blackcountry jock Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Germany games as first time I was at an away game with my boys and it was my 13 year old first Scotland game couldn't ask for a better game and location to spend his first game of many cant beat spending your 13th birthday sitting on a train from Dortmund to Düsseldorf ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I'm another one who thinks my best away trip was my first one. Was trip to Lithuania in 2010, was in Kaunas for 5 days but also got a rickety old train to the capital Vilnius for the day, was a great laugh. We went into one particular boozer which was full of TA and the gaffer of pub decides to put on a basketball match when there was a football match on that the fans were watching. We all moaned like f*ck but he was having none of it, q 100 guys piling out the pub in disgust, the look on the guys face was priceless!! Running around the big shopping centre in Kaunas up to no good including mooneying the folk on the indoor ice rink and running around the multi-story car park pushing each other about in trolleys. Also went to the ahem... gentlemen's club in there a couple of times!! Lithuania 98 was good - we arrived around 2-3 days before everyone else, apart from 1 group 1 night later we even caught ladies night at Parimenteria and thought was going to be like that rest of the week :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) Minks 1997 for me - think there only about 200 Scotland fans at the game - before that I'd never been outside Western Europe, so Minsk may as well have been on a different planet. Hardly anyone could speak English, bars (at that time) were next to non-existent (or appeared to be) and clapped-out Soviet-era motors still ruled the road. Only downside was meeting Alex Miller in the hotel lift - as dour and unhelpful as you would expect him to be. Great organisation from Tommy Madden - not easy in those pre-internet days . Edited July 7, 2015 by Charlie Endell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroysboy Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Paris was my first away trip and was probably the best Can't see you topping that one either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I didn't enjoy Paris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroysboy Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) I'm another one who thinks my best away trip was my first one. Was trip to Lithuania in 2010, was in Kaunas for 5 days but also got a rickety old train to the capital Vilnius for the day, was a great laugh. We went into one particular boozer which was full of TA and the gaffer of pub decides to put on a basketball match when there was a football match on that the fans were watching. We all moaned like f*ck but he was having none of it, q 100 guys piling out the pub in disgust, the look on the guys face was priceless!! Running around the big shopping centre in Kaunas up to no good including mooneying the folk on the indoor ice rink and running around the multi-story car park pushing each other about in trolleys. Also went to the ahem... gentlemen's club in there a couple of times!! Classic voting with your feet Done something similar in warsaw, house band were pish. So a couple of TA boys borrowed the house bands guitars and rescued the sinking ship, before we bailed out. Edited July 7, 2015 by Robroysboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringo Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I didn't enjoy Paris. Were you in Texas by mistake ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroysboy Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I didn't enjoy Paris. Did you go on the march ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Did you go on the march ?Jings, no! It's just not a city I enjoy visiting, although up by Notre Dame is decent (but even there you can't escape the diabolical choice of refreshments on offer).I enjoyed the Hampden game much more. Edited July 8, 2015 by Charlie Endell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Endell Tours in Moldova was a good laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Paris was a great performance and result but as a trip it was a bit meh. Then again I'm not a huge fan of Paris anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Endell Tours in Moldova was a good laugh. Think Moldova was one of the most mad-cap trips off all time! Easily my favorite trip of all the ones I have been on Stupidly cheap (what other trip would you get guys buying bottles of champagne EACH for their carry out?) and a stadium that makes most Ayrshire Junior grounds look like Wembley Plus you had the newspaper reports the weekend before saying how a old Soviet Nuclear War Head had been "lost"..... have to say, in terms of away trips, the one for WC2006 had some of the best (Belarus is another favorite of mine). Me and the Mrs got the over night bus from Lviv to Chisinau.... got to the border at silly o'clock in the morning.... border gurads take the passports and then 10 minutes later come on board and ask me to come with them........... none of them speak a word of English, so Mrs is doing all the talking.... suddenly she stops and has this confused look on her face, turns to me and says "he wants to know why you are not traveling with your team?".....and then "he wants one of your team shirts!". Turns out he thought I was one of the Scotland players who was based at a club in Ukraine, and was trying his luck to get a match worn players shirt (they knew of the game, but did not think any fans would be traveling to Moldova, and certainly not from Ukraine on a bus at 3am) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langtonian Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Germany 74 with it being my first venture away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Germany 74 with it being my first venture awayNothing worse than a Johnny-come-lately bandwagon jumper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroysboy Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Jings, no! It's just not a city I