Euro 2024 Diary: My top 11 memories during my month-long Road to Berlin
For the last four weeks I've been on trains, planes and automobiles – not to mention trams, taxis, tunnels and boats, and even a fire engine - as England vs Spain looms large en route to Berlin
I’m writing this sat on the Eurostar, en route to Berlin via three changes taking in four countries, so I’m in a reflective mood.
The journey is set to take the best part of 12 hours, changing in Brussels, Cologne and Berlin Spandau just before midnight, so I’m in absolutely no rush whatsoever.
When I travelled the world a very long time ago, I got given a very good piece of advice by an old hippy with tie-dye trousers and grey stubble, when he said: ‘It is good to look up.’
Meaning life is so busy, you should make time to take a look around and savour the moment, and your surroundings.
Trains, planes and automobiles – not to mention trams, taxis, tunnels and boats
Well, after the month I’ve just had crisscrossing Germany by car, train, bus, tram, taxi, and airplanes - even a fire truck at one stage - here, there and everywhere, I thought I’d look back on some of my favourite moments.
So, here are my favourite 11 memories of Euro 2024 so far…
Reppin’ The Arsenal: Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. CREDIT: Twitter/Unknown
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Honourable mentions:
The tremendous twin spires of the mighty Cologne cathedral, at one stage the tallest building in the world. Discovering beautiful Antwerp on the drive to Germany for the group stages. Ditto two-for-one Stella in the same place. Convivial Mainz. Cologne Aldstadt. Frankfurt Aldstad. Pork knuckle and sauerkraut in Dusseldorf. Leipzig’s cavernous yet still austere central station. Dancing with a banana and a strawberry in Dortmund fanzone. The Westfalen atmosphere. The Westfalen waterfall. Eating three lots of currywurst during three games in three days.
Overrated:
The Dutch. On and off the pitch. Pickled herring in a roll.
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My top 11 memories during my month-long Road to Berlin
11 – The Arsenal lads
I’ve watched England for 40 years, graduating from intimidating nights at the old Wembley in the 1980s as a wide-eyed kid, to travelling the world as a fan watching them invariably lose miserably from Portugal to Japan, to reporting on their progress as a UEFA-accredited journalist – so it was no wonder I felt a bit tearful in the Dortmund press box after Ollie Watkins’ never to be forgotten late winner.
Not least because about 40 yards from my desk – right in front of me - I could see Gooners Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka hug each other, in an embrace that was as exhausted as it was filled with pride, respect, achievement and friendship.
Like all Arsenal supporters, we’ve followed their journey, and to see them reach the final of Euro 2024 – after all Saka went through last time – was simply wonderful. (More on this hopefully next week, as I don’t want to jinx Berlin by making any suppositions before the event.)
But it’s been great to see the Arsenal pair make such progress in an England shirt over the last month.
As an aside, it seems like a very long time ago Spurs used to have five players in the England squad….thankfully….
The Einbahnstraße sign means “one-way street” in German. Which means the traffic on a street like this flows in one direction only. If there is parking, you may only park in the direction of the traffic flow, as we were to find out in Dortmund…
10 – Quirky Germany
There’s nothing quite like a random German bylaw to get the juices flowing. And our experience in Dortmund was no different. after we parked at our AirBnB a short walk through the Westfahlen forest near the ground, when Martin, our host, firmly suggested we had to turn our car around and park the vehicle in the direction of traffic, in order to avoid a fine.
‘Er, why?’ we asked, baffled and tired, after a long stretch on the autobahn (reaching top speed of 130mph along the way).
‘Because it is the law,’ our bespectacled host replied in an answer that needed no further elucidation. In German eyes at least…
Discovering the old Schalke 04 stadium on the 4km walk to the one it replaced, the AufSchakle Arena, when the local transport got too full, with no prospect of getting on a tram. A stunning find for a stadium obsessive like myself.
I’ve also become strangely obsessed with a public service channel they have here on German TV, which simply shows trains riding from one station to another.
The view is from the drivers cab, so you feel like you’re literally in the drivers’ seat, as the train rattles along the tracks unfolding in front of you. It’s so relaxing, I love it. And the scenery looks great too, as does the reassuring ‘ding’ of the driver’s bell when the train moves.
