Every away game I see photos on Twitter and today is no exception, not exactly taking in the local culture is is??
Any reason why we do this and take up residence in a plastic overpriced "irish" pub as opposed to a local brewhouse???
The staff speak English, serve Stella and Guinness and it's a 'land mark'. if you see and Irish / English bar you know there will be fellow fans in there.
Although slightly different in Hamburg, away in Basel the other year I couldn't find one decent 'welcoming' bar despite looking for local culture with my boy and ended up in Pickwicks every time.
I'd much rather take in cultures when away but the bottom line is..... English speaking bar, like minded football fans and in many cases, people you know.
*when I say landmark I mean it's easy to spot and English / Irish bar. If I was going to meet you and we said 'cafe Kyites' it would be difficult to find as it would be more subtle and blend in
Culture is overated as are foreigners.
A quick turn round The Poo Museum in Amsterdam and you have seen the best of it.
Don't say that, i've got quite an itinery in Amersterdam until i return to the UK on Sunday, hoping it will take my mind off last night's match. I'm starting with the Van Gogh museum, which a mate has highly reconnended. Didn't go to the recommended pubs yesterday as there was swarms of police, also thought i'd find more of a 'local' place than an irish themed pub. Saying that i wasn't meeting people so i can see the attraction if you are.
The police wouldn't let us go to the Irish bar so escorted our coaches to the bar in the ground complex.... that wasn't welcoming at all.... after we'd been attacked with bottles chairs tables etc etc we were escorted into the ground.. sometimes it better to set up a meeting point and safety in numbers...
Just a case of does what it says on the tin I think. Were any of us there for a week, or even a long weekend, we'd, well I'd, probably take the time to find somewhere slightly off the beaten trek, or at least a place in which everyone's first language wasn't the same as mine. But if you're only there for half a day, best to go to the place you effectively know.
A strange phenomenon, but in this case it's easy to work out why. At the start of the week FFC sent an email round which included a quide to Enschede. 2 pubs were recommended and they were both Irish bars! I suppose this might have been Police advice, in that it's easier to corral fans in one area.
But in a place like the Netherlands, you may as well go into any bar seeing as they all speak perfect English. We were made to feel welcome whichever pub we went in
Not much other choice in Enschede really was there?
I thought there would be more there to be honest or would have caught a later train from Amsterdam. Ended up in the Bean and Bagel for something to eat and then went to the Museum, suppose not what you'd expect a football fan to do, but then i am a Fulham supporter!
Good question.
My last "overseas" away was at Hamburg and we ended up in the two Irish pubs there (the one on the Reeperbahn, and the one on the square). Can't remember their names now...
no offense intended -- just objective reporting -- it has been my experience that what Brits want when they travel abroad is BRITAIN, only cheaper, and warmer.
Y'all aren't any more culturally curious than most of my countrymen are.
Quote from: HatterDon on December 05, 2011, 11:06:00 PM
no offense intended -- just objective reporting -- it has been my experience that what Brits want when they travel abroad is BRITAIN, only cheaper, and warmer.
Y'all aren't any more culturally curious than most of my countrymen are.
My experiance of Europe is you dont get cheaper than England, certainly the case in Holland. And it was chucking it down as well,the steps were very slippy (ask Shady). London is still sunny, geting cold though. I mix it up a bit, love the hoardes of Fulham in the Paddy bars, but do a few locals as well.
To be honest for me it depends how much the locals speak english or slow french. Otherwise i'm so so glad to bump into somebody who speaks the same language as me what ever nationality. I do like trying new things though and I don't think i could bring myself to drink Guiness anyhow, although i went on the factory tour a year ago when Dublin was snow locked and really enjoyed it.
I did buy a bit of Damien Duff in a coffee shop in Enschede to go local, loved the first few puffs, then it knocked me bandy. After it wore off a bit i tried some more and really enjoyed it. Wont buy it again, but hey when in Holland .
