I flew back to England from Berlin after the ill-fated Mönchengladbach game and stayed in Sussex overnight before taking the train up to Heathrow. I then got on another plane, this time destined for Bilbao and I hoped at the time, Hertha’s European glory. There were quite a few Hertha fans at the airport who I assume were waiting for connecting flights on to Bilbao after arriving from Berlin. I gather from friends there were a lot at Stanstead as well.
It was quite windy in London and the turbulence my take off was a bumpy one but the flight went well and was filled with anticipation for the day ahead. My planning for the trip paid dividends as I bought the ticket for the bus into town and was able to go straight to the right bus stop. | |
The late November climate in Bilbao was a little kinder to the soul than Berlin or London. At 22 degrees in the evening it felt balmy and the city was in full café culture mode with people sitting at tables outside sipping glasses of wine, cider or beer. The locals said it was unseasonably warm but did I care? Not one jot! Through the wonders of social media I met up with a couple of friends from Berlin in a bar not too far from my hotel. I enjoyed the company and the remarkably cheap as well as eminently potable red wine. At the time I felt the evening boded well for the match day ahead.
Buying in some essential supplies I had a bit of a wander around the old town of Bilbao. There was some nice architecture and some enticing bars opening out onto squares where you could sit and enjoy a glass of fino in the sunshine. Later I met up with another friend who had just flown in from Germany and we wandered around a bit more before heading to the meeting point in the centre of town. | |
After the break it was a different game. Athletic Club were stronger and better organised in the second half pressing Hertha. The second equaliser came from yet another penalty (how many have Hertha conceded) and it was uphill from there on as a draw was not enough for us. With just eight minutes to go the European bubble was burst as Williams scored for Athletic Club. There wasn’t enough time to come back but still enough to rue the mistakes that resulted in the two penalties that cost us the game.
I put my Hertha shirt on over another shirt and my scarf around my neck but hey it was the memories of my European adventure that kept me warm. Until the next time.