I’ve left Darren asleep in the room and gone down for breakfast early. There’s no rush to get going today, but I’m a morning person, and the breakfast is paid for. I’m on my second coffee before Darren emerges like an extra out of Shaun of the Dead. He’s less of a morning person.
After breakfast, I dust off the camera, and we head into the city for a proper look around. It’s a grey morning, and there’s a dampness in the air.
The city stirs slowly, shaking off the Friday night hangover.
The entrance to the tube station breaks the earth’s surface like the mouth of a metropolitan sperm whale, and a few early risers are swallowed whole, descending deep underground into the belly of the urban beast.
The railway line dissects the city, and we cross one of the main roads and head to the main station.
Modernist architect Koen van der Gaast’s first major train station design was Eindhoven Centraal. The city had been badly bombed in 1944, and the station rebuild was part of an overall design for the reconstruction of the city.
The frontal view of the station with its large glass façade and slightly curved roof make many people think of a Philips radio. Built on a wide mezzanine behind the façade, the restaurant overlooks the city.1
We revisit the stadium again for a photo shoot before strolling back to the hotel to check out.
Heading South West from Eindhoven, we bypass Antwerp and Ghent. Ghent’s ground looks quality, and we add it to the list for future trips.
I’m busy on my phone making a Canva video from Eindhoven. It’s taking me ages to download the photos from my camera to my phone, and I give up when we get to the next service station.
Darren gets a pastry while I tuck into a spicy meat sandwich, which proceeds to repeat on me all the way to Lille and into the early afternoon.
Our hotel in Lille is right next to the stadium, and it’s just starting to rain as we pull into the poorly signposted carpark. Darren claims the double bed and I am left with the single in the corner. “I booked it and I drove,” is his argument. I have no come back for this of course and, after all, a warm bed in the corner is all I need. This place isn’t the Ritz but it’ll do for tonight.
I’ve left my phone charger in the socket back in Eindhoven, so I’m low on battery by the time we are ready to head out for the match.
The hotel ‘concierge’ is a top bloke and he offers to charge my phone for me while we have a pre-match ‘pression’ (well, I can’t very well keep writing beer, can I?!).
We pass some lively away fans who have driven down from Le Havre. They are doing well this season, having been promoted at the end of last, and look like they might just stay up.
We cross the bridge that leads us to the ground, and Darren is impressed. After a lap of the ground, we find a bar, and we’re back on it. It’s a busy bar, and Lille fans are spilling out onto the concourse. We stay inside having a chat and watching the English football on the big screen. Pelican is the beer of choice. It’s a little unusual with a vanilla and citrus after taste. It’s enjoyable for a couple of pints but no more than that.
Le Havre fans are vocal inside the ground, but it’s not long until the home side is on top.
After 14 minutes, David taps in at the far post after Lille work a training ground free-kick. Then, just before half-time, David latches on to a deftly weighted through ball before adding his own neatly chipped finish.
If you’re thinking of having a pint inside the ground, don’t bother. It’s watery and tastes like piss…if piss was watered down.2
The second half is more of the same, and when David adds his third, the LOSC fans get to practice their chant hosted by the stadium announcer. It goes something like this,
Stadium announcer: Jonathan…
Crowd: David!
Stadium announcer: (Slightly louder) Jonathan…
Crowd: David!
Stadium announcer: (Shouting) Jonathan…
Crowd: David!
For a laugh we join in. Then we do so again when David is rested near the end.
After the match we visit the club store, where I buy another hat and club pin. I also find an extendable mobile phone charger and add it to the shopping basket.
We toy with heading into the city on the metro but decide to eat by the ground instead. We’ve found an all you can eat/ cook your own pizza restaurant, and unsurprisingly, it’s packed. We’re lucky to get seats, and with the big screens showing the Manchester City match on both walls, it’s ideal.
Our eyes are way too big for our bellies, and we only manage a couple of trips to the food bar and a couple of beers before calling it a night.
Tomorrow, we are off to Belgium for our third match in three days, in the third country.
Watch highlights of the match on YouTube https://youtu.be/AtFo0YOzzx4?si=8GAKIsRFCuAGMDIG
Footnotes
- Artist Lex Horn (1916-1968) made the decorated windows for the Eindhoven station. Depicting Dutch economic activities like shipping, cattle breeding, and dike construction. The massive artwork above the underpass resembles a thirty-panel cartoon. In addition, Horn made three small round windows in which migratory birds are showcased as a representation of the desire to explore. ↩︎
- I’ve never tasted piss. Honestly. ↩︎
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