And so our adventure began.
This is my diary of our trip to the Euros - Father and Son.
Grey and overcast early start - Simon uses UBER to sort out a taxi to take us all the way from Balham in South London to the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras - car turns up within two minutes and we are off, My first experience of UBER - very efficient and the on line receipt with details of the route taken was a nice touch - as was our fare! (I got a £15 discount as a first time user).
At this point Simon mentions that our Eurostar train has been designated as "dry" - glad we had not booked the business class seats with complimentary drinks then...
The local station bistro was doing a brisk trade as we waited to work our way through the efficient UK Boarder Security - they were on the lookout for alcohol.
The six and a half hour journey was pleasant and uneventful - the direct service meant that we did not have the hassle of changing trains - someone with a sense of humour included a winking picture in the loo - nice one son!
We finally arrived at Gare de Marseille saint Charles - sunny and warm; and plenty of English tourists - flags aplenty. From the station we spot the church on the hill - which turned out to be near our apartment
A quick call home to let Mrs C know that we had arrived safely - On the quayside at the old port we come across a Ferris wheel ....
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| This is a mirror ceiling from underneath |
after what seemed an eternity we reach our apartment - via a local bakery where our host left the keys .
after checking in we head back to the old port - thankfully down hill and take in the views
We briefly visit the Queen Victoria PH by the Old Port - a few fans milling around and we retreat to a cafe bar 50 metres away - with a line of police dogs in between - there was a tension in the air and loads of heavily armoured police - looked like they were expecting trouble.
There were plenty of supporters from across Europe mixing amicably - the opening game between France and Romania had Simon jumping up and down as Payet scored a wonder goal. After the match we heard loud bangs - which later we found out to be tear gas canisters being fired near the Queen Victoria PH.
We retired for the evening back to our apartment - exhausted and excited...
Looking on youtube the following morning we found out that a running battle including flying tables took place by the steps where we had eaten earlier - we must have departed just at the right time....
Day two - Saturday 11th June
Suns up and we headed back to the old port for breakfast - a steady stream of arrivals meant that the numbers on the quayside were rising - and the banter and singing was earthy ...
Regular contact with home was essential - there were too many "scare stories" in the press and things were getting blown out of proportion.
In the old port someone with a huge boat had docked - and the boat dwarfed everything else in the harbour -
The local landlords clearly were happy with their beer sales - we counted 4 delivery lorries for the two main bars that had the English supporters -
For some reason the French Police in their infinite wisdom stopped the Pubs selling beer in plastic glasses at lunchtime on the day of the match - so the Fans of all nations simply went to the local supermarkets and bought cases of bottled (glass) beers - the banter was fine but tensions were rising and there was a significant police presence around the harbour.
We had lunch by the old harbour - the English fans were generally very well behaved and patriotic - someone brought a life size cut out of HM the Queen - resulting in much patriotic banter and songs - funny how the good news never made it into the news papers but hey ho....
After lunch we explored the local area - before heading towards the Olympic de Marseille stadium - en route we came stopped off at one of the local bars - time for more footy but 9 euros for a beer was steep - clearly the locals were happy to fleece the visiting fans. while in the bar we came across a few fans without tickets - playing hunt the tout - seemed to be plenty of single tickets - just needed to ensure that they were in the right end!
A couple of pit stops later (my knee was playing up) we arrived at the Stadium - to be greeted by some well dressed fans...
Those without tickets would not be disappointed - there seemed to be alot of people with spare tickets and the closer to the stadium we got the lower the price - desperation time. The double security measures were a joke - a gentle "pat down" and an indifferent look in our bags - as events were to unravel later - the away supporters clearly were able to beat the checks
Our seats were at the English end - and we met up again with the ticketless fan that we had met earlier - very happy chappy. The atmosphere at the ground over the first 86 minutes was electric.
The match was great and until the 86th minute all was well - at which point a few flares and fire crackers were lit at the other end of the stadium - throwing the game and atmosphere into a frenzy. When the Russians equalised the moans of anguish from the English fans were everywhere - when the final whistle went we noticed that some of the stand had cleared very quickly - after about 10 seconds we decided to make our way out - and luckily managed to exit just before the security staff locked the gates to drive the remaining fans in the direction of the trouble - madness.
