Charlotte Hornets vs Washington Wizards @ Charlotte Coliseum

Charlotte Hornets 99 defeated Washington Wizards 93

Crowd: 23, 799

What I remember (in 2024)

This was a Christmas present from A.  She had bought tickets and then Nat offered us tickets center court in the 10th row.  The Coliseum was packed to see Michael Jordan.  Every time he touched the ball, a million flashes went off in the arena.  I don't think he had that great a game, but he was still head and shoulders above anyone else playing.  It was incredible to watch such a great player ply his craft at my first NBA game.

Frenzal Rhomb & Slow Gherkin @ The Cockpit

The Crap Facts

This is my 190th concert.
This is my 3rd concert at The Cockpit.

This is my 4th concert in Leeds.

This is my 4th concert in West Yorkshire.

This is my 4th concert in England.

Slow Gherkin are the 247th band I've seen.
This is my 12th Frenzal Rhomb concert.

Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund at Anfield

It was the best of Tuesdays. No work. The tickets had been ordered and delivered, the crew had been selected, the car had been hired, the directions sorted. Necessary clothing purchases were made during the day to ensure I was one of the gang. That my allegiance could never be questioned. This was to be a night to remember.

Traffic on the M62 had me nervous. We were meant to be doing 70mph – but we were stopped - being overtaken by dead turtles on Valium. But I need not worry. We still had 3 hours to spare and were probably less than 40 miles from Mecca. We would make it.

The Place: Liverpool, England

Easy enough to find! Get on the M62 from Leeds and just drive west till you see the signs. But to pinpoint the destination would be tricky. It was already dark. We were hungry - and all the Maccas were on the other side of the road. The traffic was heavy, one wrong lane and we may have been playing the fruit machines in Blackpool. And the pressure of the event was starting to see butterflies appear in the stomach. In the end it was good signposting on the part of the Merseyside Council, half a dozen illegal U-turns and a makeshift school car park that put us where we (more specifically I) needed to be.

Anfield.

The Event: Champions League Qualifier Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund.

5 minutes before kick off - Where is everyone?

We ended up being so early that the gates hadn't even opened. This didn't stop the nervousness. My boys had to at least draw to get through to the next stage. With Houllier in hospital, I was ready to take charge in case Thomson had his own heart attack. We stood outside and watched the Dortmund fans get ushered into the stadium by well over 60 stewards. They were in fine voice - but who could understand them? Not I - nor did I care to - they were the enemy. (Do I sound English yet - just scared myself). Finally the gates opened and we climbed the stairs of the Centenary Stand to our seats. As we come through the doorway, there in front of me, I see an empty Kop. All red seating except the white ones spelling out LFC. I had made it. The Dortmund fans were in and still in full voice. They were unopposed as the ground was virtually empty. A few Dortmund players ran out to warm up bringing new chants. Great timing is the stuff that Liverpool fans are made of because is seems as though as the first of the Reds were running onto the pitch, every seat in Anfield had magically filled and all of a sudden the Dortmund fans had been silenced by a chorus of 'When the Reds Go Marching In'. Just before kick off was the moment that I think I wanted more than the game itself. Music started over the loudspeaker. 41000 people rose from their seats. Initially I thought it might be a national anthem. But no. It was bigger than that. 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. This song will make hairs on the back of my neck stand, bring a tear to the eye and make the bottom lip quiver. United even with Dortmund for these minutes, there was hardly a person not singing. But its not just singing. If you have a Red and White scarf - its stretched above your head. If you have a Red and White flag - its waving. If you have a voice - its at full volume. The Kop has disappeared under 3 of the hugest Liverpool flags that could probably been awnings for The Colosseum. I could've gone home there and then and been more than happy. But wait there's more..............

The Kop - Full & Loud

The Game

90 minutes of football = 90 minutes of singing and cheering. A wonderful volley from Smicer saw Liverpool take and early 1-0 lead. They scored at the end we were sitting. The crowd went nuts. Heeeeeeyheeeeeey Smicer OOOOh! Ahhhh! I wanna knooowwwwwwww woah. If you'll score my goal.

Half time and Liverpool are on fire. No way were we going to lose and when Steven Wright scored in his Champions league debut. Liverpool at 2-0 were going through to the next stage. And I was there to see it. Could it get better? You betcha! When Michael Owen was substituted the crowd gave a standing ovation for a local hero who had terrorised a brilliant Dortmund defense. When his sub came on, Robbie Fowler, the crowd went fucking apeshit (sorry mum but they did). No-one has more respect in football than Liverpool fans for Fowler. Best way I can explain this is by telling of the kiddie outside the ground wearing a Liverpool shirt with Fowler's number 9 and the name 'GOD' on the back. With minutes remaining and no chance of losing it was back to an old faithful. I thought the singing before the game was loud. When we sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone' near the end, it was a wonder you didn't hear it from where you were.

Liverpool Cross Into The Penalty Area

WHAT A RIPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Comedown

The other boys fell asleep on the drive home. But I was still buzzing. It would be a long time before I slept. And I will do everything to remember this night for a long time. Like the Liverpool shirt which hangs proudly on the back of my door. Or reliving it all through this blog.

