Car Bombs, Handbags and Booze
09.25.03 (5:13 pm) [edit]72 days to go...
Nothing really to report on my RTW trip but things elsewhere have been getting a strange.
Went out on Saturday night with a couple of friends after watching Liverpool win 2 - 1 at home. Liverpool City Centre was heaving because of the match plus it was Freshers week and a big open-air concert was being held. Things went swimmingly and a good time was had by all as we tried to acquaint ourselves with every female student we came across.... until very late on, two of my mates, under the increasing influence of Tequila, took the opportunity to restart some minor footballing quarrel they had going. I decided at this point it might be a good idea to head for home especially since the bouncers had picked up on the raised voices coming from my mates plus they had already called for last orders.
So we head out in search of a cab with the quarrel still bubbling along.
Unbeknown to us, someone had set off a car bomb outside a nightclub in the city centre (a gangland warning apparently) the police had cordoned off several streets around it.
Not that we noticed this as we wandered down a side alley into the crime scene totally by-passing the police cordon still arguing about football. Nor did we notice that on a busy Saturday night that this street was totally empty, when it should have been full of people like us looking for a cab home. Only when we stumbled past the nightclub that I realised there are lots of flashing blue lights everywhere..
My mates at this point hadn't notice anything but had decided talking won't help settle their argument but a punch might. So start to square up to each other. As soon as they start to fight several policemen heard the commotion and descend upon us shouting, "What the fuck are you doing here!?" The fighting stopped and we were escorted beyond the barriers and told to get lost by a copper wondering how the hell 3 drunken lads were doing fighting in the middle of a Police no go area. We were even more bemused by why there were some many cops about with barriers and why we were let off with a clip round the ear so to speak... so peacefully we headed off into the night wondering what the hell we just stumbled into.
Matty
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Learning Gaelic
09.18.03 (1:03 pm) [edit]79 days to go...
Im supposed to be saving all my money for my trip, but as the football season has started this leaves me in a dilemma. As i enjoy nothing more than watching the footy in the pub. So the first test of my resolve came last night when Celtic played in the Champions League and i was invited out my Celtic supporting Irish mate.
I failed miserably.
So I find myself in the midst of the Liverpool Celtic supporters club drinking Guinness. (because of which im suffering today) The bar itself is fantastic, a real Irish bar not some crap O'irish one and the atmosphere for the match is cracking everyone singing Celtic songs and when they score beer and guinness get thrown everywhere. Though i did get one or two funny looks for wearing a FCUK union jack t shirt. At half time this bloke came round handing out invitations to his Gaelic lessons which after several pints of Guinness we seriously considered taking up. Celtic lost 2-1 but win or lose we were on the booze and i stumbled home at close to 2 o'clock this morning. Will definitley have to cut down on this type of night out because i know i'll regret it when i stuck on the other side of the world with no money but its such good fun. I'll just stick to the Liverpool games from now on......
So "pogue ma hone" for now
Matty
fear and loathing in Liverpool
09.17.03 (3:13 pm) [edit]It was somewhere around Bootle on the edge of the urban desert when reality began to take hold....
"What am i still doing in here? I'm still kicking around the same old places i was 10 years ago, doing more or less the same thing! I must do something with my life"
So i am. In about 13 weeks i am going to embark on the greatest journey of my life and travel around the world. The joys and horrors of which i am going to share with the world right here. (as well as any other subject that i feel like commenting on)
So that's the background to my weblog and i'll be back soon
Matty