Once safely back at our apartment we sent messages back home that all was well.
Day Three - Sunday 12th June - sightseeing in Marseille
The morning after the night before - we were fortunate to return without incident but we heard plenty of tales of trouble between the Russian and English fans - including a table throwing competition near to where we had eaten the first evening...
We headed to the Old Port - standing outside McDonalds Simon took a call from Emily - "We have a mouse in the flat" - Simon spent the next 10 minutes providing instructions on how to set a mouse trap; by which time McDonalds had stopped serving McBreakfast.
We found a pleasant pavement restaurant for breakfast - lovely food but at 25 euros per person it ought to be - clearly the local restaurants were happy. At this point Simon realised he was needleless and popped back to the apartment to pick them up. My knee still playing up - thank goodness for the knee support that we picked up from poundland!
Hot and humid - the atmosphere was very relaxed as most of the troublemaker fans had left the city; even the Police were relaxed - the body armour from previous days conspicuous by its absence.
We spent the rest of the morning exploring the city - very warm and glad that we had plenty of water
Those familiar with Marseille will know that there are battlements either side of the old harbour entrance
....and despite my fear of heights I managed to cross the walkway. the views were spectacular
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During our exploration of the old city we came across a "then and now" picture :
After lunch we caught the metro to the Stadium and then walked on to the Fan Park with appropriate "pit stops" due to my dodgy knee - Simon felt peckish - so ordered a Pizza ;o)
After overcoming the security checks we entered the fan park - an interesting twist in that we had to purchase tokens to buy beer - still overpriced but hey hoo...
The big screen provided an excellent view of the game - Northern Ireland v Poland....
... and then we heard "Manor Road?" - who would have thought that two local taxi drivers from Witham were also in Marseille ...
After the match we headed back to our apartment - and caught a local bus back to the old port - with excellent banter - at one of the bus stops a local plus his son in a pushchair came on board - at which point the bus choir tunes changed from footy anthems to nursery rhymes - much to the amusement of the Dad.
The rest of the evening passed without any problems - after a fish supper we headed back to our apartment - Simon, being Simon convinced a local pizza parlour that had shut to sell him a small bottle of water for 5 euros ;o)
Day Four - Monday 13th June - Escape to Madrid
Early start - after packing we headed into the City
Having opted for the 50 euro breakfast the day before we opted for a budget version - and free wifi at McDonalds before walking to the Train station...
...Bloody French - the train drivers were on strike so the taxi drivers were having fun - 4 to share a taxi and 20 euros per person - hmmmm . Thankfully we had a plan B - and caught the local bus to the airport. Those familiar with Southend Airport will be delighted to learn that by comparison with Marseille the services in Southend are excellent. Our easyjet flight was a bargain and stepping off the plane in Madrid we we hit by a wall of heat - several degrees hotter than Marseille. Not sure if Mrs C would have coped here...
We caught the metro to the city centre - after a couple of changes we eventually reached Sol - and our apartment was at the rear of the Hotel Atlantico - Our host arranged for the key to be dropped off and we were shown to our apartment on the fourth floor - thankfully the building had a lift - more about which later....
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| Our landlord kindly left us a bottle of wine - nice touch |
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| Our front door to our apartment - and the door to the right was in use as a communal garage! |
We finally ended up at Mercado de San Miguel - something that Simon appreciated and the atmosphere and food were delightful -
Returning to our apartment we walked into a fridge - the air con was on and as a result our apartment was very chilled... Curtains kept shut as even I was feeling a bit claustraphobic - not sure what Mrs C would have mede of it....
Day Five - Tuesday 14th June - tourists in Madrid
We headed out for breakfast and explored the local area - by comparison with Marseille our breakfast was much cheaper - the French clearly were exploiting the Euro2016 fans
We then headed across the city and through the park - Poor Simon was suffering with an allergy to the local pollen and hay fever - mental note to pack the tablets next time....
