We made it to London last night via a typically sticky Singapore and congested border control at Heathrow. Thanks to the Heathrow Express we made still made good time in getting to our hotel not far from Paddington Station. Two tips for those flying into Heathrow and staying in London: Book the Heathrow Express well in advance for £5.50, cheaper and faster (15 min) even than a shuttle from CHCH airport into town. The second tip is not to stay at the Belvedere Hotel. We have stayed in hotels that had bigger ensuites than an entire standard room at the Belvedere, and motor camp cabins with more charm. I’m not sure what hotel they used to take the photos they used on their website but any resemblance was purely coincidental. We escaped for a walk in the mild evening and had a pleasant drink at the Mad Bishop and Bear upstairs in Paddington Station.
The train trip to Liverpool this morning was smooth and enjoyable, preceded though it was by some unpleasant sports news spotted on the back of one of the tabloids. I was looking forward to seeing the Liverpool FC manager, Jurgen Klopp, probably the second-best manager in the Premier League, certainly the most emotional. There is often as much drama on the sidelines with him as there is on the pitch, with his relentless haranguing of the match officials. Alas this habit has come back to bite him and he will be sitting in the ‘naughty corner’ well away from the dugout for this one. His main crime was to call a cheating referee a cheat.
Spent the afternoon wandering the Liverpool docks with their amazing lineup of museums, the bricks and cobbles, the Beatles statues, and generally soaking up the pre-match atmosphere. Also browsed two LFC superstores, where I bought a training top, an LFC cap and a few nic-nacs.
Click on the side arrows in the gallery below to scroll thru some more pics.
Off out for meal shortly. Game day tomorrow. A 3pm kickoff, dry and 19 or so degrees. As with rugby, that should be a recipe for a decent game.
コメント