West Ham United : Arsenal FC

The first highlight of our trip was the London derby West Ham United against Arsenal London. As we lived only a few underground stations away from Upton Park, we set off early to see some of Green Street. Our first route took us to the Bobby Moore statue, which is always given an extra build-up during dicey games (especially against Millwall). But this time it wasn't, so we were able to take a photo or two.

Afterwards we went to a chicken joint to get ready for the following pints in "The Queens". The pub was already packed with people. Chairs and tables were moved aside to accommodate the masses. And the associated outdoor smoking area was also teeming with people. So it took some time until the first beers could be enjoyed. The mood now started to rise a bit. The first "Bubbles" choruses (the club anthem) were intoned, which didn't exactly please the Arsenal fans present - but their numbers were a bit too small for a counterattack ;-).

After you had fought your way to the bar for a few rounds, you went to the fan shop, which is really of the finest. From coffee spoons to winter jackets, you can buy everything in the "Claret and Blue" design here. We also made a purchase or two before heading to our seats.

Our seats were in the last row of the Bobby Moore Stand - far away it was, but at the end of the day you had to be glad to have got hold of tickets for this game in the first place. The game itself was rather one-sided. Arsenal controlled the game and in the end deserved to win 2:0. For a long time West Ham could speculate with a point because of the lack of chances, but after a penalty the matter was settled.

The atmosphere was okay - but we expected a bit more. Only during "Forever blowing Bubbles" the crowd went wild. But it could also be that we had a somewhat unfavourable seat - the course of the game probably did the rest.

After that, we went back to Stratford, whereby we noticed quite positively how civilised everything is in England. Fans from both camps were escorted to the underground together and nothing happened. That's when you realise what a problem Austria really has.