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| At the Arsenal match |
A lot to catch up on here. Last full day in Paris we went to the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens. It was brutally cold all day. The coldest winter I ever spent was an April in Paris. Supplementing the frigid climes was occasional rain. Despite this we had a marvelous time. Saw a lot and much of what we saw ranged from good to splendorous. Highlights included the Rodin Museum and gardens, Montmartre and its views, the D’orsay and walking in various Parisian neighborhoods.
Friday we took the Eurostar to London. Rode business class to get a taste for how the other half lives. They live well. I was a man on mission and that mission was to go spend some of my hard-earned cash in the Armoury (with a u in Britain), Arsenal football club’s official store, right there in the stadium. Bought a coat, track pants, tee shirt and water bottle, all featuring my favorite club’s logo.
Then we went for lunch at the same pub at which we dined our last night in London. Again the fish and chips were sublime. From there to our Air B&B in North London. A lovely apartment with all the modern conveniences. Had little time to settle in before I needed to meet Phil and head to the Emirates for my first proper football match in five-and-half years.
I pause here to discuss what I’d heretofore left out of this account, our various travel hassles that day, most involving Ubers and taxis. The uber that was supposed to pick us up at 5:30 AM outside the Paris apartment where we’d stayed cancelled at the last minute claiming to be unable to find us. No other could be found. We walked up the to Rue Monge wondering if we’d have better luck there. I saw a taxi, it was available and took us to the train station with time to spare. Relief.
After the usual delay our train was ready for boarding. I led us down the escalator to the platform only to discover that the missus had not followed me. I waited as every other living soul got off the escalator. No wife. I was at a loss. My frantic state was interrupted by a text from the missing spouse saying she was on the train. ???? I got on and found our seat but there was no wife anywhere. Was I in an episode of the twilight zone? Then she texted again saying she was on the wrong coach but was making her way to me. It was a tremendous relief to see her at last. She had gotten vertigo at the of the escalator and had had to find an elevator.
Coming back from the Amoury we had three Ubers cancel on us as we stood in the pouring rain. No fun. Eventually we were picked up — after much frustration and taken to where we’d checked our luggage.
Getting an über to meet Phil was no picnic either. I waited for ten minutes before one cancelled and none other was forthcoming. I was in a state of panic before one finally arrived.
Back to our story….
It was great seeing Phil and having a fine chat about our families, old times and the state of sports and the world in general.
We arrived at the stadium ridiculously early which afforded us the opportunity to give ourselves a tour and to continue to jabber away.
Going to a premier league football match is the greatest experience I’ve had as a sports fan, starting with my first match in August of 1973 when Arsenal thrashed hated ManU, 3-0. It is always an occasion and a loud one replete with singing, chants and very loud cheering. Our seats were a mere 15 rows from the pitch affording a very different vantage point from what one gets on TV. Shockingly, the home team (in first place) playing the last place team in the league fell behind 1-0 after less than a minute and a few minutes later it was 2-0. Our heroes got one back before halftime and seemed hell bent to equalize. The second half started brightly but against the run of play the visitors got a third goal and their two-goal lead was restored. Could I actually have come all this way and spent all this money and waited all this time only to see them lose? So it appeared. But two minutes before the end of normal time Arsenal scored and two minutes into stoppage time they equalized. We went bonkers. A minute later an Arsenal shot appeared as though it would be the winner but it hit the crossbar. There were several more chances before the eight minutes of added time were up but none rippled the back of the net. When the full time whistle blew with the teams on level terms many players collapsed to the floor. I felt like doing the same. What an intense experience for players and supporters alike. Not the win I’d expected but a thrilling climax to avoid defeat.
Yesterday was far more relaxed. We strolled down Parkland Walk, a former railway line that though in London appears for its entire length to be in the forest. Oh sure you can see houses on the other side of trees but the dominant sensation is one of being out in nature. The hoot of an owl and the many other birds we heard added to this ambience. There were many other walkers (some with dogs) as well as joggers and bicyclists. The path is so wide that there’s room for all.
Later I took a long and much needed nap then we went out for dinner, ending up at a Japanese restaurant having a sumptuous meal.
This morning we took the underground into the heart of London. We visited yet another museum, this one the National Gallery. More great paintings and personally I can’t get enough. Back at our digs now to rest before another excursion out to eat.
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