Best bits? Seeing people from Bolton EVERYWHERE! You couldn't walk down a street in Madrid without seeing a BWFC shirt or hearing a Lancashire accent! Sinking a few ice cold beers in a cafe in Playa Major on the day of the game whilst enjoying the banter between the BWFC and AEK Athens supporters. Watching some bemused TV crew interviewing supporters and struggling to understand some very broad Lancashire accents. The Atletico supporters in the West Stand approaching the BWFC supporters after the game to shake hands with them. The banter throughout the game especially when the supporters in the Campo wigs turned up! Sitting in the dug-out at the Bernabau. Seeing Guernica close-up.

 

Worst bit? The tooled-up firm masquerading as a police force, hitting everything that moved before, during and after the game. Saw them cruising around Sol Square one night before stopping opposite a group of BWFC supporters having a sing song as they made their way back to their hotel. They jumped out of their vehicle and just laid into them. Cracked one lad so hard that i thought they'd broken his rib. Welcome to Madrid.

Too many good things to list.

 

Worst part was obviously at the ground. (But aren't all our trips like that?)

Friday was alright as it was sunny.

 

I've been to too many cities to list over the last couple of years, Madrid was by far the worst. It's more seedy than Amsterdam, and that takes some doing.

 

A Picasso work on temporary display surely can't be a highlight of the city?

Friday was alright as it was sunny.

 

I've been to too many cities to list over the last couple of years, Madrid was by far the worst. It's more seedy than Amsterdam, and that takes some doing.

 

A Picasso work on temporary display surely can't be a highlight of the city?

 

If you think it was seedy you must have been camped out in Sol Square for the entire trip.

If you think it was seedy you must have been camped out in Sol Square for the entire trip.

 

That's right, in my Union Jack waistcoat and St George's bowler hat.

 

I guess you were impressed because you don't leave the country much. In comparison to much of Europe, especially the developed parts; it's a slum. It's only slightly nicer than Skopje.

That's right, in my Union Jack waistcoat and St George's bowler hat.

 

I guess you were impressed because you don't leave the country much. In comparison to much of Europe, especially the developed parts; it's a slum. It's only slightly nicer than Skopje.

 

No i was impressed because i made the effort to actually look around the city. Retiro Park, Royal Palace, Plaza Major, Salamanca. 'Seedy'?!

Good bits

 

Weather.

 

Meeting one of my heroes Tony Kelly after the game walking with him.had me photo with him.Top fella a really nice guy.

 

Bernabau tour.Best 15 euros ever spent.

 

Madrid tour bus waving to other wanderers outside a bar who one so my mate tells me was BWFC COLIN.

 

Irish bars Dubliners weds night,Moores great dance and sing song thurs pm where I thought I saw Paddy Mcguiness but could have been wrong.

 

Petit Palace Italia Hotel off Gran Via great brekkie for 10 euros.

 

Zahara across the road,Wall to Wall trotters.

 

Metro 2 euros from airport to hotel

 

Result.

 

Seeing a police white horse before the match then knowing we would get through.

 

Worse things

 

Prossie outside hotel,pestering you for business.

 

Segregation at the ground ie non existence

 

Neither Real or Atletico selling fridge magnets and forgetting to get a Madrid one at the airport.

 

Asking everyone and anyone in a BWFC shirt if they went on wanderersways and no one did so met no posters.

 

Tried to meet Smiley and Traf but with no success.

 

Pr

No i was impressed because i made the effort to actually look around the city. Retiro Park, Royal Palace, Plaza Major, Salamanca. 'Seedy'?!

 

Plaza Major was full of pickpockets Somone tried dipping me off Gran Via, how many got dipped on the metro?

 

You can't seriously use a royal palace as an example, maybe you'd judge Iraq by Saddam's palaces

I thought Madrid was a strange place, obviously in the process of modernisation but the poverty of years gone by is still there.

 

The people were in large part very, very rude/ignorant, worst I've experienced for sheer lack of friendliness/helpfulness. And I've lived in London for 10 years. Of course that's not everyone - but a high percentage. One incident, a Spanish guy had to intervene and help translate for me in a shop, he said 'I hate these Madrid people' - says it all.

 

Gran Via was chock full of whores, even at midday !

 

Metro was excellent, enjoyed the Bernabeu.

 

I thought the decent looking women ratio was pretty damn high too.

 

 

Not quite the large, buzzing Metropolis I expected. Actually seemed quite small.

Plaza Major was full of pickpockets Somone tried dipping me off Gran Via, how many got dipped on the metro?