enjoy visiting, although up by Notre Dame is decent (but even there you can't escape the diabolical choice of refreshments on offer). I enjoyed the Hampden game much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langtonian Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Nothing worse than a Johnny-come-lately bandwagon jumper. Spain 82,Sweden 92 and France 98 were good as well Edited July 8, 2015 by Langtonian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daslondon Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Nowhere close. This. So many other great trips in recent years. Bari was brilliant despite the supposed booze ban with a great party on the beach and the last time I really enjoyed singing doe a deer en masse, the friendly in Stockholm, Lithuania (Kaunas a dump but great crack and Vilnius is a terrific city full stop), Paris and that march to the ground followed by that goal, Prague, alicante and Warsaw all way better than Dublin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daslondon Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I'll tell you what I wasn't impressed with. The cleanliness of Dublin. Yes Glasgow is a shithole too, but to compare Dublin with other big European cities is like comparing Cumbernauld to Copenhagen. Totally agree. I know they were cleaning up after anywhere between 5 and 10 thousand depending on who you believe but a filthy town that seems to have gone backwards over the past 20 odd years since I first ventured over for the 5 nations. The locals as always were on great form though and enjoyed their crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngmirt Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 San Marino Oct 2000 was my first away trip, went with no tickets and no digs sorted, everything fell into place and had a great time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Totally agree. I know they were cleaning up after anywhere between 5 and 10 thousand depending on who you believe but a filthy town that seems to have gone backwards over the past 20 odd years since I first ventured over for the 5 nations. The locals as always were on great form though and enjoyed their crack. No matter how many times I go to Dublin, the one thing that always surprises me is the number of homeless people that sleep out on the streets, and not in back streets, but in open view in main area's of the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HartyfaeLarbert Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I really enjoyed Dublin but agree with what most others have said, I've had other trips that I'd place before it. Poland this campaign and the friendly last March are two of my favourites, as was Dortmund. I look back to my first trip - Belgium 2001 - with great fondness (result aside). Huge travelling support and it was just a great build up to the game. Really enjoyed ourselves in Brussels afterwards too - I was only 13 or so at the time so was a big thing for me. Quite possibly still my favourite though was Iceland 2002 under Berti, after the Faroes shambles. The team played well that day and got a good win (Gary Naysmith screamer) but the weekend our group had is right up there with some of the best laughs and fun I've ever had. I fell in love with Reyjkavik and I still regret not returning two years later to see Dunfermline play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green_Tide_Rising Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) No matter how many times I go to Dublin, the one thing that always surprises me is the number of homeless people that sleep out on the streets, and not in back streets, but in open view in main area's of the city. Yeah sadly this is true - the city seems to have developed a BIG drug problem in the last 6/7 years , adding to homeless factor Add in - We got absolutely walloped economically in the recession a few years back (another reason ) and are only really starting to bounce back in the last year As for away trips - London/Glasgow/Dublin/Cardiff - been to them all as an Ireland Supporter and for Ireland games - but all 4 cities are very similar , due to similar cultures and similar ppl. Have had a blast in all of the cities and with their respective hosts on football occassions...but the best away trips are the ones where you are somewhat going into the unknown....although i really hated Prague and Bratislava And Agree with the other poster - Paris was rubbish Edited July 9, 2015 by Green_Tide_Rising Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Add in - We got absolutely walloped economically in the recession a few years back (another reason ) and are only really starting to bounce back in the last year Yeah, did the Dublin by Bike tour which took us around the financial district and showed us the skeleton of a building that was going to be the next big bank to move into Dublin, only for the recession to hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I really enjoyed Dublin but agree with what most others have said, I've had other trips that I'd place before it. Poland this campaign and the friendly last March are two of my favourites, as was Dortmund. I look back to my first trip - Belgium 2001 - with great fondness (result aside). Huge travelling support and it was just a great build up to the game. Really enjoyed ourselves in Brussels afterwards too - I was only 13 or so at the time so was a big thing for me. Quite possibly still my favourite though was Iceland 2002 under Berti, after the Faroes shambles. The team played well that day and got a good win (Gary Naysmith screamer) but the weekend our group had is right up there with some of the best laughs and fun I've ever had. I fell in love with Reyjkavik and I still regret not returning two years later to see Dunfermline play. Aye, that was another great trip - I'd like to go back to Reykjavik. The wooden pub overlooking the bay (it was discussed on here not so long ago) was a brilliant place to spend the evening - felt like you were sitting on the edge of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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