Go Gun

I know I don’t have that much time left - and I’ve got exams next week – but I had to take this morning to see some things that I’ve been meaning to see; things you can only see in the U.K.

So as most Saturday’s start, I did my laundry (but I did my laundry for the last time….I can’t believe it!), but soon after that I headed up to Holloway Road Underground Station for Emirates Stadium, home of one of the most storied football clubs in England; Arsenal.  I took some pictures of the outside of the stadium because there were no tours today (and even if there were, they’re expensive) and visited “The Armoury,” the official pro shop of Arsenal.  To be honest, Arsenal is my favourite club in England, yet I hadn’t bought anything (jersey, pin, scarf...nothing) with “Arsenal” imprinted on it.  I have my reasons, but I don’t want to get into them here.  Sooo, today I got a “badge (a pin really)” and an official Nike Arsenal t-shirt that reads “Arsenal F.C. / Gunners / est. 1886 / Highbury / Victory / Through Harmony.”  Gunners is their name, kind of like “The New England Patriots,” Victory through harmony is their slogan that’s all over Emirates Stadium.  Here are some of the pictures I got:

This is one of like a dozen different entrances to the grounds, it's actually below the pitch

This is the same place, but from the side of the street, you can see this gun in the front (made in an arsenal...hahaha) and the stadium rising up in the background)

Arsenal is sponsored by Emirates, a Middle Eastern Airline, hence the word "emirates" in the middle there....

a close-up of that same logo

This is on the side of the stadium where I actually entered from Holloway Road Underground

I thought this was really cool, the quote and how they put together the Arsenal teams from the late 1800's through this year ("The deeper the foundation, the stronger the fortress")

It was sooo cool that they dedicated this bridge like 2 days before I walked across it!!

Sorry, Gillespie Road....soccer is more important

My next stop, well it didn’t really have its own tube stop, so it took a while to get there.  I went back to Craven Cottage, the home of the Fulham Cottagers.  We went to a match as a group earlier in the  semester, and I never really got a chance to get a memento of that trip.  Sooo, I got something that’s a little surprise for my dad...it’s a surprise which means I’m not telling anyone.  I also got a badge from them too.  I would have gone on a tour there because it was free, but I didn’t want to wait an hour for the next one.  I’ve already got a bunch of pictures from the match, so I only took a couple:

Johnny Haynes, a striker for Fulham in the 1930's

Unlike Emirates, Fulham comes right up to the street

and right up to the Thames too

I saw this on the way back from Fulham towards Chelsea

The final stop of my morning journey was Stamford Bridge, football grounds for Chelsea.  Their stadium was locked up pretty tight, and since I was “ahead of schedule,” I thought I’d want to stay for a tour of the place.  NO WAY, those tours were even more than Arsenal, didn’t last as long and Chelsea isn’t my favourite club either.  I left with a badge and a postcard:

View of Stamford Bridge from the street

I think Frank Lampard is like their hero or something...I don't know though what gives that away...

Lampard is second from the left on this row of players

As things are winding down even more, I’m thinking more and more about packing my things up into 2 suitcases and a backpack and returning back to the real world.  I’ve skyped my family a little, but that’s a lot different than seeing them in the flesh, being in the same room as them, etc...  What I will say though, is that I’m ready to come home.  As much as I’d love to stay another week or so, it’s not practical at all.  I’ve got a job on campus to look forwards to, a family I’m starting to miss more and more and logistically I wouldn’t be able to stay more than 3 or 4 more days more.  I’ve gotten everything I needed to get done completed; except for Abbey Road and “gifts” for other people in my family (they’re not really gifts because they’re going to be awesomely practical and useful in everyday life).  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m loving my time here, and I’d love to say forever, but I can’t.  In the future though, I expect beyond a doubt that I’ll bring my family back here, show them the cool things I saw and let them experience the awesome things I was able to do.

“That’s what you wake up for, the moments you go to the practice court for.  You can have low moments, but those 10, 15 seconds after a big win makes up for a lot of bad days.  Not all of them, but a lot of them.” 

~Andy Roddick

That “moment” is being in London, the “practice court” was all the work it took to prepare to actually get here.  The “10, 15 seconds” is going to be the amount of time it takes me once I get home to realize that life goes on, that there’s more to get done.  The “bad days” will be those that I’m sure I’ll face in the future.  Andy Roddick is my favourite tennis player, he’s had his ups and downs too, but he always gets back up and keeps fighting; I hope that I can continue to do the same. 

Stay Tuned...