 

You can't seriously use a royal palace as an example, maybe you'd judge Iraq by Saddam's palaces

 

Basing your opinion on the Gran Via is a bit like going to London and saying that it's 'seedy' because you've only visited Oxford Street!

 

The Royal Palace is part of the whole Opera district which includes public parks, cafes, bars and apartments. It's not just a tourist area.

 

I spent a couple of afternoons in Plaza Major and didn't encounter any pick-pockets and if you think that the Madrid Metro is the only public transport system that pick-pockets frequent, then you're obviously not as well travelled as you'd have us believe.

I thought Madrid was a strange place, obviously in the process of modernisation but the poverty of years gone by is still there.

 

The people were in large part very, very rude/ignorant, worst I've experienced for sheer lack of friendliness/helpfulness. And I've lived in London for 10 years. Of course that's not everyone - but a high percentage. One incident, a Spanish guy had to intervene and help translate for me in a shop, he said 'I hate these Madrid people' - says it all.

 

Gran Via was chock full of whores, even at midday !

 

Metro was excellent, enjoyed the Bernabeu.

 

I thought the decent looking women ratio was pretty damn high too.

Not quite the large, buzzing Metropolis I expected. Actually seemed quite small.

 

I would agree that the Metro was excellent. Easier to navigate than the London Underground and far cheaper. Buses were pretty good as well. Didn't really find the locals unhelpful but communication was very difficult, even in the tourist areas. Madrid is relatively small but i actually thought that was a good thing since you could walk virtually everywhere.

Good bits

 

Tried to meet Smiley and Traf but with no success.

 

Cheeky!

Bernabau tour.Best 15 euros ever spent.

 

 

Good Bits

• 1). The crack with the lads, which is what makes any tour a successful one
  2). Dubliners on the Wed and generally singing all night long - cheap beer too compared to the rest of Madrid
  3). The result (of course)
  4). Transportation system, cheap, clean and efficient
  5). Just getting through the gates in time before the police horses charged (I feel sorry for anyone on the receiving end, it looked horrific)
  

Bad Bits

• 1). Getting a good few cracks from the police batons on the Wed night (sol square), to be fair we were getting a little over excited singing and I did bang on an Audi TT to the tune of 'we are the one and only Wanderers'? Then again I'm pretty sure the police were following us waiting for a reason to charge.
  2). One of the lads getting split up from us and ending up getting mugged and beaten by 4 Madrid lads! Hospital and stitches to his eye and back of his head, less ?200, wallet and phone.
  3). Seeing too many people with blood and wounds on their faces on the way too and back the ground, the police were as we all know grade a cretins!
  4). Hearing one 'so called Bolton fan' on the day of the game, explain his 'most proud moment' as he told a tale from the night before as his son was fighting and ended up with two black eyes! Talk about cretin police, this guy could have a job for life!
  

excellent city, as all big cities it has its good parts and its bad parts but in general I thought the goods easily outweighed the bad.

I spent a couple of afternoons in Plaza Major and didn't encounter any pick-pockets and if you think that the Madrid Metro is the only public transport system that pick-pockets frequent, then you're obviously not as well travelled as you'd have us believe.

 

I'll give you a quid for every metro system you can name where you stand an almost 100% chance of being dipped.

I'll give you a quid for every metro system you can name where you stand an almost 100% chance of being dipped.

Been done in Paris....if I'd have caught him....................

Been done in Paris....if I'd have caught him....................

 

Went from Orsay to CDG via Gare Du Nord last year, wasn't the safest place I've ever been.

Getting a good few cracks from the police batons on the Wed night (sol square), to be fair we were getting a little over excited singing and I did bang on an Audi TT to the tune of 'we are the one and only Wanderers'? Then again I'm pretty sure the police were following us waiting for a reason to charge.

 

So it was you that i was referring to then! You're right, the police were prowling around with their eye on you and your mates as you were crossing Sol Square. We were walking past at the time and i just saw one of them jump out of the car and crack somebody across the rib-cage.

The good

 

Having a few pints and swapping stories with Aberdeen fans at Heathrow.

Our Hotel, smack bang in the centre.

The Weather

The Metro

Tapas bars

Mayor square on the day of the game

The result

Our petite French air stewardess (as much free ale as we wanted)

Madrid - mean and moody, but a buzzing vibrant city

Meeting loads of regulars off here

Bernebau stadium

10 of us returning safe and sound, and none of us dipped

 

The Bad

 

The Locals, the most unfriendly people i've ever encountered

The flight delay from Manchester

The flight delay from Madrid

British Airways

Being held in the stadium after the game

 

The ugly

 

The baton charges by Madrids legalised tooled up "firm"

Atletico ultras fighting amongst themselves

Atletico ultras waiting for us after the game - and having a go

The bloodied Bolton lads outside the Oirish bars on the Wednesday night - battered by other Bolton "fans" - wtf?

