticket he did not say anything. Just said thanks and moved along to the next passenger.

I arrived in Glasgow at 1:01 pm. The Euro Hostel was near the train station (as were all of the hotels and hostels I booked), so I walked over to check in. The one downside with staying in hostels is that they will not let you check in early even if they have room available. They told me check-in was 3 pm, which I had feared they would do. However, the reason I took the early train was that this was the first time I had been to Glasgow and I wanted to tour around.

Touring Glasgow
I decided to eat at Babbity Bowster – a Scottish restaurant that Let’s Go recommended. The main tourist attraction I planned to see was the Glasgow Cathedral. Since the restaurant was on the way to the cathedral I walked through downtown Glasgow and saw the architecture Glasgow had to offer.

The cathedral was similar to most of the cathedrals I have seen in Europe. After viewing the cathedral I walked back to downtown Glasgow and decided it was time to head over to Ibrox Stadium.

EPL: West Ham at Manchester City

After booking my hotels, I decided I needed some exercise plus I wanted to check ticket status for the Manchester City game I was planning to attend Monday night. I was in Manchester in February 2007 and remembered that the walk from the Manchester train station to the City of Manchester Stadium is 1.5 miles. I decided to run to the box office.

Obtaining Tickets to Manchester City
I arrived at the City of Manchester Stadium’s ticketing center and tickets were available for the night’s game. Also, since I was planning to travel to Birmingham for when Aston Villa hosted Manchester City I asked if they had an away ticket available for that match. I bought a ticket for both matches.

Manchester City requires you to have a ticket card regardless of whether you are a season ticket holder. I received a ticket card which would allow me entrance to the stadium and my “ticket stub” gave me an assigned seat. I am not sure how the secondary ticket market works for Manchester City. Either one does not exist or you need to buy an extra ticket from somebody who already has a card.

Lunch
On my run I noticed there were not many restaurants in the area around Manchester City’s stadium. Thus, I decided to eat at The Overstuffed Pizzeria – the pizza place in the Britannia Hotel. All pizzas were half price.

The Game
After taking a nap, I walked back to the City of Manchester Stadium in time for the game. It was my first Monday Night Football game – English style. Carlos Tevez scored two goals as he led Manchester City to a 3-1 win over West Ham. It was Tevez’s first goal against his former team. The win was Manchester City’s fifth win in six games and is their best start since 1961.

Post Game Dining
With pubs closing because of early closing hours in England, I grabbed a sandwich at Subway and went back my hotel to relax. I had just attended nine games in seven days in England and Scotland and was planning to attend one game per day for the next week in Scotland, England and Finland.

Britannia Hotel Manchester

My room at the Britannia Hotel in Manchester was excellent. It was £39 per night and after spending three nights in a hostel sharing a room with others it was great having my own bathroom and privacy. I went to sleep as soon as I checked in on Sunday night.

I still had not booked hotels for Glasgow (where I was traveling to Tuesday morning) and Birmingham (where I was staying Monday, October 5). I saw in my room that the Britannia had a hotel in Birmingham and when the room was only £28 for the night I booked the single immediately. Hotels in Glasgow were more expensive so I decided I would book a hostel for Tuesday night – especially since I was not planning to spend much time in the room. I booked a room at the Euro Hostel for £18.

EPL: Wolverhampton at Sunderland

My entire day was planned for Sunday. I was taking a morning train from Edinburgh to Newcastle, taking the metro over to Sunderland, attending the Wolverhampton at Sunderland game at 4 pm, heading back to the Newcastle train station where I was taking the train to Manchester Sunday evening. The best part of the journey was that the train would only cost me one day on my BritRail pass. The worst part was that I was not sure if the conductor on the train would accept my rail pass from Edinburgh to Newcastle (I had only booked the English BritRail pass which does not include Scotland).

Train from Edinburgh to Newcastle
I took the 9:30 am train from Edinburgh to Newcastle Sunday morning. Again the train from Edinburgh to Newcastle has some of the most beautiful views in the world as it runs along the North Sea. My fear of the conductor charging me the one way fare from Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed were relieved when the woman checked my rail pass and moved along.

Newcastle Train Station
As was the case on Thursday, I had my luggage with me so I needed to check it at the train station. This time I needed to check my backpack as well since I would not have six hours of cricket to watch with my bags by my side. I was planning to wander around Sunderland.

After checking my bags I determined that the easiest route to Sunderland was via subway to the Stadium of Light station in Sunderland.

Obtaining Tickets
After about 30 minutes on the subway, I arrived at the Stadium of Light and walked to the ticketing center to find out the ticket cost. The cheapest seat was £22. They also had a £27 ticket. Rather than deal with scalpers, I decided to buy the £22 ticket ahead of time and go hang out in downtown Sunderland before the game.

Pre Game Dining
I decided it was quicker to walk to downtown Sunderland than go back and take the train. Once I got to the main corner of downtown Sunderland, I had a few choices of where to eat lunch and hang out. My choices were Yates’s Wine Lounge, The William Jameson or Sinatro’s. Yates’s Wine Lounge had the best food and drink specials so I chose that restaurant.

After lunch I walked back to the stadium where I went to the pub that was across the street – The Colliery Tavern. This place was overcrowded as the crowd spilled out into the grass that surrounded the pub.

The Game
Sunderland took a 2-0 lead on penalty kicks. Wolverhampton came back with two goals of their own at the 50th and 55th minute to tie the game 2-2. At this point it looked as though the game might by close but Sunderland scored three more goals before the end of the game to win 5-2.

In the 55th minute, Kevin Doyle scored a goal on an indirect free kick from within the penalty box about six yards away from the goal line. I was unaware this could happen in soccer but I do now.

After one of the goals, Sunderland players jumped over the railing into the stands to celebrate with the fans. As this was going on some fans came onto the pitch to celebrate as well and were immediately ejected from the stadium. For the rest of the game, fans were arguing with security over why the fans were ejected since the players came into the stands first.

Metro after the Game
Something I learned the hard way is that the metro does not stop at the St. James stop after the game. Probably because most fans would go to St. James to get on and beat the crowd getting on at Stadium of Light. It only stops at the Stadium of Light stop or the city center. Rather than walk to the Stadium of Light stop, I walked to the City Center in order to beat the crowd. However, the City Center stop was not a time saver. Subway personnel ran one train directly to the Stadium of Light stop and did not allow anyone from the City Center stop to get on. Since the city center is further than the Stadium of Light from the stadium, I would recommend waiting in the line at the Stadium of Light stop rather than heading to the city center.

Train to Manchester
I made it back to the Newcastle train station in time to take the 7:09 pm train to Manchester. I picked up my luggage, bought some Burger King and took a nap on my three hour voyage way to Manchester.

Magners League: Leinster at Edinburgh

After the Hearts match I walked for 15 minutes over to Murrayfield. I have never attended two games within such a close proximity to one another. On my way back, I passed Roseburn Bar which is actually a Murrayfield pub more than a Tynecastle Stadium pub.

Obtaining Tickets
Rather than go to the pub I decided to check out how much tickets were at the ticket center. Tickets for the game were £20 for an adult ticket. However, since I had my student id I could pay £10 for a student ticket. Since beating £10 for a ticket takes a lot of work, unless you get lucky and receive a free one, I decided to buy the ticket rather than wander around the stadium.

Before The Game
Rather than enter the stadium immediately I decided to sit in the park directly outside the stadium. One of the most relaxing parts of Europe is sitting in a park as the sun sets. You do not get the opportunity often so take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself. After 30 minutes of sitting in the park I decided to enter the stadium.

Just before the game was about to begin, one of the Edinburgh employees came by my section and asked a group of people if they wanted to participate in a halftime promotion on the field. The row of people said no, so I perked up and said I would do it. He said I was in and then selected one more fan from the same area.

Halftime
About five minutes before halftime the other fan (on a rugby tour from Australia) and I met the Edinburgh employee at the fence to the field of Murraryfield. He led us onto the field and we walked to mid-field on the sidelines. We were going to be apart of the halftime promotion – catching rugby balls at mid-field. The balls would be kicked from one of the Edinburgh players. The competition seemed simple enough. I have seen these in-game promotions before.