Although, ask me again after I finish my 12 hour train to Berlin on Saturday…
A slab of the Berlin Wall stands outside the former Stasi HQ in Leipzig. CREDIT:
9 – Visiting the Stasi Museum in Leipzig before covering Turkey vs Austria - and seeing a section of the Berlin Wall outside Stasi HQ
Learning about the dreadful history of East Germany’s hated Secret Police was a real eye-opener. Of course, I’d heard of the Stasi, but I didn’t actually know that much about what they did. I simply can’t conceive how people existed knowing that the person standing next to you, or in the next room, or sat on the bus behind you, could be studying your every move, could be spying on you.
No wonder, by October 9, 1989, 70,000 citizens of Leipzig had had enough, and demonstrated against Erich Honecker’s awful regime. The authorities had 8,000 soldiers with guns as well as tanks and heavy artillery.
What happened next would shape history,
Thankfully, the powers-that-be decided not to shoot on peaceful, innocent protesters. Protestors yards from where I stood outside the forbidding Stasi HQ (now situated round the corner from a large Primark proudly displaying an original section from the Berlin Wall – the Stasi HQ, not Primark).
The rest is history, as prompted by their lead, East Germans everywhere protested relentlessly until the Berlin Wall came down exactly a month later, after courageous Leipzig citizens sparked what they still call in that engagingly quirky city ‘the peaceful revolution.’
8 – Visiting the German National Football Museum in Dortmund
A surprisingly sensitive and intelligent place to visit. Given the Mannschaft’s trophy laden history – not to mention the might of the Bundesliga – the tendency could have been unnecessary triumphalist. But to their credit, it wasn’t.
To my delight it was also avowedly not dumbed down, even if there were enough exhibits (Horst Hrubishe’s 1983 Hamburg shirt anyone?) narratives and interactive options to satisfy those aged from eight to 80.
And having written extensively about 1954’s Miracle of Bern it was a joy to see seats taken from the original Wankdorf Stadium. As it was to note just how studious coach really was, by presenting the typewriter he used to dutifully type up his notes every evening in an early prototype of Opta Joe stats.
And yes, there is a (small) display on the 1966 World Cup final – with the front page of German tabloid ‘Bild’ the day after England’s Wembley triumph. (‘The ball didn’t cross the line,’ the page of history read.)
7 – Discovering former Arsenal striker Lucas Podolski has a string of kebab shops
If you know me, you’ll know just how much I love kebabs. So, to discover the former Gunners attacker had opened a string of late-night kebab emporiums was a genuine treat. Even if, on the day of England’s hugely disappointing goalless draw with Slovenia at the Mungersdorf, I literally found myself the wrong side of the tracks to purchase aforesaid treat as I waited on a crowded tram platform with a fence – and train tracks – preventing me from grabbing a cheeky lunchtime snack. Alas, just like Poldi’s Arsenal career, the results were slightly underwhelming – even if you love him just the same.
6 – The Dusseldorf Arena
Regular readers, or those who follow me on social media will know of my obsession with the façade to this startingly original/monstrous carbuncle (delete as applicable) situated a wobbly tram ride away from the centre of this strangely beguiling city in the heart of the former industrial Ruhr). I still can’t work out if I love it or hate it.
5 – Watching top quality footballers and great goals
From watching the misfiring but incredibly talented, Kylian Mbappe during France’s 1-0 over Belgium in Dusseldorf, to the stupendously creative Dani Olmo during Spain’s 1-0 over Albania at the same venue, to Arda Guler’s superb performances for Turkey vs Georgia and Austria – including his excellent goal against Willy Sagnol and Dave Webb’s rousing Georgians at a fevered Westfahlen, to Xavi Simons’ excellent long-range effort vs England, to future Balon d’Or winner Jude Bellingham’s outstanding overhead kick vs Slovenia, to Kevin De Bruyne’s imperious display against Romania – whose Dennis Man also impressed in yellow for Edward Iordănescu’s side in Cologne.
Everywhere you looked you saw quality, even if this tournament probably won’t be considered a classic. Yet.
Although if England win 24 hours from now it certainly will be viewed that way for all eternity on our sceptred isle.