The look of terror on the faces of the little kids in the stadium.

The pickpockets

The muggers

So it was you that i was referring to then! You're right, the police were prowling around with their eye on you and your mates as you were crossing Sol Square. We were walking past at the time and i just saw one of them jump out of the car and crack somebody across the rib-cage.

 

Quite possibly yeah, my mate took a crack to the stomach just below the ribs - a few inches higher and it definitely would have been broken ribs time.

I'm glad (in a weird way) we got it the night before the game, tought us a lesson before they started going for the heads and faces at the stadium.

The Good

 

Mahou 5 Star at a euro a can!! Fit shaced!

Us going through to the next round

Plaza Mayor (got there just before the police charged at everyone near the irish bars)

The sun and us typical english with t-shirts on while the locals are still wrapped up (muy frio! Frio? Es CALIENTE!)

Going into a bar over from the ground and meeting a guy from kiev who told us we shouldnt be in that bar and gettin another beer anyway! Talk about dutch courage!

The glass of coke i had on friday morning. Nothing has ever tasted so great!!!!

The bernebeu: Best 15 euros ever spent

Gettin a chant of White army and shit ground no fans going from the bar half way through the tour!! Nice

 

The Bad

 

Police

Gettin crushed to the point i had to jump into the home section

Being that pissed i thought it was FT at half time! TAXI!

Being split up from the other 2 i was with as soon as i got in the ground

The ground being utter shit!

Copper telling us the wrong directions back to our hotel!

The Shite view from our 4* hotel. four star my arse

Iberian airways to madrid - Smile you fuckers! and give me a sandwich or summat!!

BA being delayed an hour

Having to wait an hour and a half as some other plane was already at our gate.

The result. How the fook can i afford lisbon!!!!!

The chicken an chips swimming in grease for 8 euros. Push the boat out stevie!

EDIT: The pickled squid the kiev guy gave me. Grim as death!

Edited February 25, 200818 yr by stevieb

BEST:-

 

Hotel location

Hotel bar

Weather - what happended to the rain?

Abundance of bars - including the mock Irish gaffs

The Bolton turnout in the bars the day before the game

The Bolton turnout around the squares on the day of the game

Cracking a would be pick pocket who was 'mid-dip'

No ale hangovers

The resourcefullness of the Bolton missiles - including an empty bottle of poppers and fridge magnets.

The Result.

 

 

WORST:-

 

Flying from Gatwick - and getting delayed!

Quality of hotel

Viagra hangover on the day of the game - it finally subsiding mid-afternoon.

MISSING THE GAME!!

Flying back to Gatwick and driving back to Bolton

 

 

 

Overall, a top trip, and I personally thought Madrid was much better than either Paris or Rome.

 

 

The funniest story I heard was of a Bolton lad being given the key to the wrong room (as two rooms were booked in the same name), who walked in on a chap in a compromising position with his missus donning a strap on. The bird was keen to show the unsuspecting visitor the door, but was apparently hindrered by the strap on, which I heard got caught in the door and prevented the bird from closing the door...... it made me laugh anyway.

Having to wait an hour and a half as some other plane was already at our gate.

Sounds like you were on the 18:40 BA flight from Madrid to Heathrow on the Friday. The one where we landed to find:

 

- another plane at our gate

- a plane stalling between us and the gate

- no-one to connect the walkway to our plane

- the doors out of the walkway locked and no ground staff in sight

 

Couldn't work out which was less organised - BA or Athletico

Correct. And the pilot thought he wanted to plough the plane another 2 foot lower than the runway! At least Tom the pikey came round saying "would you loike another sandwich there". Was indeed a shambolic flight. 2 hour flight and 2 and a half ragging about at airports.

 

Knew it would be bad when the pilot said, we just had problems with one of the engines at heathrow, we think we got it fixed here in madrid. We think the disco lighting is because we only have one engine on at the moment blah blah blah!

Correct. And the pilot thought he wanted to plough the plane another 2 foot lower than the runway! At least Tom the pikey came round saying "would you loike another sandwich there". Was indeed a shambolic flight. 2 hour flight and 2 and a half ragging about at airports.

 

Knew it would be bad when the pilot said, we just had problems with one of the engines at heathrow, we think we got it fixed here in madrid. We think the disco lighting is because we only have one engine on at the moment blah blah blah!

Probably had an engine nicked in Madrid