I was first up. The Australian was second. Steve Jones was kicking to me. Here we go:

Ball #1 (me): Ball was kicked relatively high but I caught it. Ahead 1-0.
Ball #2 (Australian): Ball was kicked higher than mine and the Australian dropped it. Still ahead 1-0.
Ball #3 (me): Ball was kicked shorter than the first ball so I ran up for it and the ball went right through my arms. Still ahead 1-0.
Ball #4 (Australian): Ball was kicked similar to my first catch, but the ball went right through the Australian’s arms. Still ahead 1-0.
Ball #5 (me): I could clinch the win catching this ball. The ball was kicked directly to me in the air and I caught it as I dropped to one knee. I’m ahead 2-0 and have clinched the win!
Ball #6 (Australian): He catches the ball kicked to him and is just happy he caught one. I still win 2-1.

I won the contest and two tickets to the Scotland vs. Fiji rugby match on Saturday, November 14. I will not be able to attend but decided I can either sell the tickets on eBay or give them to one of the Arsenal boys.

The Game
Even though only one try was scored between both teams, the game down to the wire as the lead changed twice within the last two minutes of regulation. With Edinburgh down 18-13, Edinburgh’s place-kicker, Chris Paterson, kicked two penalties at the 71st and 79th minute to take a 19-18 lead. However, Leinster’s Jonathan Sexton drop kicked for the lead 21-19 as time was winding down. That did not stop Edinburgh as Leinster Lion Jamie Heaslip gave away a penalty at midfield to give Edinburgh one last shot at winning the game. But Paterson missed the injury time penalty and Leinster ended up defeating Edinburgh 21-19 – a pretty exciting finish.

Post Game
Given the fact I had barely eaten anything all day (the lines were long for food in the stadium), I went to the restaurant at the Murrayfield hotel after the game. For £12.50 you could order a two course meal. Also, I should have considered staying here if I knew the hotel existed. The location was perfect for attending a game at either Murrayfield or Tynecastle Stadium and I could have relaxed in my room in between the games.

After walking back to the city center, I went to my hostel to “check in.” I arrived at my room at the same time my new roommates happened to be coming back from the rugby match. My roommates were three Germans who had flown to Edinburgh for the weekend. Rather than going to sleep as I had originally planned, I went out with them since I had not met anyone on the trip to this point. We started out by heading to pubs that were listed in Let’s Go. The Zorn was closest but too hot so we left. Next was Three Sisters which had a great outdoor beer garden so we stayed. After that we hit up Scotman’s Lounge and The Mitre (since they stayed open until 1:30 am).

SPL: Hamilton at Hearts

As I thought, I would not be able to check into my hostel until later in the afternoon. This meant I would not “actually” check in until after the Edinburgh rugby match I planned to attend Saturday night.

Since the Hearts match versus Hamilton kicked off at 3 pm and I could not check into my hostel until 1 pm there was no time to wait until 1 pm and then head off to Tynecastle Stadium. I wanted to hang out in a pub before the match.

The guy at the front desk of the hostel said getting to Tynecastle Stadium was an easy but long walk. Since I had some time I decided to walk. However, I ended up walking towards Murrayfield since there were signs for that stadium and not Tynecastle Stadium.

Pre Game
The Roseburn Bar was on the corner in the direction of Murrayfield. I decided to stop in there for a snack and ask directions to Tynecastle Stadium. All the pub had to eat was a tiny pasty which cost £1 – a good deal but not a great meal. The servers at the pub pointed me in the correct direction for Tynecastle Stadium and I was on my way.

Obtaining Tickets
It was about a 15 minute walk to the Hearts stadium from Roseburn Bar. I first went to the box office to see how much tickets were for the match. Since the cheapest seat was £16, I bought a ticket from the ticketing center rather than try to find one from a ticket tout.

Pre Game Part 2
After buying my ticket I checked out both pubs directly in the area. One was Robertson’s Pub and the other was Tynecastle Arms. I preferred Tynecastle Arms since it seemed more like a pub you would expect to find in Scotland. Another thing to note is I now truly understood why the Gastropub was a “new” invention in the United Kingdom. The pubs do not serve any food! At the Roseburn Bar I had a tiny pasty that tasted fine but was more of a snack than a meal. The other pubs did not serve any food.

The Game
This was the first Scottish Premier League game I have attended. The stadium was much smaller than most of the English stadiums and only 13,025 people showed up. However, there was not a lack of excitement as Hearts scored two goals within two minutes in the second half and Hamilton scored a goal five minutes later.

The best part of the stadium (or worst part for some) was that there was no scoreboard at Tynecastle Stadium. Everyone needed to keep track of the score and the time themselves. No hard feat in soccer, but definitely peculiar.

Morning Train from Newcastle to Edinburgh

This morning I woke up and showered in my hostel. Since the bathroom was not in the room and down the hall I had planned to shower in my hotel in Manchester. But my change of plans to travel to Edinburgh meant I was most likely without a room for most of the day.

I showered, checked out of my hostel and walked to the train station. Remember my train pass is “technically” only for England so I was hoping it would work for Scotland as well. I went to the ticket office to ask them if my pass would be accepted from Newcastle to Edinburgh and the man at the counter said it would be. I pointed out my pass was England only but he said not to worry so I did not.

I was on the 9:29 am train to Edinburgh. I figured my pass would be ok taking the train to Scotland since I got on in England. The train conductor came by, looked at my pass and said thanks. I was in the clear for this leg of my journey. Then I realized the next three days on my rail pass I would be coming or going to Scotland and I would need to go through the same exercise on each of those trains.

The train from Newcastle to Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. As you get to the England – Scotland border it rides adjacent to the North Sea and the views are spectacular. The train arrived at Edinburgh at 11:02 am. Luckily the hostel I booked was a short walk from the train station. I was at the Edinburgh backpackers before 11:30 am where I was told I could not check in until 1 pm.

Doubleheader Day in Edinburgh

One of the difficulties with planning a sports trip is trying to determine all of the possible sporting events that one could attend. This is why I always buy a local newspaper when I arrive in the country I am visiting.

My original plan for today was to attend the Premier League match between Hull City and Liverpool at Anfield. However, last night as I was sitting at The Hiding Place, I pulled out my fixtures for the week. While reviewing the league schedules, I realized there were two events I could attend in Edinburgh today – the Hearts Scottish Premier League soccer match and a rugby match between Leinster and Edinburgh at Murrayfield. I chose Edinburgh over Liverpool for multiple reasons:

1) I have never attended a Scottish Premier League match.
2) I have never attended a match at Murrayfield – home of Scottish rugby.
3) The train from Newcastle to Edinburgh was a short 90 minutes while the train to Liverpool was over 4 hours.
4) I wanted to attend the English Premier League match on Sunday in Sunderland meaning I needed to take the train back to Newcastle from wherever I was Saturday (90 minutes from Edinburgh vs. 4 hours from Liverpool)
5) I figured tickets two both events in Edinburgh would be cheaper than the one match at Anfield.

Thus after making this change of plans I needed to rebook my Manchester hotel for the weekend and book one night in a hostel in Edinburgh. First, rebooking my hotel in Manchester was easy since I had booked a cancelable room (always allow for cancellations in your reservations just in case). I changed the reservation from arriving on Saturday morning, September 26 to arriving on Sunday night, September 27. Second, booking a hostel in Edinburgh was easy as well but I was not sure on where I wanted to stay. I ended up booking the Edinburgh Backpackers hostel since 1) It was recommended in Let’s Go, 2) the hotels in Edinburgh were more expensive and 3) it was “ensuite” meaning there was a bathroom in the room and not down the hall.

Guinness Premiership: Harlequins at Newcastle

After spending the day at my hostel, it was time to head out for the reason I was in Newcastle – Newcastle Falcons rugby. Even though the game was not scheduled to start until 8 pm, I departed the hostel around 4 pm. I was hoping to hang out at a restaurant or pub around the stadium before the game. In order to get to Kingston Park, I took the subway from the Monument stop to the Bank Foot stop – although I could have gotten off at Kingston Park the woman at my hostel called the subway and they said to get off at Bank Foot.

Area around Kingston Park
My hopes of restaurants and pubs quickly dwindled as I walked from the subway stop to the stadium and saw no place to eat or drink at. As I got closer to the stadium, I saw a sign for an Italian restaurant that was located in the stadium. I figured this was my best bet for any pre-game meal so I walked that way.

Obtaining Tickets
However, rather than eat at the restaurant first, I walked directly to the ticket office to buy a ticket for the match. This was the first game of my seven days in Northern England and I was unsure how much ticket demand there would be. Since the cheapest ticket at the box office was £18 I bought the ticket.

