Hey guys!
So like I mentioned in my last post, a lot has happened in my personal life to dictate a change in how the trip is going to go. I was really looking forward to a 3 month trip, but I will not be mad at all for going to the UK, Madrid, and Porto for 30 days. This could be something that I use as a guinea pig and platform to launch myself into a longer trip in a couple years time, but we shall see. Anyway, that is just me rambling. I won't be getting into what led to the change in the trip, but I do want to discuss what has been booked so far and where all in the UK we will be going!
The current itinerary is London -> Birmingham -> Manchester -> York -> Newcastle -> London -> Madrid -> Porto -> Home
So yeah, it is a lot different than I had originally planned, but you can believe that I am making darn sure to get the most out of each city while I am there. This includes potentially 8 soccer matches, 2 rugby matches, and 20 or more stadium tours while I am there! Not to mention all the different sights I will be seeing in between and the food and the hostels. It is going to be a jam packed 30 days, but I look forward to the challenge and to bringing it all to you.
Games
As I have mentioned in a previous post, when I am in Manchester I will be attending the Rugby League Grand Final and while I am super pumped for that game, I am going to try and see a Rugby Union match when I am in Newcastle. The only issue is the local team, the Newcastle Falcons, lost every single game they played last season. So the big question is 'Am I willing to pay $65 to watch a team lose?'. I know the atmosphere will be part of the experience I am paying for, but still. I am mulling over if I want to make that happen.
In terms of soccer matches, I have put my money down for two Chelsea matches and I am still waiting to hear back from Chelsea to see if they approved my application for the tickets. I was told that would be coming in the middle of September. So as of the time of writing, I still have some waiting on my hands. The same waiting game will be happening for the game in Newcastle I am trying to see. They have a balloting system, which is new to me, so once I put in the ticket I will just wake up one day and see that money is taken out of my account and I got the ticket. Once I get an update on those, I will make sure to update you all.
The only soccer match that I can currently confirm I have a ticket to is for a London team called Leyton Orient. They will be playing Rotherham United on October 22nd. I wanted to try and make sure I saw a game from each of the four major tiers in English soccer, and I am currently looking at seeing games in 3 of them. Again, I am not at all upset with how the trip is turning out. I love the sport and I am looking forward to being in the crowd for as many games as possible.
Tours
This is the part of the trip that I am the most excited about. I have more than 20 stadiums I am trying to go to and already have 14 of them either booked or at the very least reserved and will pay for whenever I get there on the day. Not going to lie, you will probably get tired of all the posts I make about the stadiums I go and visit. I will do my best to post as much as I can from each of the tour and as many pictures from each all while trying to remain in the moment.
As of the time of writing here is what I have booked...
- Wembley Stadium
- Emirates Stadium
- Etihad Stadium
- Molineux Stadium
- St. James' Park
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Stamford Bridge (I have made a post about this already)
- London Stadium
- Twickenham Stadium
- The Den
- The Valley
- Santiago Bernabeau
- Metropolitano
- Esatdio do Drago
There are still a few to confirm the dates for and once I get them, I will give an updated list and then a final list once everything is all set in stone.
One idea I am stealing from a friend (and he gave me the okay to do it...so thank you Grant) is buying a scarf from each stadium I go to. I know that will be a decent expense, but I want to be able to have something from each stadium and create a great tapestry of memories for myself.
Phew. I know this one was a little long winded, but I appreciate you all sticking with it. I will try to keep doing weekly updates and then more frequent updates the closer we get.
Until next time,
Tc
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