Day 2 – A Bit of Footie and A Lot of Celebration

Day 2 was highlighted by the first taste of soccer in this European Soccer Excursion.   Newcastle United was in town to take on the Champions of Europe, Chelsea Football Club at Stamford Bridge.  But with kickoff being at 5:30pm local time (9:30am in LA) there was a whole day to spend walking about London and, of course, eating and pre-gaming.

 

My hotel is nicely situated in Earl’s Court, which is a short walk to Kings Road and Fulham Road, two of London’s higher end streets for shopping and eating.  I made my way into the fray and got breakfast at a popular spot called My Old Dutch.  They are known for having massive pancakes with all sorts of toppings; and I don’t just mean your traditional fruit, butter and syrup.  The menu had offerings like spaghetti and meatballs on top of a pancake or king prawns, tuna and olives on top of a pancake. My order was tame with just eggs, ham and mushrooms cooked into the pancake and it was delicious.



 

I'm still obsessed with the small size of the hotel elevator.  It says it can fit four people but I'd like to see that because it'd be like squeezing four people inside a telephone booth.

Enjoying the architecture of London

Thames River that runs through London

 

My Old Dutch on Kings Road in Chelsea

Before - The egg, ham and mushroom pancake at My Old Dutch. Note the size of the plate compared to the silverware...these things were huge!

After

Exhibition Road in South Kensington/Chelsea was lined with cafes and restaurants. The early part of the day was beautiful so everyone was out and about.

 

 

Around 2pm I made my way toward the stadium to begin pre-gaming.  In order to reduce conflicts between home and visiting fans the pubs designate which ones were for Chelsea fans and which pubs were for visiting team fans.  You had to show your game ticket to get in.  Since I had Chelsea tickets, I went to those bars.  I started at a small spot a block from Stamford Bridge called The Fox & Pheasent (no website, they're old school).  From their I went to a more lively place called The Butcher's Hook (British pubs have the best names). 

 

The Fox & Pheasant

 

Pre-gaming at The Butcher's Hook across from the stadium

 



Inside the Butcher's Hook

Made a few friends during the pre-game festivities

 

 

After a few pints and a couple Jack & Cokes, I made my way to the stadium.  By the time I got inside, it was pouring rain.  Fortunately, the stands are covered, while the field is out in the open.  Stamford Bridge holds about 45k people so it's not massive, but it's a loud crowd.  Plus, the Newcastle supporters, which there was about 10k, are equally as loud so it made for a fun, energetic atmosphere. 

 



The front of Stamford Bridge

The streets around the stadium were shut down a couple hours before game time

The match was televised on ESPN UK

The Chelsea FC Marching Band

View from my seats

I was surprised to find that you could bet on the match from inside the stadium

Enjoying the football environment

 

 

Chelsea won the match 2-0.  It was a great game with a lot of fast play, top-flight talent and lots of screaming and yelling.  It ended around 8pm, which left plenty of time to enjoy the Saturday evening in London.  First, I met up with Steve Atkins and Gareth Mills from the Chelsea FC press team for a couple pints at the stadium restaurant.  From there I went with another friend from Chelsea FC named Chris to a few bars around town.  We started at a London institution called The Blue Bird Cafe and from there made it over to Bunga Bunga in the Battersea area.  It's a restaurant by day and a bar/club by night. 

 

Steve Atkins and Gareth Mills from Chelsea FC

 

 

Chris Madsen from Chelsea FC. Big thanks to Chris for taking care of the match tickets.

Celebrations at Bunga Bunga

 

Bunga Bunga

I don't know what is happening here, but it doesn't look like I'm too happy about it.

Mingling with the locals.

Like any good night out, it ends with pizza. Fortunately, I have a few spots near the hotel.

 

 

 

Day three is a recover day, sort of.  Apparently I happen to be in town during the Notting Hill Carnival, which is Notting Hill's version of Carnival/Mardi Gras.  It's one of London's biggest annual celebrations of arts, dance, food and culture.  It should make for another eventful day.