The Rams Running thru the Forest

Up and at ‘em, I got up at the crack of dawn to head back over to Birmingham airport to pick up two coworkers, Ross and Steve.  This was their first journey to Derby, and I thought it would be nice to have a friendly face upon arrival.  So I picked them up right on time, and got them back to the hotel to get checked in.  But we had plans for the day, so off we went to Nottingham to watch a football match.

I was stressed about parking, so I headed off to city center and pulled into the first parking garage that I could find.  I then proceeded to get my friends lost as we walked through town (which way does the sun rise).  We weren’t in a hurry, and it was neat seeing the town.  We found a statue of Brian Clough, the coach that was at the heart of today’s match between Derby and Nottingham.  Brian Clough was the coach of Derby and helped them obtain their first English championship, but was sacked over a disagreement with management.  He then was hired by Nottingham Forest and proceeded to win them their first English championship (quite a feat).  We also found the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, the oldest pub in England.  Similar to having to bring all visitors to the Brunswick in Derby, everyone must stop in at the Trip.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have any new beer for my list, so I enjoyed a Greene King Olde Trip before heading off to the match. It wasn't far to walk, and we got to pass by a crowded American favorite, Hooters (no, we didn't go in, this time).

We met up with Richard, a local, who had gotten tickets for us to sit with the home team (safer that way).  The physically separate the home team fans from the visitors, to the point where the visitors can’t even leave until the home team has cleared out.  I was never frightened, not like wearing a Cowboys jersey at an Eagles game, but it was best to be cautious.  The fans were definitely passionate, with their own set of cheers throughout the game.  The closest thing that we have would be college football 9the American kind, of course).  The game was definitely feisty, with Derby winning 1-0 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19690553).  The Derby team was the aggressor, goading Nottingham into bad penalties (4 yellow cards and a red).  Forest mounted several attacks as time was running out, but was unsuccessful.  The most impressive part was the continual chanting after the game by the victorious visitors (although what else were they to do, the cops wouldn’t let them leave). 

After the game, Richard helped direct us back to the car (remember, I had been lost).  It was impressive, taking underground passages and cutting through department stores.  We stopped at the Bell Inn for a Nottingham brewing Bell Inn bitter (the selection of ale left a lot to be desired at the stadium).  We found our car, and Richard took us to the Bread & Butter (in the Good Beer Guide) to sit for a bit of dinner.  The Bread & Butter (http://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/site/?page_id=5) is a Castle Rock pub in Mapperley, and was quite busy on a Sunday evening.  I got the Ploughman’s again (I was advised NOT to have the burger) to go along with a Butcombe Gold Bitter.  It was a great day, but my guests were fighting jet lag and needed to turn in.

I wasn’t quite ready for bed (although I was tired), so I found a bar with the Patriots game on and I watched for a while.  I also got a nightcap at the Flower Pot and the Five Lamps.  It was a great day, sharing this most authentic of English experiences (at least in terms of sports) with friends. – 6119/12921

 
“You can’t have a real country unless you have a beer and an airline.  It helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.” – Frank Zappa