Pre Game Dining
Before buying my ticket I noticed a pub over the ticket office that I thought might be better than the Italian restaurant. My arrival at the pub was delayed since as I walked out of the ticket office, the Harlequins bus pulled up outside the ticket office and the team walked off the bus. I followed the team into the lobby entrance – they headed to the locker room while I headed to pub called The Hiding Place.

The Hiding Place is a traditional English pub. Traditional enough where they did not plan to serve any food until 7 pm. I was starving at 6 pm, so I walked over to the Italian restaurant to get some food. However, I found out the hard way that the Italian restaurant only seats hospitality guests on game days. My plan of eating a nice meal and enjoying some drinks before the game was dead at this point. The only place in the area was The Hiding Place and they would not serve any food for another hour.

At 7 pm, I rejoiced in the fact I would finally be able to eat. However, all the pub did was roll out a cart of poorly made hamburgers and hot dogs. At this point I started to understand why a Gastropub (a pub that serves quality food) was such an invention in England whereas it is standard in the United States.

Finding My Seat
After eating a bad hamburger and having a couple more pints it was time for the match between Newcastle Falcons and Harlequin to begin. The one perk of being in the bar before the game was that I could exit the bar directly into the stadium. Ah, but there was a catch. You needed to have a ticket for those sections and I was in the standing only section behind the end zone. I actually walked into the stadium, without having my ticket checked at first, but then realized I could buy a beer at the bar and bring it into the stadium.

After buying a beer at the bar, I walked to the other “ticket taker” since the line was shorter. He checked my ticket, and, since I had a standing only ticket he told me I could not enter the section I was heading towards. Instead I needed to take my sorry ass and walk outside of the pub and into the end zone sections. I did that but decided I could not stand since I had already been in the sitting section. I walked by security on the other side of the stadium and ended up sitting at mid-field.

The Game
With a crowd of 5,714 in attendance (so much for being worried about a sellout), the Harlequins and Falcons ended up in a 17-17 draw. It was the first non-soccer or hockey tie I have ever seen as Harlequins came back from a 14-3 deficit.

As with cricket, fans could buy beer during a rugby match.

Post Game
After the game an Irish band played on the side of the stadium I had snuck into. I watched the band for a few songs, but was concerned that I might miss the last subway train back to downtown Newcastle. The last train left at 11:13 pm so I left in order not to be left in Kenton.

Downtown Newcastle
When I arrived back in downtown Newcastle it was time to grab some food. Of course, nothing was open at midnight so I ate at a Kebab restaurant and ordered a gyros platter. As I was ordering another guy had already ordered was incredibly drunk to the point where he could barely speak. When his pizza was ready, he sat down to eat it and proceeded to take his shirt off. The owner yelled at him to put it on which he somehow managed to do so.

After eating, I was back wandering the streets of Newcastle. Once again, the town had come to life with people lining up for a block or two to get into certain clubs.

Free Day in Newcastle

Friday afternoon was a free day. I had arrived in Newcastle Thursday night with the plan to attend the Newcastle Falcons rugby match Friday night. Thus, I had multiple tourist options for Friday afternoon. First, I thought I might take the bus to Hadrian’s Wall – a fortification wall built by the Roman Empire between 122 and 126 AD. Second, I considered seeing the sites in Newcastle and staying local. Third, I could check my email, run some “online” errands and relax at the hostel. The wireless connection was free.

I chose option three and was online for most of the day. I did run out for a sandwich at a deli and buy myself a new toothbrush but that was it.

Evening in Newcastle

My train arrived in Newcastle Thursday evening and it was now time to find the Albatross hostel I had booked on Tuesday. The hostel was located at 51 Grainger Street which was a short distance from the train station. The most important aspect for every place I would stay was that it needed to be within walking distance of the train station for two reasons. First, it is easier to find and second, it was close to the train station so I could get back quickly the next day.

I had booked a six bed room since that was all that was available. However, when I checked in they said they did not have the same six bed room available for both nights. However, I could “downgrade” to an eight bed room (the same room for both nights) for £1 cheaper per night. I decided that was fine and took the eight bed room hoping that eight people would not actually be staying in the room.

My room was basically what I expected – a large room with four bunk beds. I took the bottom bunk furthest away from the windows. The original reason I chose to stay in a hostel was to meet other travelers and go out in Newcastle with them. However, when I arrived nobody was in the room. Since there was nothing to do in the room I decided to walk around Newcastle on my own.

I was in the mood for some Italian food so I ate at Portofino located at 12 Mosley Street. Since it was late it was one of the last restaurants still serving food.

Newcastle is one of the craziest towns I have been to in awhile. There were clubs and pubs around every corner and thousands of young adults walking everywhere. Either places were overcrowded or totally empty so after walking around for about an hour I walked back to my hostel to get some sleep.

County Cricket Division 1: Hampshire at Yorkshire

As I wrote earlier my plan for Thursday afternoon was to attend the first division county cricket match between Yorkshire and Hampshire at Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground in Leeds. The match started at 10:30 am and it took anywhere between 2 and 2.5 hours to take the train from London to Leeds. One train left London’s King’s Cross station at 8:10 am and arrived Leeds at 10:21 am. By the time I would arrive at Headingley it would be around 11 am which seemed like good timing even though it was early. However, the deciding factor was when Big Chris (on Wednesday night) stated he needed to leave the house at 7:15 am Thursday morning and would drive right by King’s Cross station on his way to work so he offered me a ride.

I woke up at 6:30 am to get ready and we were out of the house by 7:15 am. Big Chris dropped me off at the train station around 7:40 am and I grabbed some breakfast at the train station. The train left at 8:10 am and I was on my voyage to Northern England.

Traveling by Train
Before leaving for Europe I purchased a BritRail England pass. Since I had an idea about how many days I would be traveling in England, I purchased the flexible pass for eight days meaning I could travel any eight days within a two month time period. I activated the pass when Nicole and I traveled to Sheffield, England for the U2 concert in August and used the second day to return to London.

Now I was using my third day. The best part of the BritRail pass is that you do not need to plan what trains you are taking ahead of time. Thus, you can change your plans if needed. Second, you can travel as I was planning to today – meaning traveling from London to Newcastle but with a lengthy stopover in Leeds. My first journey from London to Leeds in the morning and my second journey from Leeds to Newcastle in the evening were considered the same “trip.”

Leeds Train Station
After arriving in Leeds I needed to 1) Check my luggage at the train station and 2) Determine how to get to Headingley.

I first asked for directions on how to get to Headingley. I was told to take a local train to the Headingley train stop. The train left in about 10 minutes and the next one was 30 minutes after that. Hurriedly, I found the bag check for the day – it was £7 per bag. Since I would be sitting in a stadium all day I only chose to check my large suitcase and carry my backpack and camera bag with me. I had considered checking my backpack as well but decided against it.

After checking my bag I made the train to the Headingley Station with three minutes to spare. Even though I got off at the Headingley Station, you can also get off at the Burley Park Station. Both are about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the cricket ground.

Obtaining Tickets
I arrived at Headingley around 11 am just as I thought I would. I walked up to the ticket office and noticed they had a regular priced ticket for £15 or a concession ticket for £10. I had no idea what a concession ticket was but asked for one anyway. The guy at the window sold me one so I saved £5. I’m assuming a concession tickets is for a youth, senior or student. Not sure what I qualified for but I think the guy did not care too much.

Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground
Headingley was similar to the Oval – an old stadium with a lot of stands around the pitch that were empty. Only one concession stand was open as was the case with the Oval so I obviously sat in the section there.

I did not notice much of a difference between Division 1 and Division 2 cricket – probably because I am not an expert in watching cricket. The pace felt the same and neither team had an incentive to win the match since neither would be demoted to Division 2 by losing.

Getting back to Leeds Train Station
To get back to the Leeds train station, I took the local train back as I had in the morning. However, I failed to look at the time tables to see when the train was returning to the main train station. Just as I had barely made the train in the morning, I barely missed the train in the evening. At first I was fairly aggravated but then appreciated the relaxation of waiting at a train station on a fall afternoon in Europe. The wait reminded me of when I had to wait for awhile after the American Memorial 500 Champ Car race I attended in Germany on September 15, 2001.

Of course, my 30 minute wait at the Headingley train station did not matter since by the time I got back to the Leeds train station and collected my bag, I made the same train I would have if I caught the earlier train – I just waited in a different location.

