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The journey to Bloemfontein was eventful for all the wrong reasons. Laura fell ill the previous evening on account of eating something dodgy from one of the outlets at the Port Elizabeth fan fest and it was touch and go whether we would travel or hang around PE for another day or until Laura felt better. It wasn't essential that we travelled that day, although we had already booked the hire car. Laura decided that she was well enough to travel and we headed off on the long journey towards Bloemfontein. It took about 10 hours with a few stops on the way and - once we finally got there - there was a sense of relief for Laura at least. What a trooper!
We had no idea where our accommodation was located so we rang them and the owners came out and met us which was very nice! The accommodation itself was not really a hostel, more a house which had been opened up for people to stay during the World Cup. It was with a really friendly family who helped us out for the whole time we were there - giving us directions to places and even taking us to places like the local launderette and internet cafe and coming in with us to ensure everything would be ok. We had our own room, it was cold, like many places in South Africa but was very nice.
During the first couple of days before the England V Germany we spent a bit of time down at the water-front at a couple of restaurants but as Laura was ill we took it easy. Bloemfontein is not really a very touristy place so there wasn't that much to see and do, which was fine as the main focus was on the football.
The day of the match came around. We still had the hire car and needed to drop this off in the morning before the match. We had a chat to the guys staying at the house before heading off, and found out that they met Harry Redknapp in one of the bars the night before. I was gutted to have missed that! However my sense of regret was soon to be forgotten when we dropped off the hire car and bumped in to two absolutely massive legends from England. We were just dropping off the car when Laura turned to me and said "Do you have my camera, quick, quick!" I had no idea what was going on but before you could say 'Thirty years of hurt' Laura was talking to…..Frank Skinner. And then who else was at the desk and turned around when we were chatting to Frank? None other than David Baddiel! Awesome. On the day of the England V Germany match we were talking to Baddiel & Skinner! If anyone has been living in a cave for the last 20 years these guys are English comedians. Or at least Skinner is. Baddiel is more of an Author and Presenter. But they were famous for the iconic programme Fantasy Football League in the nineties complete with 'Statto'. Famous also for ruining Jason Lee's career by saying he had a pineapple on his head! But even more famous for being part of the Euro 1996 song 'Football's Coming Home!" We had a chat with Frank and got a picture taken. Apparently they were doing some radio shows over there. They were really nice, down to earth guys who genuinely wanted to speak to us, despite me having a dig at Skinner mocking West Bromwich Albion! 4-2 do you remember that? Ha ha.
The omens were really good. I seem to remember the last time England played Germany in the finals of a major tournament was in 2000 when I was living in Germany and Jamie Redknapp & Louise were in the same bar in Regensburg as us. We won that day courtesy of Alan Shearer and I was sure that it was a good sign meeting some famous people before the match!
We headed straight back into town into a bar called 'Bar Bars' which was already full of atmosphere - mainly England fans. We met all sorts of different England fans, including an Aldershot fan who was selling badges. I had a bit of banter with him. There was also a Rangers fan there. Well, they get everywhere don't they! The atmosphere was really good and we heard all the classic England songs being played countless times - World in Motion, Three Lions, Vindaloo amongst others! It was the perfect pre-match atmosphere. We headed towards the Stadium via Scooters Pizza (possibly the worst Pizza I have ever tasted) and with little fuss and minimal queuing entered the stadium. Bloemfontein is not a modern stadium like Cape Town, but the atmosphere was excellent - as you'd expect for an England V Germany match. The match itself ? Obviously it didn't go very well! Well, that's a bit of an understatement but I think these blogs are censored so my true feelings can't be expressed properly. Quite simply, Germany were too good. It hurts to say it but it was the case. Even if Lampard's goal would have stood our defence was not good enough to withstand the pressure from the German attack. In some ways it was easier to lose 4-1 than on penalties or in extra-time. It was devastating nonetheless but this is all a part of following England as I have already experienced in 2004 & 2006.
So the football for England was over. And for me the World Cup was no longer the number one priority - priority number one was to see as much of South Africa as we could and the World Cup was now the side-show to a certain extent. But for now it was time to drown our sorrows and get drunk in Bar Bars and commiserate with our fellow English fans and congratulate the German fans......
The night in Bar Bars turned out to be a really good night. Surprising as England had lost. The drinking definitely helped get over the result that's for sure. The next day was all about organising the rest of the trip and the plan was to head up to Lesotho and then Jo'burg, where we had tickets for a quarter-final game at Ellis Park and then on to Kruger National Park, Swaziland & Durban. So still a lot to enjoy! But the defeat was still hurting as we left for Lesotho a couple of days later......
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