Lisbon

For the last weekend in November, myself and Hursty decided to disappear to Lisbon. We had intended on going back to Berlin to see Babelsberg play again, but the flights were a bit more expensive than last time, so the plan changed to going somewhere new instead. At £60 for a return flight, Lisbon seemed too hard to turn down. It turned into an excellent decision. Still warm, friendly, easy to get around and the cheapest city I've been to in Western Europe. It was brilliant and I'd highly recommend going. Plenty to see and do and a short train ride gets you to some picturesque beach towns as well (we ended up in Estoril for a few hours). There were a couple of games of football thrown in (because why not?), Sporting on the Saturday night and Clube Oriental de Lisboa on the Sunday afternoon. The latter was bizarre. We'd been sat in the stand drinking at Sporting, then turned up to a second division game with segregation, police everywhere and no alcohol on sale... Still, that turned into the better game of football, so swings and roundabouts. Overall, a brilliant place to go and spend a few days. I'll be going back. Full set of photos can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8580799@N06/sets/72157649564861832/

Brighton and Hove

A few weeks ago, I spent a few days in Brighton & Hove for Lancashire's last away game of the County Championship season. It was a crucial game which we needed to win to give ourselves a realistic chance of staying up. Of course, the script went as it had done all season and we were eventually relegated when Middlesex beat us at Old Trafford.

Still, it was a good few days away. I'd only ever been to Brighton twice, once to the old Withdean Stadium and didn't get to see the town, the other was to Hove where I didn't see a ball bowled and didn't see much of the town beyond a stretch of beach and a large number of pubs... So it was good to get there and be able to have a proper nosey around.

There was still the pub ticking to do. Food from a few recommended places and others that had been spotted when out and about. A good pint, a good curry and a good burger, always a nice addition to any trip! And a proper walk along the front and a gentle evening mooch along the pier. It was good to have the time to wander around and see a bit more of the place. Just a shame it'll be a couple of years, at least, before I get to go back. But the cricket itself is a whole other post...



 

Carl Woods has a lovely haircut

Preston railway station, Lancashire, UK

Winterthur and Vaduz, May 2014

FC United were invited to play FC Winterthur, a fellow fan owned club in Switzerland, in a friendly given the tagline "The Real Spirit of Football." Of course, it would have been rude not to attend, so a handful of us joined the other few hundred Reds making the journey and made the short flight into Basel, before driving over to Winterthur.

We got there late on the Friday before the match, so only had time for a brief wander around and a couple of (expensive) drinks before hitting the hay. On the Saturday a couple of us found a nice, quiet restaurant across from the brilliantly named Töss station, far from the madding crowd. We then made the short train journey into the main station in the centre of Winterthur.

The game itself was a bit one-sided, with Winterthur winning 4-1. Considering they play at a higher standard and were training all week, it was no surprise that they beat our lads, especially when they'd been out most of the night before... The ground was lovely, the setting was beautiful and the welcome was friendly. A few beers and a curry later we went back to the hotel fairly early as we were planning on doing a bit of cross-country mooching. Quite literally.

First port of call was Vaduz in Liechtenstein. One of the smallest and richest countries in the world, it was also one we'd never been to, so with it only being about an hour from where we were it seemed an obvious choice to go and visit. We weren't disappointed. A lovely place, with stunning scenery. We had a nosy around the local football stadium, had a bite to eat and got our passports stamped at the tourist information office. Once we were done, we had a drive into Austria, before then heading back through Switzerland, a brief stop in Germany and into the airport which, with it actually being on French soil, took us to six countries in one day by the time we'd landed back at Manchester. Not a bad effort.

A very enjoyable trip. Whilst there wasn't much to see and do in Winterthur, I'd suggest you visit the ground and club. I'd also definitely recommend a visit to Liechtenstein if you're ever nearby. Stunning.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYmk2CY

Abbey Road

First entry for a while (again...)

Spent a couple of days in London watching Lancashire at Lord's. On Sunday we were casually talking about how Paul McCartney lived round there as it was near Abbey Road Studios. On Monday morning I walked passed the bloke outside the ground.

So, between that and wanting to giggle at a few tourists, we took a detour back to St. John's Wood tube station after... Via a certain studios and Zebra Crossing. Even after 7 in the evening, in the pouring rain and the dark there were people there. Amazing how such a mundane feature can become so iconic.