Carling Cup: QPR at Chelsea

After visiting British Mick, I took the same bus (#295) I had on Sunday afternoon back to Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s Carling Cup match against Queens Park Rangers (QPR). This time I left earlier so I would not be late for the match which probably meant I would need to pay for my ticket.

Obtaining Tickets
At first I thought I would check to see if tickets were available for the match at the main ticket office. However, when I approached the security guards at the box office they said the match was sold out unless you were a season ticket holder or member. I am not sure why Chelsea has this rule but it makes no sense to me. I was willing to pay for a ticket but they did not want to sell one to me. The rule was not going to keep me out of the match – it just keeps ticket prices higher on the secondary market since ticket touts know you have to buy through them rather than the team.

Instead I went to negotiate with the ticket touts along Fulham Rd. The first tout wanted £70. The second tout wanted £40. I could see there were more touts who had extra tickets so I walked up the entrance to the Fulham Broadway tube station since that is where I bought my ticket for the Arsenal at Chelsea match I attended last year on November 30, 2008. Most touts wanted £35 to £40 and the occasional tout wanted £60. I would ask what face value was and they all replied “It’s sold out to you.”

Next I found a fan trying to sell his two extra tickets to a tout. One rule of trying to buy tickets on the secondary market – ticket scalpers become angry when you get involved in their negotiation. In fact, it downright pisses them off. At this point, rather than worry about this rule, I butted into the negotiation with my usual statement – “I am going to the game and will pay more than what the tout is offering.” It is never much more but the fan with the extra tickets always listens. However, this time the tout (who the fan was negotiating with) was not pleased with my move. He started screaming “you are going to get us all nicked, do you want to get us all nicked?” Nicked is British slang for arrested.

Then I somehow got into only negotiating with him. After my move, he said he would only sell me a ticket for £100 – a tactic to threaten me. However, with multiple scalpers standing in the area I was ready to move on. I gave him a final offer of £25 which he did not accept initially (remember all these negotiations take place in the matter or minutes if not seconds). He asked for £30 which I said no to and began to move onto another ticket tout. He accepted my offer of £25.

This was one of my tougher negotiations for a game that was not sold out – the main reason being that Chelsea was not selling tickets on the day of the game. If Chelsea was selling tickets I would use their price of £19.50 as my negotiating leverage and force the ticket tout to sell for less than that (unless I was looking for a specific seat then my negotiating position is compromised).

Pre Game Dining
Since I bought my ticket 45 minutes before the match was scheduled to begin I thought I would grab a pint at one of the pubs outside of Stamford Bridge. However, the bars that were near the stadium were both completely packed and extremely hot (So-Bar) and for Chelsea supporters only (Café Brazil). Although since my ticket was in the Chelsea supporters section (Matthew Harding Lower) I was able to enter both pubs. However, rather than enter either pub, I decided to enter the stadium and bought one of the pint and pie meal deals Stamford Bridge offers.

The Game
My ticket for the match was different from where I normally sit in the upper deck. Instead, I was in the Chelsea supporters section four rows from the field, just left of the goal. To my dismay about a quarter of the upper deck was empty from the tickets Chelsea would not sell. Attendance at the match was 37,781 – 4,000 people less than the other two matches I have attended at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea defeated QPR 1-0 behind a 52nd minute goal by Salomon Kalou. Joe Cole, who set up the goal, played in the match after returning from an eight month break after rupturing his cruciate knee ligaments.

The most annoying part of sitting in the Chelsea supporters section was that they chanted “If you hate Tottenham stand up” the entire match and would stand for the next minute or so. This caused some fans in the section to start chanting “If you hate Tottenham sit down.” The chant must come from a historical dislike of Tottenham since Tottenham is not a threat to Chelsea anymore.

Post Game Train
After the game I took the tube immediately back to the Kennington area as not to be stuck in Chelsea after the game as I had been in Arsenal the night before. On the train ride back there were two girls and their father (Chelsea fans) who were drunker than most of the fans I see post game around Wrigley Field. They sang the entire way until I got off at Embankment to change to the Bakerloo line.

I met Big Chris at the Grand Union (a short walk south from the Lambeth North tube station) for a pint before heading back to his place to go to sleep to get up early. Big Chris and I discussed the possibility of me staying three more days at his place when I returned – Thursday, October 1, Sunday, October 4 (we were going to the Arsenal match together that day anyway) and Tuesday, October 6. He said that would be fine so I was set for my stays in London.

County Cricket Division 2: Glamorgan at Surrey

I woke up at 9:45 am and immediately started getting ready for my day at The Brit Oval. I was not too concerned with arriving on time at 10:30 am as a day of county cricket lasts for around seven hours.

After getting ready, I had an English muffin with Big Chris and started walking to the cricket ground at 10:30 am. I had walked this same path as I had walked on August 12, 2007. I was interviewing over that weekend in London and was staying near Waterloo Station just as I was this time. It was amazing to walk down Kennington Rd. just two years later.

Obtaining Tickets
I arrived at the Oval and bought my ticket for the day - £12. Obviously there is no secondary ticket market for second division cricket.

The Match
There was hardly anybody in attendance at the match. It appears county cricket is entertainment for retired men who have nothing better to do with their Wednesday afternoon – and, of course, myself. The biggest score of the day was Usman Afzaal who scored 170 runs for Surrey. 100 runs (a century) are considered a major accomplishment for any batter.

Obviously today’s match did not compare with The Ashes, but now I understood why the English asked me about the atmosphere at The Ashes – there was no atmosphere today. This was as dull as you could possibly get. There could not have been more than 500 people in the stands and it was quiet. However, every dull sporting event has its remedy and that is several pints of beer. After a couple of hours the match was no longer so boring.

After the match, I met Big Chris back at his place and we took the #344 bus to the Clapham Junction Train Station so we could visit British Mick, his wife and his new baby.

Carling Cup: West Brom at Arsenal

After booking my rooms for the next week, it was time to eat lunch as I had a few hours until the Arsenal Carling Cup match at Emirates Stadium. I walked a few blocks from Big Chris’ house and ended up at The Three Stags. I ordered the hamburger and a couple of pints before walking over to the Imperial War Museum located on Lambeth Road. To my surprise the admission was free so I spent a couple of hours catching up on my World War I, World Cup II and subsequent wars knowledge.

After the museum I walked back to Big Chris’ place to take an afternoon nap and get ready for the match. On Saturday afternoon, Timmie Hampton mentioned I should meet him and a couple other “Arsenal boys” at Pinchito Tapas – the same bar I met them at 10 months earlier for a Champions League match between Arsenal and Dynamo Kyiv.

The London Tube
I bought my day travel card for the tube (£5.60) and got on at Lambeth North. Pinchitos Tapas is located by the Old Street Tube Station so I took the Bakerloo line to Elephant & Castle and changed to the Northern line.

Pre Game Dining
I arrived at Pinchito Tapas (located at 322 Featherstone Street), a Basque tapas bar in Islington, around 5:30 pm and did not recognize anyone I was supposed to meet. So I waited and ordered some sangria. Around 6:15 pm, Timmie Hampton showed up – I had met him twice before. Once, at a restaurant watching Arsenal at Celtic in a Champions League playoff on August 18 and second, the past Saturday when we met for lunch at the St. Pancras Grand. We discussed what anyone would discuss who did not know each other well – work and football (more specifically Arsenal). Tim ordered a bottle of red wine. After another 30 minutes, Tim’s buddy Peter showed up.

At 7:10 pm, we had finished the first bottle of wine and I thought we would get on our way. The match kicked off at 7:45 pm. Instead Peter suggested we order another bottle. The second bottle was ordered and I figured we would just show up late. However, what I had not remembered from my prior visit was that the reason the Arsenal boys choose this bar is that it only takes 15 minutes from leaving the restaurant to getting to your seat – the plan is to take the Northern City Line from the Old Street tube station to Arsenal, which is part of the network rail line rather than the Northern Line. This train goes directly to Drayton Park – the closest train stop to Emirates Stadium.

We were done with the second bottle at 7:35 pm and off to the train we went. I was in my seat by 7:50 pm.

Obtaining Tickets
Since I thought we might be late to the match (which I was right), I bought my ticket after the Arsenal match on Saturday from the box office for £20. I thought all seats were supposed to be £10 but those were only for the lower level. The upper deck was all £20. This decision saved me valuable time rushing to the box office or trying to find a ticket Tuesday night since we were late. As we walked swiftly from the Drayton Park train station to the Emirates we passed a couple of ticket touts offering tickets. Arsenal does not include Carling Cup matches in their season ticket which allows the general population to buy tickets for the match at cheaper prices.

