Fans
We braved the cold weather mid-week to go to our very first North London derby - Arsenal v Tottenham at the Emirates. It was the first leg of the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. Despite the fierce rivalry / hatred that exists between the teams, it was still a surprise for us to see hundreds of police escorting the Tottenham fans into the ground (with trucks full of police dogs on stand by).
We braved the cold weather mid-week to go to our very first North London derby - Arsenal v Tottenham at the Emirates. It was the first leg of the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. Despite the fierce rivalry / hatred that exists between the teams, it was still a surprise for us to see hundreds of police escorting the Tottenham fans into the ground (with trucks full of police dogs on stand by).
Sadly the young Arsenal side that took the field did not play well and should probably have lost by 2 or 3 goals. However, we hung in there and Theo Walcott scored a late goal that salvaged a 1-1 draw for the Gunners. There were plenty of chants coming from the Tottenham fans, their favourite seemed to be "Just like the library" after they took the lead and the Emirates went quiet. The Gooners responded after Theo's goal with "You'll never beat the Arsenal" - reminding them that Tottenham last beat Arsenal in November 1999 - 21 games ago...
We had a reasonably busy weekend in London. On Friday night Megan and I checked out some more of Upper Street, which was still quite busy despite the rain! Friday night drinks and dinner on Upper Street is becoming a bit of a habit!
On Saturday, it was game day for Arsenal, so Holloway Road was packed almost all day. All of the fried chicken and kebab shops (and there are plenty) would have done a roaring trade!!! We didn't go to the game this time, and it sounds like it was just as well, as Arsenal had a disappointing draw with Birmingham.
We headed into the city on Saturday night to meet up with some ex-Russell McVeaghers (and some current Russell McVeaghers too - Marcus and Toni were visiting London in the weekend) for drinks at Covent Garden. From Covent Garden we made our way to Piccadilly Circus to meet up with Simon and Anthea. They had managed to secure a table in a cosy little pub, where we spent the rest of the night drinking and listening to tales. Simon always has a crazy story or three!!!
Sunday was a much quieter day, although Megan was quite active, making it to the gym again and also wandering around the Upper Street shops. In the afternoon we visited the Clink Prison museum. Sadly we have no photos for the blog, as the camera battery died just as we were about to take our first snap at the museum.
The Clink Prison museum is built on the site of the original Clink Prison, which was constructed in the 12th century and lasted until its destruction in 1780. The prison was known as "The Clink" from the 15th century onwards and was owned by successive Bishops of Winchester. Our museum tour was very informative. We saw some particularly gruesome torture devices and read about the revolting conditions that the prisoners lived in. The prison was built on the south bank of the Thames so, unsurprisingly, it often flooded. The cells would often fill up with a foot or two of water and sewage, not to mention the rats!
After the Clink, we wandered along the South Bank, which is one of our favourite London spots, and had a drink in The Anchor pub before grabbing some dinner at our favourite little Greek restaurant.
On Saturday, it was game day for Arsenal, so Holloway Road was packed almost all day. All of the fried chicken and kebab shops (and there are plenty) would have done a roaring trade!!! We didn't go to the game this time, and it sounds like it was just as well, as Arsenal had a disappointing draw with Birmingham.
We headed into the city on Saturday night to meet up with some ex-Russell McVeaghers (and some current Russell McVeaghers too - Marcus and Toni were visiting London in the weekend) for drinks at Covent Garden. From Covent Garden we made our way to Piccadilly Circus to meet up with Simon and Anthea. They had managed to secure a table in a cosy little pub, where we spent the rest of the night drinking and listening to tales. Simon always has a crazy story or three!!!
Sunday was a much quieter day, although Megan was quite active, making it to the gym again and also wandering around the Upper Street shops. In the afternoon we visited the Clink Prison museum. Sadly we have no photos for the blog, as the camera battery died just as we were about to take our first snap at the museum.
The Clink Prison museum is built on the site of the original Clink Prison, which was constructed in the 12th century and lasted until its destruction in 1780. The prison was known as "The Clink" from the 15th century onwards and was owned by successive Bishops of Winchester. Our museum tour was very informative. We saw some particularly gruesome torture devices and read about the revolting conditions that the prisoners lived in. The prison was built on the south bank of the Thames so, unsurprisingly, it often flooded. The cells would often fill up with a foot or two of water and sewage, not to mention the rats!
After the Clink, we wandered along the South Bank, which is one of our favourite London spots, and had a drink in The Anchor pub before grabbing some dinner at our favourite little Greek restaurant.
Emirates
Stadium
Stadium
Theo celebrates
his equaliser
his equaliser
No comments:
Post a Comment