I have seen many professional sporting games. But the one with which I am most impressed was when Chelsea hosted Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London, UK on the 21st of October 2023. It was an incredible birthday present. Before we left for our two-week trip through Iceland, Scotland, England, and Paris, France, I called the Chelsea ticket office and told them I would be there for my birthday. And I asked what they could do for me.
What they did was phenomenal. They gave us a discount on the Silver VIP Suite. We had reserved tickets and arrived three hours before the start of the game. The chef-prepared food was amazing. I can’t describe how good it was. Pure. No chemical aftertaste of preservatives. And there was lots of it. And at halftime, they served both meat and fruit pies…and beer. After the final whistle blew, they served pastries and champagne. All in all, we were there probably six to seven hours for a full day.
Before the match, we stopped in a little pizza joint across from the stadium and had a pizza. In total, I lost 15 pounds in two weeks on that trip, eating whatever I wanted but walking at least 20,000 steps each day. I have heard some loud stadiums, but with a capacity of a little over 40,000 I would say it was twice as loud as any Arkansas Razorback game in Fayetteville I’ve ever attended. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium has a capacity of over 76,000.
When the phenom Cole Palmer scored on a penalty kick, the whole stadium shook like an earthquake had just hit the area. My hairs stood on end. The excitement was contagious. When I started filming the attempt, another Chelsea fan said to me, “Hey, mate. You can’t take video.” I turned and looked at him, and said, “Really? I’m sorry.” I had not intention of not filming the event. “I’m just messing with you,” he said. I got the shot.
We had a wonderful experience there in England, celebrating our honeymoon 26 years after the fact. Almost 27 years ago know, our honeymoon was a two-night stay in Eureka Springs. We still love the memory of Rogue Manor where we had our first dinner as a married couple.
But this trip to England holds a pretty high place in our memory as well.
https://youtube.com/shorts/yXD3igjq1MY?si=4mewISO99Z6Mqs1S
Take care.