The gate I was supposed to enter had an extremely long line. However, the line that was actually long was for people who had bought tickets through Ticketmaster. Since I bought my ticket from the box office I could enter immediately.

The Game
The Carling Cup is the only tournament not included in a full season ticket for Arsenal. The reason being is that Arsene Wenger plays a junior team with an average age of 20 years old. A few seasons ago, Arsenal fans complained about paying so much money for tickets when the regular starters were not playing. Thus, Arsenal removed the games from the season ticket package and began charging only £10 or £20 for tickets.

There were some empty seats at the top of the stadium but the game was mostly full. The attendance was 56,962 which is 3,000 less than the other games I have attended.

Arsenal won 2-0 as Sanchez Watt scored in the 68th minute and Carlos Vela scored in the 76th. Jerome Thomas from West Brom was red carded in the 36th minute after a confrontation with Jack Wilshere.

At halftime I finally ate dinner since we did not end up ordering anything at Pinchito Tapas. Arsenal has a meal deal where you can buy a pie and a pint for 50 pence less than it would cost if bought separately. Also, remember you can buy beer during halftime of matches between England teams.

Post Game
After the game I met Timmie Hampton and Peter at the Public House on Islington Park St. As I arrived I met a new Arsenal boy, Mark, who I believe is the oldest of the bunch since he recently retired from the Royal Mail.

By the end of the evening, the tube had stopped running since we were out passed midnight. Since Tim and I were the only ones left, we hopped in a London cab back to Tim’s place and I figured out how to take the bus back to Waterloo Station from there. If you don’t want to get stuck taking the bus or a taxi for a long distance be sure to leave before the underground stops running.

Booking Hotels for Northern England

I woke up Tuesday morning with nothing to do until 5 pm when I was supposed to meet Timmie Hampton at Pinchito Tapas in Islington. Thus, I decided it was time to book some hotels or hostels for my trip to Northern England. First up was Newcastle. I mainly used three sites to research where I would stay.

1) hostelworld.com
2) hotels.com
3) venere.com

At first I could not decide where to stay in Newcastle. My Let’s Go Europe book said Albatross was the best hostel in Newcastle. However, they only had 6 bed dorms available and I was not keen on sharing a room with five other people. I looked at hotels but they were all priced around £60 or £70 – too much to spend on myself (at least on my first nights on my own). So I decided to book the 6 bed dorm for £18.95 through hostelworld.com.

Next up was Manchester since I was planning to stay there for three nights after Newcastle. The matches I want to attend over the weekend and into Monday are:

1) Saturday, September 26: Liverpool versus Hull City at Anfield
2) Sunday, September 27: Sunderland versus Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Stadium of Light
3) Monday, September 28: Manchester City versus West Ham United at City of Manchester Stadium

Since the match at Sunderland kicked off at 4 pm on Sunday I was planning to take the train from Manchester to Sunderland Sunday morning and return back to Manchester Sunday night. I have a BritRail England pass – meaning I can travel as far as I want in England on any given day.

Through hotels.com I found the Britannia Manchester with an economy single room for £39 per night. None of the hostels on hostelworld.com had a single room and the dorms were in the £25 range. Since I could cancel my room on the day of arrival, I booked the single room at the Britannia.

Next I booked a hostel for Wednesday, September 30. I was planning to attend the Champions League match between Manchester United and VfL Wolfsburg that night. The Britannia Manchester had singles available but for £79 now. I found Hatters Hostel on hostelworld.com that had a single for £30 for the night. Now that I had most of my rooms booked for the next week I was ready to head off around London.

The only room I still needed to book for the next week was Tuesday, September 29 in Glasgow, Scotland. However, I was still debating whether to attend the Champions League match between the Rangers and Sevilla in Glasgow or the Arsenal and Olympiacos match in London.

Lost in the Wilds of UK Sport: Night #1

There I was hugging and kissing Nicole good-bye at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Nicole was flying back to Chicago after our weekend in London and four weeks in Spain. I was staying in England for over two weeks in order to attend as many sporting events as possible within that time frame. I had booked this additional part of the trip back in July when I booked our plane tickets for Spain and England. Originally it was only supposed to be one extra week, but when Nicole needed to get back for school a week earlier it ended up being two weeks.

As Nicole went through security, I received an email from British Mick stating where to meet Big Chris – The Young Vic on a street called “The Cut” by Waterloo Station. The day before British Mick emailed me stating I could stay with Big Chris by Waterloo station rather than a hostel as I had planned.

I left Heathrow Terminal 5 at 4:45 pm. By the time I took the tube back to Central London, picked up my bags from the hotel, made it to Waterloo Station and found the Young Vic it was 7:00 pm – the time I was supposed to meet Big Chris.

Big Chris was 15 minutes late which gave me time to peruse a couple of newspapers at the bar. Remember, I always like to look at the local paper in the city I am visiting in order to learn about events I would not normally think of attending. My current plan for the week was to attend:

1) The Arsenal Carling Cup match versus West Brom Tuesday night.
2) The Chelsea Carling Cup match versus QPR Wednesday night.
3) Take the train to Newcastle Thursday afternoon for the Guinness Premiership rugby match between Newcastle Falcons and Harlequins.

Thus, I had some free time Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday afternoon.

The best paper that listed out all of the UK fixtures for the week was The Independent. It was perfect. I began to determine what else I could attend during my few minutes of free time. The first event I noticed was the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros. The Vivendi Trophy is similar to the Ryder Cup but is played between players representing Great Britian & Ireland versus Continental Europe. The event started on Thursday meaning I would need to take a train from London to Paris Thursday morning and still get to Newcastle in time for the Rugby match Friday night.

As Big Chris showed up, I noticed that County Cricket was taking place in England during the week as well. The four day matches started on Wednesday and went through Saturday (starting at 10:30 am each day) allowing time for the NatWest Pro40 League to take place on Sundays.

The closest cricket match on Wednesday was Surrey hosting Glamorgan at The Brit Oval. Even though it was 2nd division County Cricket, the Oval was only a 20 minute walk from Big Chris’ house and where I attended The Ashes in August.

I then asked Big Chris where the best match to attend Thursday morning would be. He said since I was taking the train to Newcastle anyway I should stop in Leeds for the Yorkshire match versus Hampshire at Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground – one of the test match grounds in England. My events for the rest of the week were now set:

1) The Arsenal Carling Cup match versus West Brom Tuesday night.
2) Second Division County Cricket at The Oval: Surrey versus Glamorgan on Wednesday afternoon.
3) The Chelsea Carling Cup match versus QPR Wednesday night.
4) First Division County Cricket at Headingley: Yorkshire versus Hampshire on Thursday afternoon.
5) Guinness Premiership rugby match between Newcastle Falcons and Harlequins.

After one drink at the Young Vic, Big Chris and I went back to his place to drop off my bags. We then went out to dinner at Kennington Tandoori – an Indian restaurant. After dinner Big Chris took me on a pub crawl of his area – first up was the Prince of Wales located at 48 Cleaver Square and second was The Doghouse located at 293 Kennington Rd.

Free Ticket to an EPL Match: Tottenham at Chelsea

After spending the afternoon at British Mick’s (who will now be referred to as London Mick) house, I left for the Chelsea match around 3:20 pm without a ticket (the match started at 4 pm). Of course, my bus was late and it took longer than I expected to get to Stamford Bridge. As was the case last time I would be late. However, last time I was concerned about whether I could get a ticket so I bought from a scalper early. This time I was determined to get a cheap ticket even if I was late. By the time I was outside the stadium it was 4:10 pm – not good when attending a local derby without a ticket.

Obtaining Tickets
Generally, with sold out games it is better to arrive early than late so you have the best opportunity to find a ticket from a season ticket holder or a scalper. By arriving late, the ticket may be sold to the best offer because they do not think anyone else will show up.

The first ticket broker I talked to wanted 250 pounds for one ticket – which, of course, is an absurd amount of money for a regular season game. Even though that was his first offer, he was so far out of my price range there was no reason to negotiate. I offered him 50 pounds and he turned me down. I then started to get concerned because I did not notice any other extra tickets. It was a match against Tottenham and anyone who had an extra ticket was probably already inside.

