Over the border

Last updated : 01 August 2007 By Tony Scholes

Rain there might have been but it didn't stop a long queue building up across from our hotel. All of them were under umbrellas and our first thought was they were waiting for a bus. Certainly they weren't old enough to be outside the post office on pension day. Suddenly Aldi opened their doors and there was something resembling a stampede as they pushed to be the first through the doors.

We weren't concerned, we were too busy enjoying our breakfast and still pondering over Kevin Keegan's Burnley career, but eventually we said our goodbyes to the hotel as we received confirmation that FC Brasov would not be turning up for our first game.

Today was to be a football day with visits to the Olympic Stadium and then on to the Allianz Arena, the new home for Bayern and TSV Munich. It was the Olympic Stadium first, our approach there down Lilian Board Way, named in memory of the former British Olympic gold medalist from the 1968 Mexico games who sadly lost her life to cancer soon after.

It really is the strangest of designs with the spider's web room missing at least a third of the seats but meandering outside on the walk way almost out of control.

Inside there is a steep walk for supporters with seats towards the top of the main stand, it is almost as bad as climbing Brunshaw hill. It is impressive though with standing areas and even some entertainment with people role absailing from the floodlight pylon high above the webbed roof down onto the pitch below.

Would I have done it? Not for a gold clock although I was happy to take the lift 150 metres up the Olympic Tower. The outside viewing area was cold and windy and not for anyone with a fear of heights. There was no sign of Martin as we took in the views of Munich and beyond.

From old(ish) to new and we were soon facing the Rubber Dinghy, otherwise known as the Allianz Arena. We took in the stadium, visited the club shops and even found time to enjoy a brockworst lunch.

John thought the TSV shop was more spacious than Bayern's. It's called less fans John and therefore less customers. Joohn did enjoy the Bayern shop and after trying them for size came close to buying a pair of Bayern Munich Lederhosen.

He'd been having some personal problems during the day so perhaps it was for the best that he didn't and go on to christen them in traditional German fashion.

There was time for another visit to the city centre and you do start to worry about the Germans. Where else would you find a worm shop right across the street from a rat house?

Getting to Salzburg from Munich should have been an easy task and we boarded the traing at platform 5 as advertised. Was it really our fault thez had moved it to platform 6? We made it but with the journey three quarters complete we noticed that at one station everyone else got off. We just continued reading our books until some kind woman explained that there was maintenance on the line and we would need to switch trains. Just in time we got to the second train and we were finally in Salzburg for eine kleine nacht musik.

The day came to an end with us eye witnesses for a road accident, a head on collision right in the city centre after the most bizarre of events. Never mind, tomorrow is match day.