pjs

So, the tickets came through. Even better, they were VIP tickets with access to free food and drinks, pre, during and after the match in the arena adjacent to the stadium. The match was fantastic. Liverpool ended up winning 7-0 and because the stadium was so small, we were very close to the action:

Riot police everywhere, but no trouble.



Ready for kickoff.



Traveling Reds in good voice.



Maribor ultras sang the whole match even down 7-0.



After the match, I still wasn’t feeling great so I grudgingly gave up on the post-match festivities to catch up on some sleep as I had to head back to the UK the next morning.

offerendum

Wow, what a Naan!

pjs

Even your nan was impressed by that Naan.

pjs

Next morning, I walked back through town and grabbed a coffee and pastry before making it to the Maribor train station. It's a pleasant university town, full of mostly young people going about their studies (and non-studies).

Train station:


I would love to come back to Slovenia and explore more of the country some day. I met up with the same crew as the day before as we were all on the same flight back to Amsterdam. Everyone was in good spirits after the big win, but they were hung over and I was fighting a cold/cough.

We made it back to Graz airport in plenty of time and I even had time to stop by the PP Lounge there which had automated entry, nice views and a decent drink selection, but no real food.



By the way, the guy with the headphones is former Liverpool player, Patrik Berger. He was on our flight to AMS in biz but unfortunately, not sitting next to me.

I bought some German candy for my daughter at the airport shop and we headed back to AMS on another E190.

One of the four similar snack/meals I was served on these short, regional KLM flights in business class.



At AMS, I bid farewell to my new friends, who were connecting to Manchester, and I went to retrieve my rollaboard. I tried to find a lounge, but the non-Schengen KLM lounge was close for refurbishment and I couldn’t be bothered to look for anything else as I was really feeling crappy by this point.

My flight to LHR was uneventful and on-time. I drank green tea the whole time as my cold was really blossoming. I took the tube to Hammersmith (using my Apple Pay again) and found the Holiday Inn Express. Why would I stay in Hammersmith for my last night in London? This is why:



I had realized that my flight home was the day after one of the 10 shows he was playing at the Hammersmith Apollo so I managed to find a decently priced ticket on StubHub before I left. I had the ticket sent directly to the Holiday Inn Express and they held the DHL envelope for my arrival.

First, though, I had to get some cold medicine to get me through the show. I stopped at Boots and bought some strong stuff, had a quick curry at a nearby Indian restaurant, then headed over to the Hammersmith Apollo. The show was great, although I would have enjoyed it more if I was fully healthy. I stopped in a pub for a quick pint and went back to the hotel to load up on cold medicine and try to get some sleep before my flight home the next day.

pjs

That night, I was up and down with fever, chills, cold and cough. That OTC medicine seemed to do the trick though as I woke up feeling much better with no fever and just a little stuffy. Breakfast at the HI Express was pretty good, but I kept it light as I had the Clubhouse to look forward to. I took the tube back to LHR and it was much less crowded headed outward from Central London.

I got to T3 nice and early for my flight home so I could enjoy the Virgin Clubhouse. It had been about 15 years since I was there last and I really enjoyed it. I took full advantage of the free haircut, had brunch, then drinks, then lunch.

Finally, it was time to board my 767 home to Atlanta.

DL 33 LHR-ATL
767-300
Delta One
Seat: 1A

This time I sat in 1A, which I think I preferred to 9A. It’s not as private, but you get served first, which is helpful when there’s only one FA per side and the flight is full. Here is the menu (same drink menu as the previous Delta flight):



Some food pics. I had the Chicken curry with a much smaller Naan this time





I watched Inception again, as I couldn’t find any good new movies that looked interesting. The pre-landing chicken sandwich was really good though:



We landed on time in ATL around 8pm and I grabbed an Uber home to sleep off the rest of my cold. It was a great trip and I can’t wait to get back to Liverpool again next season. Hope you enjoyed coming along. And good job by Sevilla today!

aidy

A great read and unfortunately a good job by Sevilla!! I

adampenrith

Great TR - Slovenia is amazing - Ljubljana and Lake Bled are highlights. Well worth a couple of days

FlightNurse

I second this, we can't wait to go back to Slovenia, the people are very friendly.

Madone59

I am regretting not going to Bled when I was invited a few years ago! Great report, thanks for sharing ^

stevie

Nice TR, you might be over again for final

pjs

Shhh - don't jinx it (but I already looked at award flights to Kiev)

HLT1904

Great trip report, always have wanted to do a trip centered around a few matches. I don't really support any club, but the energy at a match over there is so much better than matches here.
Thanks for posting.

pjs

Thanks - If you want a good atmosphere without having to go overseas, you should come to Atlanta for a MLS match. Pretty good stuff going on here right now.

PoincianaKings

pjs

You have to put in for the tickets twice a year as a club with all the membership info etc. I suppose there's more competition for tickets from your side of the Atlantic and they like to throw us a few tickets. Frankly, I'm not going the supporters club route again as there are always spares around and usually at face value if it's not a top 6 side we're playing. I have enough connections now after a couple of trips that I don't need the club's help anymore. Think I would rather go watch us beat Watford 5-0 than deal with the added stress of a Utd match anyway.