The next thing that happened was part skill and most definitely luck. Normally when I get a free ticket I look for an odd number of people. One person may have two tickets and three people may have four tickets – meaning they have one extra and will give it away since they do not know what else to do with it.

This time I saw two guys talking to security guards at what seemed to be a gate with tickets dangling. Since I was unsure what was going on, I ran over to ask them if they had an extra ticket in desperation (remember this all happens in the matter of seconds). They said they had an extra ticket but there was a catch – they had already entered the stadium on the ticket but were leaving to go somewhere else. The guy with the ticket asked the security guards if they could give me the ticket and would they let me in. A one-for-one swap, right? It makes complete sense to a fan – to a guard not allowed to let anyone re-enter a stadium (especially a different person) not so much. At that moment I started begging (no shame when given a free ticket to a Chelsea match) – “please, please, please, please, please let this happen.” And to my shock the guards let it! They made the guy hand me his ticket and let me in through the exit – not the entrance.

Timing of the Free Ticket
To my shock I was at the Chelsea – Tottenham match. For a match like that timing must be perfect. When getting free tickets to a Cubs or White Sox game timing is not as important since I believe there are quite a few people giving away tickets. However, when the game is sold out and you are late timing is the #1 priority. These steps needed to take place for the free ticket to occur:

1) I left about 15 minutes later than I wanted to from London Mick’s house.
2) I waited for about 15 minutes for the bus to arrive. I had considered taking a taxi but no taxi drove by the bus stop.
3) I got off the bus a few stops early since there was so much traffic on the road. I walked / ran to Stamford Bridge after that.
4) My instincts told me the guys leaving the stadium had an extra ticket and I ran over. You must always be aggressive when trying to get to a game. Note: These guys actually had two tickets. If the Ultimate Sports Wife had been with me she probably would have gotten in as well – although her presence probably would have affected the timing of our arrival which would have resulted in no tickets.

The Game
Chelsea defeated Tottenham convincingly 3-0 on goals by Ashley Cole (31st), Michael Ballack (57th) and Didier Drogba (62nd). The victory gave Chelsea a record 11 straight wins. However, Drogba exited the game in the 83rd minute due to a calf injury.

The main controversy of the match came in the 54th minute when Robbie Keane went down after a challenge from Ricardo Carvalho. Tottenham should have had a penalty kick but referee Howard Webb did not call a penalty.

Halftime
Once thing I did not mention was that the ticket I received stated that it was a suite seat. However, when I asked the ushers where my seat was they directed me to an actual seat. I figured it must have been a pre-game meal which was why the guys went for the meal but left for the match. What I figured out later was that I probably could have gone into the suite during halftime for dessert and drinks. Everyone in my section was gone during halftime so they must have gone into the suites.

EPL: Wigan at Arsenal

After spending a few weeks in Spain it was time for a weekend in London with the wife. If you are traveling to London and want to see a couple of soccer games then be sure to make the wife happy first – then attend the events. I booked two nights at the Andaz Liverpool Street that I found by going to tablethotels.com. Tablethotels.com recommends stylish hotels that the wife will love and will hopefully not cost a fortune.

The Andaz was about five hotels listed that were less than 150 pounds. The others cheaper hotels were further away and we wanted to stay in a central location. Also, since we were flying to London Saturday morning before the Arsenal match, I wanted to stay within a reasonable distance of the stadium just in case the plane was late. It also turned out that the Andaz was a Hyatt.

Pre Game Dining
We met the Arsenal boys – consisting of Hospitality Jim, Big Chris, Stevie White Hair, Timmie Hampton and Just Gary – for lunch at the St. Pancras Grand in the St. Pancras Train Station. Of course, they were drinking wine and champagne as we arrived at the champagne bar across from the restaurant.

Tim and Steve supposedly found the “deal of the day” which consisted of a two course meal with a half bottle of prosecco for 15 pounds. However, what we did not realize was that receiving our entrées would take forever. We ordered around 1:15 pm. At 2:15 pm we had only eaten our appetizers and the match started at 3 pm. After some firm conversations with the manager our meals arrived, we scarfed down our food and were off for the match.

Obtaining Tickets
As has occurred with the last two Arsenal matches I have attended, Hospitality Jim did not charge me for the ticket.

The Game
Arsenal defeated Wigan convincingly 4-0 as Thomas Vermaelen scored two goals in the 24th and 48th minute followed by Emmanuel Eboue’s goal in the 58th minute and Cesc Fabregas in the 89th.

Davis Cup Semifinals: Israel at Spain

I have never attended a Davis Cup semifinal match so with Spain hosting Israel in Torre Pacheco (about 30 minutes south of Murcia) and only a 2.5 hour drive from Benimassot, I planned to attend. The match was at the Polaris World la Torre Golf Resort. What I did not realize was that it would take me a lot longer to get there than I first thought. We did not arrive at the resort until 12:30 pm (the first match started at noon). And after figuring out where to park we were not at the temporary stadium until 1 pm.

Obtaining Tickets
The cheapest ticket at the ticket office was 45 euros. Since we were late, I did not see any people selling their extra tickets so I tried to buy two tickets from the box office. When I tried to pay for the two tickets with a credit card they said cash only and Nicole and I only had 84 euros combined so we needed to go to a cash machine. However, with Nicole already wavering on whether to attend the match (it was hot and sunny plus she does not like watching tennis), she opted out and instead chose to sit in the shade and watch the event on the large screen TV that was setup in the main square.

Match #1
The first match of the day was between David Ferrer of Spain and Harel Levy of Israel. I arrived in time for the second set. Ferrer won the first match of the day fairly easily 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.

Between Matches
At first I thought the public address announcer stated that there would only be a 20 minute break in between matches. It turned out to be more like 45 minutes. Since I only thought I had 20 minutes, I tried to see if I could exit after the first match and hang out with Nicole. I asked a guard if I could exit but he told me I needed to get a pass at the other gate. Instead I noticed a lot of people walking to the restaurants near me so I followed them and then looked for a bathroom. As I was walking to towards a bathroom, I noticed a door entrance to an apparent party. I walked in and found myself in sporting event heaven – hospitality with free food and drinks. The guard who was supposed to be standing at the door showed up two minutes later but I was already in. I noticed everyone in the room had a grey wristband around one of their wrists. Thus, with one hand in my pocket and another holding a glass of wine I wandered around the party.

Match #2
After enjoying some hospitality it was time for the second match. The second match featured Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and Dudi Sela of Israel. Ferrero, just as Ferrer had, won his match easily 6-4, 6-2, 6-0.

Post Match Dining
After watching Ferrero take the first two sets of the match, I left to eat dinner with Nicole. We ate at Bamboo by Ginkgo. Since they had a menu (appetizer, entrée and dessert) for 24 euros we ordered one to share. The other alternative was eating a 10 euro sandwich and drinking a 5 euro soda in the venue – really expensive if you ask me.

Europa League: Levski Sofia at Villareal

For the second time in a week, I attended a soccer match at Villareal. Last Sunday was for a La Liga match. Last night was for Villareal’s opening match in the Europa League versus Levski Sofia.

Parking at Villareal
With the Ultimate Sports Wife with me and torrential rains falling, I dropped off Nicole at the box office before I parked on the street. As was the case Sunday, I parked a few blocks from the stadium.

Obtaining Tickets
Once again, I bought tickets in the visitors section for the match – 30 euros versus 40 euros in the Villareal section. Since it was raining, I did not want to buy tickets from a season ticket holder and risk sitting under the open skies. Also I figured if Mallorca’s fans did not travel on a Sunday, then Levski Sofia’s fans would not travel on a Thursday even for a Europa League match. My assumption was correct. However, there were more away fans at this match than Sunday’s match.

Pre Game Bar
Before the game, we made our way around to the visitor’s entrance and stopped in at Bar El Submarino De La Bruja – directly next to the visitor’s entrance. The rain stopped when we needed to enter the stadium.

Estadio El Madrigal
Estadio El Madrigal is nothing special – especially the visitors section. They have one concession stand to buy drinks and snacks (remember no alcoholic beverages sold in stadiums in Spain). The stadium is smaller than the Mestalla in Spain which is probably why their lowest ticket price is higher.

The Game
Once again it rained for most of the match but the players could pass the ball across the field without it stopping immediately. Villareal won their opening match of the Europa League 1-0. Sofia fans seemed happy for a 0-0 draw but Nilmar scored in the 72nd minute.