We caught the Cable car and had an excellent view of the City and the Royal Palace - and after 11 minutes reached the top - with my love of heights - not! The restaurant bar at the top had a special offer - buy 4 beers and get a hat - what do you think?
The venue provided an excellent backdrop for a further round of cards - alternating between sevens; $hithead and Rummy - not sure who won but think that it was pretty close - 10-9. We returned via the cable car and then headed back to find a bar that was showing football. We tried several - and a few were grim - but finally ended up in O'Neils -
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| Stag on display at O'Neils - as you do..... |
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| and we found this interesting chap in one of the shops... |
After the footy we had another wander and ended up again at Mercado de San Miguel - but this time we tried one of the other venues - 3 Euros for a bucket of beer was much more acceptable than the rip off prices that we encountered in Marseille - our bill for food and drink came to under 15 euros - bargain!
After our supper we continued exploring the city - 24 degrees at 10pm meant that regular pit stops were in order - with an opportunity to watch more footy... That goal by iceland was simply stunning....
When in Madrid - we made an early start and headed off to the Bernabeau stadium - the tour didn't start until 10am so we found a local cafe that for 10 euros provided a stunning breakfast - and the owner generously provided various tit bits "on the house" - and resulted in a positive review on trip advisor ...
Now I have a problem with heights so the stadium tour was a bit of a challenge - but well worth the wait - plenty of steps too..
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| legend - probably the best player I have seen on the pitch.... |
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| 11 Champions league / European Cup titles - money talks... |
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| pitch side |
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| After the tour we caught the subway across town to the bull ring - not our idea of fun but this iconic building was on the top ten list to see |
Calling home we were able to report our progress and were delighted to learn that Summer had come to England - they were expecting a temperature about 30 degrees...
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| Note the "official" statement that refugees were welcome - others in the City had a different view. |
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This was probably my favourite venue in Madrid - Musee doe Jambeau - awesome |
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| a modest portion of tapas at Musee de Jambeau |
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| for those that thought that I was a lightweight - we did do plenty of walking... |
Supper comprised of a trip to a bar that did ribs - and local beers in glass jars ...
Day Seven - Thursday 16th June - Eng v Wales and all that...
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| View from the bottom of our apartment - note the lift ! |
Our exploration resulted in a trip to Burger King with free wifi / clean toilets and a chance to catch up again with what was happening back home...
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| Moo are you? |
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| We headed into the Royal Park and explored the "Hot Houses" - including a roof top walk - hmmm... |
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| I'd hate to have to be the window cleaner for this one.... |
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| Modern art - pile of newspapers - really? What would Mrs C make of it? |
After lunch we headed to O'Neills - one of the few venues that had guaranteed to show every Euro 2016 match - and thoroughly nice staff too - our playing cards were once again in action - playing 5 card rummy became very additive ....
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| England v Wales - how lucky were we - and the atmosphere in the bar was electric.... |
Now Mrs C had asked that I bring back little something - so we were constantly on the look out for tat to take back.
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| Strange group of men carrying their laundry perhaps? ;o) |
After the Eng v Wales and NI v Ukraine matches we headed back towards our apartment - an stumbled upon a local bar that was very popular with the locals - and we quickly worked out why ...
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| Germany 0 - 0 Poland but our bill for several beers plus a constant supply of tapas came to 25 euros - and we had good seats too... |
Breakfast for both of us came to 6 Euros - and excellent service too - a real find.
We then returned to Sol - where we caught the hop on hop off bus for a tour of the city after buying Mrs C "that bag" from the lookie lookie man -
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| City Hall - welcoming refugees |
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| A gift from Egypt |
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| Royal Palace |
The weather was taking a turn for the worse - so we exited the bus and went for a coffee - probably the worst coffee that we had the misfortune of trying before continuing with our bus tour until we returned to Plaza Mayor - lunch time...
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| Not bad for 3 euros |
After lunch we returned to the bus tour - and visited the Royal palace - culture
After our time as Culture Vultures we meandered back in the direction of our apartment - looking for a local bar that was showing the Euros - our luck was in as we visited Pedros bar again.
