EURO 2016 BLOG: Planes, NO trains and automobiles
It didn’t start well though as having arrived at Foyle St depot I had to return home to collect my phone, and with the news that due to train cancellations we had to hire a car at Lyon and make the 400 mile trip to the camp.
Fair play to our chief organizer Willis Millar though who had anticipated the rail disruption and put Plan B into operation. He also took it upon himself to drive the majority of the journey in France apart from a less than successful stint from our chief photo bomber Graeme Philson who just about kept our insurance policy intact.
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Hide AdSpirits were lifted at Dublin airport as I was greeted with a healthy rendition of ‘Green and White Army’ stumbling upon an impromptu flag parade up and down the escalators at Terminal 2 to a bemused airport security.
We have already bumped into the Ballymagorry GAWA and Bapper and Co from Drumahoe and the pleasure of sitting beside a friendly French couple just returning from two weeks touring Ireland. Remarkably I was able to recall some of my French ‘O’ level oral with broken versions of ‘Bonjour, je m’appelle Brian, J’habite a la Londonderry etc..’
They couldn’t though quite work out why they needed to know the name of my dog, that I had brushed my teeth, that I wanted to order to train tickets to Paris, and why I had just riden into town on a donkey!
Any-way we settled in to the news of Ireland rugby and Creevedonnell victories and after watching England capitulate at the camp bar we had a relatively early night in anticipation of match day. Bring on the Poles!