When we got to the impressive home of Borussia Dortmund, we
were unsure where to leave the car and pulled over to ask a policeman where
disabled away supporters could park. Luckily, we chose one who could speak
fluent English and was very helpful (obviously, he hadn’t got the warning
messages about the British spy going around taking photographs A.KA. my dad).
Anyway, he kindly spoke to an angry looking steward in German who told him
where the car park was. However, my mum could drive into the bowels of the
stadium and drop the wheelchair off but would need to leave as it was the
designated area for the team coaches.
After feeling like VIP guests (having our own special
entrance and being escorted to our seats), we had two and a half hours to kill
until the start. That sounds like a long time but it soon flew by because
personally speaking, the Westfalenstadion is a
magnificent ground and the sheer size of it is just awe-inspiring. I spent most
of the wait for kick-off taking in the 65,000-seater stadium (bigger than the
Emirates), in between watching various Sky teams from around the world conduct
a pre-match report pitch side. The media
section was in front of us so I got to see a few interviews with a few Dortmund
legends including their current manager Jürgen Klopp.
Annoyingly, the disabled Arsenal fans were put in
front of Dortmund fans, away from our own travelling supporters. I couldn’t
care less because we had won, which meant I got to celebrate like a mad man in
front of the Germans. Notice that I glossed over the actual match itself and
that’s because I know my audience. If people are interested in the historic
victory or want to know about the incredible atmosphere, I’ll post on my
football blog soon.
The car journey back to Utrecht and subsequently to
the Hook of Holland was pretty uneventful (although I did take us on a bit of a
diversion via the Hague but we got to the ferry with an hour to spare) so I
haven’t got much left to add. It was a brilliant couple of days and I
thoroughly enjoyed myself but, like everyone says after being abroad, it was
nice to come home.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to go on another European tour
next year so that I can blog about all (well not everything) the adventures I
get up to.
Bye for now!
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