We then saw the Spain v Turkey match - with a constant supply of tapas / beer and diet coke in between games of $hithead and rummy - a lovely evening and our bill for 14 beers and 6 diet coke (plus a mountain of tapas) came to 35 euros - wow!
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| Our apartment living area |
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| Lovely view from our apartment window - note the lift shaft ! |
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| That window in the picture was from Simons bedroom window - those suffering from claustraphobia would not like our apartment |
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If you look carefully you can see the sky (just)
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Our final morning in Madrid - we decided to return to the Museo de Jambo for a final treat - breakfast with great coffee and a smile - will miss this place...
We then explored the local area further - a visit to the local supermarket meant that we came across these two beauties - my fave beer and an interesting variation -
We caught the metro back to the airport - and paid the 3 euro tourist exit tax - a bit sneaky but the Madrid transport systems were excellent and set a high standard that others can only dream of..
Our Easyjet flight was uneventful save the fact that they were doing hot bacon rolls - which were awesome - arriving in Lyon we noticed the drop in temperature and drizzle - yuk!
Back home, Mrs C confirmed that the temperature was over 32 degrees - 10 degrees warmer than in Lyon!
Back home, Mrs C confirmed that the temperature was over 32 degrees - 10 degrees warmer than in Lyon!
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You could tell that we were back in the host country for the Euros - they even had TV screens showing the matches in the baggage reclaim carousel...
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We caught the Rhone Express - their high speed link between the airport and the city centre - very efficient
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Arriving at Lyon Rail terminal we were met up by a friend of our AirB&B landlady - she kindly gave us excellent directions and we then spent an hour strolling to our apartment - taking in the local views on our way - we had been warned that our apartment was "up a hill" - challenging to say the least with suitcases and my dodgy knee....
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The river was very high - and had flooded the week before our arrival
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Our apartment from the inside - wonderful feel to the place and lots of natural light and big windows
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After dropping our bags off we headed out to find the local bars - we were a couple of miles from the city centre so explored the local area looking for suitable venues for food and drink ....
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Only in France - catering for the tourists
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Moving swiftly past the Dogs ... we found an Irish bar - Paddys Corner - with an interesting range of beers and nibbles - the bars were full and very friendly - such a nice change after our time in Marseille
We then explored the local area further - a visit to the local supermarket meant that we came across these two beauties - my fave beer and an interesting variation -
We then continued with our exploration of the local area - having a huge Screen for the game helped
This what the inside of the bar was like - a proper man creche and even a Wookie mural on the loo door....
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It was here that we met a Canadian called Tim that had been touring France while his Girlfriend was working in Amsterdam - a thoroughly nice guy - like most Canadians that we have met over the years..
Mrs C would have liked this place.....
Day Ten - Sunday 19th June - Romania v Albania
Sam and Fan called to wish me a happy Fathers day - as a treat I had a lie in until 11am - before Simon and I had a tipple for breakfast - had to be done.
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| Happy Fathers day... |
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Leaving our apartment stopped off for an unhealthy brunch - pizza and chicken wings - before crossing the still swollen river and exploring the local market - plenty of fresh veg / fish and chickens with their heads intact -
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| Can you see the bench or the footpath? |
We headed into the main tourist area and came across a gathering of English supporters - all well behaved and enjoying the lovely weather
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| Outside - next to the King Arthur pub - had the French rebranded for the benefit of the tourists? |
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| As with most of the venues beer came in plastic - probably a sensible move |
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| interestingly they had legs of Ham hanging - but purely for show |
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| Lyon fan zone - more beer in plastic |
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| one way of keeping the fans entertained - human table football time ... |
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Whilst there were a lot of English supporters in Lyon the evening match in the City was between Romania and Albania - and we encountered a large group of Albanian supporters - complete with red smoke
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| Scotland were also represented...... |
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| After collecting our train tickets for our visit to St Etienne explored the local shopping centre and indulged in more $hithead - a trip to the local Q burger bar for a snack resulted in beergate as our unstable table resulted in a spillage.... |
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| The new Lyon stadium was 15km outside the city - and the local authorities provided a complimentary tram service - a nice touch... |
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| Outside the Lyon Ground - as with other matches the Security in operation appeared to be "token" at best - some of the Romanian supporters were able to smuggle fire works and flares into the ground ... |
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| Great view -from our seats |
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| so a total restriction on bringing alcohol into the ground - but Carlsburg had a "special brew" on sale - 6.5 euros for beer with an ABV of 0.5% - yummy. Not sure if this would work at the Emirates.... |
The ground was probably 2/3 full with 90% of the supporters in red & black for Albania - the match ended 1 - 0 and we headed back to the tram stop - only to be advised that there was a security incident and the trams were not running - and we were redirected onto a local bus. Arriving at a provincial metro station the police and security were out in force - and there seemed to be a lack of anyone with a clip board in charge. Eventually we got on board and a couple of changes later we arrived back near our apartment - much easier than walking...