Spanish La Liga: Mallorca at Villareal

After taking a weekend off for World Cup qualifying matches, Spain’s first division was back in action this weekend. The closest match to where we are staying was in Villareal last night – a 2.5 hour drive from Benimassot.

Parking in Villareal
As with the other Spanish soccer matches I have attended, cars appeared to park anywhere around the stadium. However, this time there was not enough room on the street for cars to double park or enough room on the sidewalk for cars to park there. I parked on the street a few blocks from the stadium.

Obtaining Tickets
I arrived at Estadio el Madrigal about an hour before kickoff. There was nobody selling their extra tickets at that time, so I bought the cheapest ticket from the ticket office – 25 euros for a seat in the visitors section. The next price point was 50 euros which I thought was way too expensive.

My other option was to wait for a second ticket holder who had a season ticket holder card (similar to a credit card that allows the season ticket holder into all matches for the team) and buy their “extra” ticket. However, with this strategy you would need to enter the stadium with the season ticket holder, since there technically is no ticket, rather than enter the stadium on your own time.

Pre Game Dining
The area around Estadio el Madrigal is nothing special. There are a few bars visible from the stadium to buy a drink and some food. However, I found a better area than a smoked filled bar for pre-game dining – an open air area that has about 10 stands serving food and drinks. It appeared to have a better atmosphere.

Visitors Section
The “visiting” section (for those who are not familiar with European stadiums) is the section where the visiting team’s fans are allowed to sit. Visiting team’s fans buy tickets through their team and then are banned to one section of the opposing team’s stadium. The Europeans separate the home team fans and the visiting fans in order to avoid any conflicts that might occur if they were to sit together. It has its positives and negatives.

Yesterday, since the visiting team was Mallorca there were no visiting fans in the section – although there were enough police officers. During the first half of the game there were about 35-40 people sitting in the visitors section – almost a one to one ratio to the number of police in the section. It appeared everyone sitting in the section was a tourist that did not want to pay at least 50 euros to sit in the other sections.

The Weather
The best part of the visitor’s section at Villareal is that it is completely enclosed – meaning it has a roof and a fence around the entire area. The other parts of the stadium are not enclosed and a roof only covers part of each seating area.

At the start of the first half it was partly cloudy. However, as the half progressed you could hear thunder and see flashes of lightning approaching the stadium. This is where buying a ticket in the visitors section at Villareal had its perks.

By the end of the first half it was raining hard and thunder and lightning were hovering around the stadium. If this was an NFL game, I believe they would have delayed the game due to lightning. However, this was a La Liga match and play continued as scheduled.

Halftime is where the real excitement began – torrential down pours. It rained so hard that even though I was sitting 10 rows from the front of the section, it was still raining on me. I moved back about 10 rows to an area that was dry – technically indoors! Of course, I had left my jacket and umbrella in the car since when I arrived; it was only partly cloudy and warm.

Minutes before the second half began; the public address announcer stated that all fans could sit in the visitors section for the second half since it appeared there was no end in sight to the rain. Our peaceful section of 35-40 people now became a packed and rabid section of Villareal fans. I do not believe there was an empty seat in the area as fans were also standing everywhere. Of course, the torrential rains stopped just before the second half began, but the rains still came throughout the second half.

After the halftime rains, the pitch essentially became a puddle for the second half. Every time a player would take a step, a splash of water would appear from the field. Players who tried to pass the ball along the grass would gesture in frustration as the ball would stop about 3 feet from where they had tried to pass. I wondered if the referee would do anything but the game continued without delay.

The Game
Even though the pitch was completely water logged during the second half both teams managed to score. Villareal’s Giuseppe Rossi scored in the 53rd minute after Mallorca goalkeeper Dudu Aouate slipped (because of the puddles) in the penalty box leaving an open goal.

Mallorca’s Borja Valero equalized in the 74th minute with a free-kick 25 yards out. Villareal and Mallorca tied 1-1.

Stage 10: Vuelta a Espana in Alicante

For the fifth consecutive day, I attended at stage of the Vuelta a Espana. Today, the tour started in Alicante – a 90 minute drive from where the Ultimate Sports Wife and I are staying. As I wrote when the tour was in Valencia, I would normally not drive 90 minutes to attend a cycling race that only lasts a few minutes (especially when there are other stages to attend within a shorter drive). However, Nicole and I wanted to visit Alicante at some point during our trip so why not have our visit coincide with the tour.

Parking and the Race
We did not arrive in Alicante until about 12:20 pm. The race was scheduled to begin at 12:55 pm. One of the main issues with arriving at a tour event close to the start time is that the roads are closed and most of the parking is already taken.

By the time we found a parking place and walked the few blocks to the starting line, we barely saw the riders start the race and the caravan ensue. Simon Gerrans earned the stage victory as the stage finished in Murcia.

Post Event Dining
After the riders and their caravan drove off, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I ate at Cerveceria Café Carpe Diem – a restaurant along the main road near the starting line. As with the other stages we attended, we then toured around Alicante.

Stage 9: Vuelta a Espana in Alcoy

For the fourth consecutive day, I attended a stage of the Tour of Spain. Today, the tour started in the city of Alcoy – a 30 minute drive from where I am staying. This was the fourth time Alcoy has hosted a stage in the history of the Spanish Tour. The last time Alcoy hosted was in 2004. Even if I had not planned to attend the other stages, I would have definitely attended this one based on Alcoy’s proximity to Benimassot, Spain.

According to lavuelta.com the stage was to begin at 12:10 pm. Thus, I arrived in Alcoy and was parked around 11:15 am.

The Race
One of the benefits of attending the start of a stage is that you can “mingle” with the riders before the event begins. Of course, I define “mingle” as you can take pictures with them as they get their bike and gear ready for the day ahead.

The event started with the honorary cutting of the ribbon. The race appeared to begin about five minutes early when the bikes started riding and the caravan ensued. Since I was not with the Ultimate Sports Wife I did not take in any of the sites in Alcoy but headed back to the house.

Gustavo Cesar Veloso won the stage, while Alejandro Valverde took the overall tour lead and will wear the gold jersey.

Stage 8: Vuelta a Espana in Beniaya

Although we would not see the start or the finish, stage 8 was riding through the neighboring towns from where we are staying. We are staying in Benimassot and the next towns to the east are Tollos, then Facheca, then Famorca – three towns which the tour was riding through.

We were in the process of deciding which town to watch the race from when our neighbors knocked on our door at 11 am. They asked if we wanted to watch the tour with them. Of course, we said yes. They told us to bring some food and drinks as we would be watching from outside a smaller town, Beniaya, and having a picnic in the middle of a mountain. The Ultimate Sports Wife and I were excited since this was a rare experience to watch the race go by in such a remote location. They knocked on the door again at 12:30 pm and said our ride would be here in five minutes.

Of course, our ride was not there in five minutes as we waited and waited. According to lavuelta.com, the riders were supposed to arrive in Beniaya at 1:51 pm, 1:58 pm and 2:06 pm – depending on their speed. As it approached 1:20 pm, I started to get nervous we would miss the race.

Our driver showed up at 1:30 pm, we packed the car quickly and we were off. Little did we know, we would be taking a “secret” road over the mountains in order to end up in the location where they wanted to watch the tour. The “secret” road consisted of a dirt road driving over the mountain rather than a paved road going around the mountain. It’s a good thing we took that road as I don’t think we could have gotten to the location outside Beniaya otherwise.

We arrived at the remote location about 5 minutes before the leaders showed up. After the leaders, the peloton showed up 15 minutes later. We could see the peloton at the bottom of the mountain and saw them as they climbed the mountain to where we were located.

After the caravan (which includes the team cars, police and ambulances following the tour) went by it was time for a picnic in the middle of the mountains – an experience nearly impossible to recreate unless you have some locals helping you out. If you are a cycling fan, I am sure you have seen the random fans along the Tour de France route in some remote locations. That was pretty much where we were. A location so remote it took a 4x4 driving over a mountain to arrive on time.

Post Event Dining
If attending a tour in a small town, try to find a bar in one of the towns along the tour to watch some more of the stage on television. We happened to drive back to Benimassot, where we went to the only bar/restaurant in town to watch the remainder of the stage.

The Race
Stage 8 was the first mountain stage of the tour, which included almost no flat sections. Damiano Cuengo overtook David Moncoutie less than 1,000 meters from the finish line in Alto de Aitana to win the stage as Cadel Evans took the lead of the tour and received the gold jersey.

