Last night in the stadium was epic. Truly fucking epic. I’m still in a heightened emotional state.
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This went largely to plan except Versailles didn’t happen. Went to book it on the Thursday before flying out, but couldn’t book for the following Tuesday (apparently it’s their busiest day of the week because they do the musical fountains). In retrospect, I’d have struggled badly to do it the day after the match anyway. It was replaced with a more modest half-day of Paris sightseeing - Notre Dame and climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe (super view down the Champs Elysee).
A few notes:
- Accidentally ended up in that Connemara place in Bordeaux on our first night as it was close to the hotel and we needed somewhere in a hurry to see the France game. Was lively and a hint of ‘shoes off’ without being awful that night. Walked past it on the Thursday and Friday nights though and it was carnage. Places like that serve a vital purpose though. All the annoying idiots on these trips are sheep, so they’ll go where they are told. Just go anywhere other than that place then.
- The wine tour was shit.
- La Rochelle/Ile de Re are nice, but not mind-blowing. Did the job of allowing me to relax for a couple of days. A few of the shoes off brigade did have the same idea of going there, but I just ignored them (think there had been more in the days before the game). @myboyblue, I checked into your buddy’s place on the Sunday night to see if he had the golf, but there were too many shoes off merchants for me to keep my sanity so I just watched it on my phone back in the hotel on a dodgy stream.
- I fucking love the TGV. Worth the few euro more for first class too, lovely comfortable seats.
- Lille and Bordeaux may as well be in different countries (culturally as well as geographically). Lille feels much more like a Protestant Northern European city, which I guess it is.
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Signing in for the knockout stages. Fair play to the journeymen who did the group stages, we needed a loud raucous following. But we are In the last 16, it’s time for the football intelligensia to step up and deliver a more nuanced take on the game from the stands.
On the Saturday morning red eye. I’ll have my ‘fuck the RNLI’ tricolour if anyone fancies meeting their hero.
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You might meet The Sea Road Rebel there mate.
He arrived into Lille locked on Tuesday. The Beak went to the apartment with him but returned without him. The Beak said he told him he was “going off to buy a bag of cans and get his hole”.
We woke up yesterday morning and no sign of TSRR in the apartment. A phone call from TSRR’s phone to The Beak resulted in a lad called Walter telling the beak that TSSR was very intoxicated outside a metro station and didn’t know where he was staying. The Beak told Walter we were in a nearby square and we’d meet him there.
An hour later and there was still no sign of TSRR. A couple of calls from The Beak and myself to him went unanswered. We imagined he was on a bench or park sleeping off the excesses of the previous 24 hours.
Anyway we went to the game and after the great celebrations, we made our way to the metro station. After queueing for about 45 mins, we finally got on and made our way back to the city centre. On the way back, who does The Voice spot on the same carriage. None other than The Sea Road Rebel. What were the chances ? He looked worse for wear but we were glad that we could get his bag and passport back to him as he was returning to Ireland early this morning.
After getting his bag and passport to him, we all went for a couple of jars and heard how his previous 24 hours involved beer, hookers and getting arrested. When we called it a night TSRR was insistant on sleeping in a park down near the train station as he had an early train to CDG airport in Paris. It looked like plenty of Irish had the same idea.
Anyway this morning came and went and we were on a bus from Lille to Charleroi this afternoon when TSSR rang The Beak. The Beak asked did he make his train ok and TSSR answered in the positive. Ah good stuff thought The Beak. It wasn’t really though as the Rebel fell asleep and missed the stop in CDG.
So where are you now asked The Beak ?
Lyon was the reply. I’ve just booked into a BnB for 4 nights.
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If this is true and I’ve no reason to believe it is not its the greatest story I’ve ever heard.
Some lads are like dogs, you just have to let them off and trust they’ll find their way home when they’re ready
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Grand to read about such antics, a fucking nightmare to travel with guys like that…no right minded person would.
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It wouldn’t bother me too much.
That’s becuase you’ve never been beyond Killkee for a weekend.
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Kilkee is a cunt hole. I wouldn’t darken it. If an adult behaves like that leave him off. It’s his own decision. You see some lads flipping out and freaking over lads. I don’t get it.
Every group of friends needs a character like this
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I have plenty and I wouldn’t go anywhere with them.
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By the way lads, TSRR is a 47 year old married father of 4 
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Will canreron go today
To the Euro’s? I doubt it, he has bigger things to worry about.
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Accommodation sorted there, I reckon I’ll have spent €810, between flights accommodation & ticket, not too bad I suppose considering the price of the flights.
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What about me, pal? Am I not to be wished safe passage?
I am fucking pumped guys. Yesterday was a very stressful day trying to figure out logistics. I had a ticket sorted pretty quickly but the few hours before the Ryanair flights were very trying.
Wonder will it be carnage trying to get out to the stadium? From what I can see there’s a tram line that heads out that way but surely that will be almost impossible to get on unless you go very early. Stadium is about 12km outside the city which is a bit far to walk. We walked 6km to Saint Denis with our cans and that’s about my limit.
We should organise a business breakfast in T1 where we can discuss the implications of Brexit
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For anyone without tickets…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/micah-poag-nba-finals-game-7_us_576bfa40e4b08cbaeab18e4f