Day Eleven - Monday 20th June - Eng v Slovakia
Early start - and rather than walking to the centre we went via the metro - and after breakfast we caught the double decker train to St Etienne - high expectations for the match and life was good.
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| That was a 30 cm .... |
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| Samuel; Simon; Katherine; Rachel - remember New York? |
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| Outside the station at St Etienne |
The Euro2016 staff at the station suggested that we head into town - and we found a quiet bar en route - more cards and excellent banter from assorted groups from Middlesborough and Liverpool - some interesting tales of past matches.
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| Meat Fondu with excellent local beers |
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| England fans being lead from the balcony - all good natured |
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| Open Fan zone - on our way to the Stadium |
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| Who let the dogs out |
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| Bobby Moore sponsorship vehicle |
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| We visited a supermarket - this was what they were offering to English fans - hic! |
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| Snackgate - we opted for cheese and sensible beers |
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| TV screen at the FAN zone - probably the best of the three that we visited on our travels... |
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| Did they know something?........ |
Security at the stadium was excellent - we even had to discard our plastic mugs. Were they expecting trouble? As with the other matches there were plenty of people selling tickets.
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| Our seats - a good view of a no score bore |
The match was a disappointment but the English fans did the team proud - probably the noisiest and most robust support we have had the pleasure of attending. At the end of the match we were told to "follow the red line" back to the station - which, in conjunction with our smart phones app we managed to get back - to then be directed to the queue. We had pre booked our tickets for a later train but the police simply wanted to get everyone away - luckily we managed to get seats.
Arriving back in Lyon we realised that the metro had stopped an hour earlier and Taxis were like hens teeth. We had no option other than to walk> Lyon at 1.30am in the morning was interesting - with the local youth damaging road signs - but thankfully we finally returned to our mountaintop apartment just after 2am...
Day Twelve - homeward bound via Copenhagen
Having arrived back in the early hours we opted for a lie in on our last day. Simons hay fever and my knee problems continued to play up.
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| View from our apartment |
Having packed we opted to find a local bistro for brunch - the maitre de was impressed when I asked for a blue steak and Simon had Steak tartare - she even checked to make sure that we knew what we were ordering! The food and wine was stunning - Lyon certainly lived up to its reputation as the Gastro capital of France..
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| Proper blue steak with a delightful sauce |
Leaving our apartment for the last time we headed off to the metro - which felt like mobile sauna as the air con had packed up. We then caught the Rhone express back to the building site that resembled their airport - challenging but I am sure that it will be worth it once complete.
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| after 12 days away.. |
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Credit where it is due - the Security at the airport was excellent - thorough and professional - time for more cards including 17 card rummy - while waiting for Easyjet to take us to Copenhagen
Arriving at Copenhagen we remained within the airport as we only had a limited amount of time before our connecting flight back to the UK. The retail experience on offer was excellent if a bit pricey - we had flatbread and an orange drink with a hint of Ginger - which came to 20 euros.
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| Simon had the foresight to book us speedy boarding for the last part of our trip - so we had seats A1 and A2 on Ryanair - plenty of leg room. |
Once we were back at Luton Simon and I exchanged pleasantries before heading back home. I was delighted that Mrs C was outside to collect me - glad to be home but I think that Mrs C was unsure about my attire - 12 days "hand luggage" only ;o)
Fascinating - thanks for sharing
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