You'll Never Walk Alone

Dublin, Ireland & London, England

K & I, Camden Markets, London

K & I, Big Ben, London

Stonehenge, England

What I remember (in 2024)

A week after 9/11, K came over from Australia, much to mum's objection, to spend some time with us.  She was with us for a bit in Ealing Broadway, and we did all the touristy London things.  Then, on 28 September, she and I went over to Dublin, and stayed with the gang in Dun Laoghaire, where we wandered around for a few days.  When we got back, A left London to return to the US, so K and I rented a car and did a 2 night trip out to Oxford, stopping at Stonehenge.  I dropped her back at the airport, dropped off the rental car, and caught the train back up to Leeds to go back to the Walkabout.

Istanbul, Turkey to London, England

Istanbul, Turkey

Amy @ Cistern, Istanbul

Cistern, Istanbul

Cistern, Istanbul

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

What I remember (in 2024)

After 7 weeks, our last 2 nights were spent in Istanbul, seeing a couple of things we had yet to see, such as the Cistern.  We stayed at the same pension as when we first arrived in Istanbul, across the street from the Four Seasons.  We also ended up seeing The Weather Man at the movies, in the Taksim neighborhood, one hot afternoon.  I know there was a lot more we saw in Istanbul, but after so many years, I can't recollect them all.

Sarkoy, Turkey to Istanbul, Turkey

Sarkoy, Turkey

What I remember (in 2024)

While in Gallipoli we met an older couple, Stan & Jackie, from Melbourne.  We hung out with them in Canakkale and they told us about going to Sarkoy to celebrate Stan's 60th and if we'd like to join them.  We were headed in that direction, so we did.  Sarkoy is like a resort town for people from Istanbul.  We spent days on the "beach" and evenings hanging out and drinking.  Good company for a couple of days.

Canakkale, Turkey to Sarkoy, Turkey

Canakkale, Turkey

Gallipoli, Turkey

Memorial @ Anzac Cove, Gallipoli

Me @ Gallipoli

Lone Pine Cemetery @ Gallipoli

Tour Guide, TJ, in front of Turkish Soldier Statue, Gallipoli

What I remember (in 2024)

The hostel's owner, TJ, was also a tour guide.  He is a Turk, married to an Aussie.  Friends had done TJ Tour's and it was known as the best around.  AND IT WAS AMAZING!  All day we were given a history lesson on what happened around the Anzac's landing in Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.  I knew a little about World War I and Gallipoli, but what I learned today was amazing.  At this point, I have no known family that fought here (turns out there is a Fay that fought and survived here), but the lessons learned brought everyone to tears, especially at the end of the day, hearing The Last Post.  We spent the day walking around the area where battles took place.  We were up on the hill where the Turks lie waiting for the Anzacs were going to land on the beach below.  We went down to the beaches, the now named ANZAC Cove, looking up the massive hill the Aussies & Kiwis were tasked to get up, at the cost of too many lives.  We stood in trenches 10 feet apart where opponents fought.  We picked up shell casings, still around after 86 years.  And most importantly we paid respect to all soldiers buried on the peninsula, us and them.  Lone Pine in particular was pretty emotional.  Today there is a mutual respect between the Turks, Aussies & Kiwis, stemming from the fact that while they were at war against each other, each new they were doing the work of others, and not personally hating on their opponents.  I actually hope to bring my boys here one day and do this tour.

Ayvalik, Turkey to Eceabat, Turkey

What I remember (in 2024)
Stayed at TJ's Hostel at the recommendation of others.  He also runs the Gallipoli tour that we would do the following day.  The Hostel was a disaster.  Electricity cutting in and out, the room was as hot as blazes and to top it off our bathroom clogged (after periods of intermittent water).  We stayed just one night and then moved over to Canakkale, across the peninsular.

Ayvalik, Turkey

Samos, Greece to Ayvalik, Turkey

Samos, Greece

What I remember (in 2024)

Samos was a cruisy week.  We caught the ferry over from Kusadasi in the morning and landed in Samos Town without a plan.  We were approached by a gentleman who stated he and his parents had a hotel and offered us a room.  He took other guests up and came back and drove us to this hotel on the water.

We spent most time around Samos City.  dining in town was an adventure as sometimes we couldn't order certain foods because the boat bringing them in had broken down.

Another hotel down the road had a cocktail happy hour at sunset, so we were there frequently.

I had a problem with my stomach so I went to the hospital to get help.  The hospital was under construction and floor boards were missing everywhere.  It took 3 doctors, who spoke a mixture of Greek, Italian and English, to get me a diagnosis and medication, which, while I don't know what it was, seemed to walk.  At one point I was lying on a bed and looked up at the doctors, remember this is in a hospital, and all 3 of them were discussing whatever, while smoking.

We rented a car one day and aimlessly drove around the island.  We drove up to the highest peak, as well as a beach, where we spent the afternoon.  It was just nice to have no plans and relax.