Wembley Stadium
We got on a train early this afternoon to Wembley Stadium in London, to watch the women’s FA Cup final between Manchester City and Birmingham. I suspected on the way that the result might be something of a walkover, and was largely correct. It was still a great day though, because visiting any famous sporting venue is exciting – at least in my eyes.
There’s just something about the moment you walk out from a stair-well into a big sports stadium, and see the pristine rows of seats, thousands of people, perfect grass, and arc of sunlight bathed across everything. It’s a kind of magic.
I’ll never pretend to know a lot about football, but I do know that Carli Lloyd was cynically fouled throughout the entire game. I get it – she’s one of the best female soccer players in the world, but how the referee let the other side keep clattering into her off the ball is anybody’s guess.
On the way home the kids talked about Toni Duggan – playing on the wing for Manchester City. She came on in the second half as a substitute and turned the opposition inside out. Hugely impressed.
After getting back to the railway station this evening we took the kids out for dinner at the faux Italian/Americana place next to the cinema called Frankie and Bennys. I went for some kind of spicy pasta and meatballs type thing. Hearty, hot food to hopefully blast the last remnants of the cold out of my head that has been lingering for the last few days. I don’t think it worked, but it tasted great.
Note to self – stop buying alcoholic drinks in restaurants – the mark-up is ridiculous.
We’re back home now, my phone is charging, and I’m contemplating an hour of Second Life before collapsing into bed.