Despite Bild newspaper phrasing matters the day after Bellingham’s last-gasp leveller: “With 95 minutes gone, the English were practically back on the island…”
4 – Meeting so many good people along the way
From Albania and Spain fans singing the praises of the ubiquitous green-jacketed German volunteers on a tram, to dancing with a large banana and a rotund strawberry in the German fanzone in Dortmund, to getting home at 10am after a riotous 24 hours in Frankfurt as a fan based around the England vs Denmark game, to getting a lift in a fire truck in Mainz, after a helpful German firefighter freed our car from being locked in, to catching up with old pals – and making new ones - in sweltering Cologne, everywhere you went, you were generally met with a smile from friend or foe, stranger or fellow football fan, from the top class Gillingham lads we met in Cologne, to the Arsenal supporters I met in Gelsenkirchen (‘you’re that Getcha Gooner bloke’ one of the lads said to me, which made me smile). to catching up with mates I’d travelled the world following England with for the last few decades amid the evocative timbered beams of Frankfurt’s Aldstadt (old town).
3 – Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp overhead kick
I had written my damming intro sat in the Gelsenkirchen press box. And already typed out my on the whistle tweet absolutely slamming the underachievement of this team, and of Gareth Southgate on their exit at the hands of Slovakia. Until Jude Bellingham’s world class overhead kick that is up there with Gazza’s goal against the Scots in 96, and David Platt’s against Belgium at Italia 90.
I might show the ghost tweet to people one day. If only to remind that things ain’t over till they’re over.
And that you can actually have pathos, bathos and hubris in a tweet.
2 – Ollie Watkins winner vs The Dutch
Having endured 80,000 utterly self-regarding, nay, smug Dutch fans turning the centre of Dortmund orange (dear reader I am sorry to say, as Family Guy’s Pete Griffin once said of The Godfather, “I didn’t care for it.’) and having listened to many tell me bluntly, and occasionally aggressively that ‘you going home you f***** English’ I broke my golden rule in the press box of never reacting to a goal.
So, when Ollie Watkins, gorgeous Ollie Watkins, executed the two best touches of his career I still make no apology for jumping up, raising my fist and shouting some choice words in extremely loud exhortation in the general direction of those clad in orange situated around the press box, not to mention those to my left-hand side in the Yellow (orange) wall.
It’s not big, and it’s not clever, but my word, after enduring at close quarters the smug, trite nonsense of their ‘Left and right’ song – not to mention being told to eff off more times than was necessary while wearing my England bucket hat in the centre of Dortmund – my word it felt good. Orange doom felt very, very good
1 – Charting Gareth Southgate’s redemption arc
Regular readers will know that I have been writing a lot about the Three Lions boss. Whether viewed through the prism of his leadership, or attempting to define nationality, and patriotism and what Englishness’ actually means through his dignified behaviour, or while attempting to decipher his body language while attending his late-night post-match press conferences, the fact is Southgate is a public figure whose understated dignity is strangely mesmerising.
Not least when comparing being present at his press conference in Cologne shortly after beers were hurled at him, to studying him in the flesh in Dortmund in the aftermath of one of the greatest results in the history of English football, when his Three Lions staged a truly remarkable recovery to beat the Netherlands.
It's been gripping watching Southgate’s redemptive arc moving from farce to a Shakespearean tragedy, to history maker.
But where will his reputation sit forever more?
We’ll know tomorrow night.
See you in Berlin
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PS: Thanks are in order to the following….
1 - Thanks to my wonderful partner Faye for putting up with my passion. And for whisking us away to Malta for a quick sunshine break on my birthday weekend – and for being such a good sport and cheering on England beating Switzerland with me in a bar overlooking beautiful Valletta harbour. She even put up with us watching France beating Portugal the night before, even if she cheered for both sides, as she explained quite reasonably I thought, she ‘wanted them both to win, as it would be nicer for them.’
2 - Thanks also to my cousin Paul, who drove us out for the group stages for our version of The Trip, but without the nice food, and, er, nice hotels, after pals messaged us to say we were the ‘Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan of Euro 2024.’ I also have to say a big thank you to Paul for putting up with my snoring, although, admittedly I did put up with his OCD. Either way we had a ball along the way, even if we were quite broken by the time we came back.
3 – Thanks to my youngest daughter Josie – who was the reason we came back when we could have stayed on after the group stages - because I had to keep a long-held promise to her to drive her to her prom, after she had finished her GCSEs.
The fact she wanted me to drive her – she didn’t want a stretch limo, or any other random overpriced vehicle to transport her the half a mile from the house to her school – was reason enough to make the gruelling journey back. As was her smile when she saw me after I had made it back in time.
4 – And thank you to you dear reader, for putting up with my blather throughout the tournament. If all goes well, I aim to write a book on the last month – if England beat Spain in Berlin on Sunday evening…