Spanish Segunda Division: Cadiz at Levante

After stage 7 of the Vuelta a Espana was over, I met Nicole at the El Corte Ingles. Rather than drive to Valencia’s city center, I thought we should check out the area surrounding Levante’s home stadium – Estadio Ciudad de Valencia. However, there was not much in terms of restaurants so we drove back to the city center.

Pre Game Dining
Last Sunday, before the Valencia football match, we spotted a couple of pintxo restaurants opening as we were leaving for the Mestalla. Thus, Nicole wanted to try them out this week. We thought we would try both of them since pintxo’s are basically tapas – meaning you can eat a few at one restaurant and a few at another.

1) The first restaurant we tried was Sagardi Euskal Taberna – located at San Vicente Martir, 6. The restaurant was more upscale and was a pleasant dining experience. Pintxos cost 1.80 euros each.
2) The second pintxo restaurant we tried was about one block towards the Cathedral called La Taberna de la Reina – located on the Plaza de la Reina. This place was not as nice and neither were the pintxos they were providing – of course, the pintxos were slightly cheaper – 1.20 to 1.55 euros.

Pre Game Transportation
As stated earlier, Nicole wanted to shop in Valencia’s city center rather than watch a second division soccer match. Since Nicole and I had already parked our car in a public parking lot, I decided to take a cab rather than move the car and try to park the car on a sidewalk or in the middle of the street at the soccer match. The cab only cost 6 euros from the city center to the stadium.

Obtaining Tickets
I walked to the ticket office to find out the cost of the cheapest ticket. They did not have their prices posted so when I asked at the ticket window they said 20 euros. With a high price point, I decided to talk to the guys who had approached me wanting to sell their extra tickets. I talked to one of them and he said he had a face value 40 euro ticket for 30 euros (I had no idea if that was true since the ticket did not have a price on it). I told him I would only spend 10 euros – a price he balked at. Of course, he dropped from 30 euros to 25 euros to 15 euros to, finally, 10 euros. I bought the ticket and entered the first gate I could find as the ticket did state, “INVITACION. PROHIBIDA SU VENTA” – meaning “Invitation. Prohibits your selling.” Not sure what that meant but I entered the Levante supporter’s area and sat in a relatively empty section.

The Game
There is not much to mention about Estadio Ciudad de Valencia. The stadium is old, run down and there were temporary concession stands setup to sell drinks and snacks – similar to some other stadiums I have been to in Europe.

D. Carril Freire gave Levante a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute. E. Moruno equalized for Cadiz in the 68th minute and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Post Game Transportation
After the game I could not find a cab outside of the stadium. Thus, I walked to the main street where I was dropped off (Avenida Alfahuir) to see if cabs were driving (and hopefully waiting). There weren’t any. I walked a couple of blocks towards the city centre figuring I would find a cab as I got closer to the city centre and found a metro (tram) stop. I figured whichever showed up first (the tram or a taxi) would get me back to the city center to meet Nicole. The tram came first and I took Linea 6 to Beniclamet, transferred to Linea 3 and took that train to Colon – the stop by the city center.

Stage 7: Vuelta a Espana in Valencia

Very rarely is there an opportunity to attend two sporting events in the same day while in Europe. Not that two sporting events do not occur on the same day, but getting the wife approval is more difficult. Under normal circumstances, I probably would not drive 90 minutes to attend the Tour of Spain – given the fact the tour was in other areas closer to where we are staying. However, Valencia’s second division soccer club, Levante, had a home match scheduled for Saturday night – meaning I could attend both events in Valencia Saturday.

Last Sunday, when we went to Valencia, all of the shops were closed since it was the end of August (Spain is closed in August as the Spaniards are on vacation). Thus, with the wife wanting to shop and two sporting events in Valencia the day was set.

Time Trials
The event in Valencia was an individual time trial – meaning rather than spending 5 minutes watching the leaders and the peloton, cyclists ride individually on a course throughout the city. If you are a cycling aficionado this is the best way to watch every rider as they are not bunched up with the rest of the tour. The event started at 1:20 pm and finished around 5:30 pm.

However, if you are the Ultimate Sports Wife and enjoy spending less than one minute watching the riders during a regular stage, then this is not the event for you. Thus, Nicole decided she would not brave the rain and instead shop at the El Corte Ingles we parked at (0.02 euros per minute) for the event. But Nicole had the last laugh as she was able to watch a section of the time trial from the 8th floor of the El Corte Ingles rather than stand in the rain by the finish line as I had done.

The Race
The seventh stage consisted of a 30 kilometer time trial that started and finished on Valencia’s Formula 1 street circuit. Since I was unable to see the entire course when I attended the Formula 1 event two weeks ago, this gave me an opportunity to see the finish line – which was one of the reasons I walked in the rain to see the main area.

Fabian Cancellara won the stage and kept the gold jersey for one more day finishing the 30-kilometers in 36:41 – way ahead of the other competitors. David Millar, who placed second, was 32 seconds behind Cancellara, third place Bert Grabsch was 36 seconds slower and fourth place David Herrero was 40 seconds behind.

Stage 6: Vuelta a Espana in Xativa

On a weekend when La Liga is not playing due to World Cup qualifying matches, the perfect distraction is to have the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) come through our area. The current plan is to attend five consecutive stages within a reasonable driving distance (no more than 90 minutes away).

The first stage within a reasonable driving distance was stage 6, which began and ended in Xativa – a one hour drive from where the Ultimate Sports Wife and I are staying. Xativa hosted its first stage finish. The last time it hosted a stage start was in 2004.

Pre Event Dining
As with any cycling tour the most enjoyable part (for both you and the wife) is eating and drinking while waiting for the cyclists. The Ultimate Sports Wife finds cycling events the perfect event since she is able to eat, drink and relax waiting for the cyclists and then when the cyclists finally do show up they whiz by in less than one minute.

We found two cafes in Xativa that were on the final turn to the finish line. The first was Horno Pasteleria Ortiz. The second was Bar Las Vegas. Both had outdoor seating but Ortiz was cleaner and we had a better view of the course. After a couple of drinks and a snack we got up to watch the riders.

The Race
After waiting for about 20 minutes, the leaders of the stage rode by at 5:14 pm. The peloton was not too far behind, which came by two minutes later.

Slovenian Borut Bozic won the stage for team Vacansoleil, who beat out American Tyler Farrar and Italian Daniele Bennati, giving Vacansoleil their first victory in a major three week race. German Andre Greipel, who finished 10th, is still the leader and wears the gold jersey.

After the race
Before or after you watch the riders, you should be sure to tour the city where the race starts or finishes. After the race, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I drove to the Xativa Castle located on a hill above the city.

Copa del Rey Round 2: Villajoyosa at Alcoyano

With a limited number of sporting events in the region, I chose to attend the Copa del Rey second round match between two Segunda Division B teams (Spain’s Third Division) – CD Alcoyano and Villajoyosa C.F. Last year, Villajoyosa was in the Tercera Division (Spain’s Fourth Division), but was promoted to the next level this after they won the division last year.

I chose to attend this match because, 1) Alcoy is the closest city to where Nicole and I are staying in Spain (about a 30 minute drive) and 2) the match was apart of the Copa del Rey rather than a Segunda Division B match. Teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona will compete in the Copa del Rey in future rounds.

Parking
I arrived at the Campo del Collao about 15 minutes before the schedule 9 pm kickoff. I found a parking lot where, as was the case in Valencia, everyone seemed to just “squeeze” in. However, they made sure cars could leave early by leaving room. This lot was too tight for me to park in so I ended up parking on the sidewalk outside of this parking lot – I figured since other cars were parking on the sidewalk it was fine for me as well.

Obtaining Tickets
As with any minor league baseball or hockey game in the United States, there generally is no secondary ticket market. Thus, I did not even look for an extra ticket last night. I knew ticket prices ranged from 10 to 20 euros since I looked at the Alcoyano website earlier in the day. The first ticket window only sold 20 euro tickets for sideline seats. Instead, I walked to the next ticket window and bought a 10 euro seat behind the goal.

The Game
The stadium reminded me of a small minor league baseball stadium in the United States. There were a lot of sponsorships around the stadium and it only sat 5,000 fans.

Alcoyano scored a goal early in the first half and a second goal halfway through the second half to defeat Villajoyosa 2-0 and advance to the third round of the Copa del Rey.