Manchester - Irish Ferry, Old Trafford, and Pints

February 21, 2014

This is Joe and I'm going to be guest blogging for Michaela for the next few days. I was informed that if I take a trip without Michaela I have to write about it. 

We had a very early morning that Friday. K, T, and I had to be out of the house by 6.15am to meet the bus at the football (soccer) club.  By 6.40 everyone was on the bus and headed down to the Dublin port to catch the ferry to Holyhead, Wales. I was a little bit nervous about the boat because it goes out far enough that you can't see any land. I was happy to see that it was a very large ship. The Irish Ferries Ulysses is one of the largest ships with two levels of parking for cars/buses, a bar (of course), restaurant, arcade, and two small movie screens. T and I both took some Sturgen tablets (for motion sickness) before boarding that morning. I'm glad to say it was an uneventful 3 1/2 hour trip across the rough Irish Sea. 

T sporting his Manchester United jersey!

K with her teammates on the rough Irish seas

Inside of the boat where we stationed ourselves

The lighthouse at the Holyhead port 

Arriving in Holyhead, Wales

Once we arrived in Holyhead it was another good 2 hours on the bus straight to Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester. For those of you who don't know that is the famous home of Manchester United (our favorite football club). 

The United Trinity - United's three great players -
George Best, Denis Law, and Bobby Charlton

We first had lunch at the Red Sky Cafe at the stadium and then proceeded to have a fully guided tour of the stadium. Manchester United was founded in 1878 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910. So its a very old stadium! Its also the largest stadium in the Premier League and second largest in England. 

Home Farm FC U12 Girls Team 

Huge ball and pair of boots to greet us at the beginning of our tour

The trophy room

Old Trafford, the theatre of dreams! And if you are wondering about the spotlights on the grass, its actually a heating tool to make sure the grass does not freeze up during winter and it provides artificial sunlight. 

On February 6, 1958 the aircraft that was carrying the Manchester United players, officials and journalist crashed while attempting to take off in Munich, Germany. This disaster claimed 23 lives, including 8 of the players, and injured several more. 

Munich Disaster reminder showing date and time of crash

The Munich Tunnel - a remembrance of the tragedy in Munich

Plaque commemorating the 50th Anniv of the Munich Air Disaster 

Sir Alex Ferguson Stand

Players Lounge

The next stop was the players dressing room which really was nothing special. The jerseys are listed according where the player sits before the game. 

Then we walked out of the tunnel just as the players would right before a match. 

The visiting team seats 

The home team seats

The whole tour was an AWESOME experience that we will never forget. Also on a side note the club that K plays for in Ireland has produced many Premier League soccer players and a few that have played for Manchester United. One of the players that died in the Munich Air Disaster was Liam Whelan who played for Home Farm before he went to Manchester United. He is actually buried right down the road here in Glasnevin Cemetery. 

After a very long day we headed back to our hotel for dinner, followed by the girls running back and forth in the main floor of the hotel while the parents sat in the bar enjoying a few pints. 

-Joe