Saturday afternoon 11/06/16 – Search me and let me in

First thoughts …… the security looks more impressive than it really is.  Just like back home it appears that the Gendarmerie today is made up of guys pissed off that their day off has been cancelled, some counting the overtime Euros going into their bank accounts and the psychos happy to be stood around holding sub  machine guns.  Au revoir at the first checkpoint to my water (as expected).as I get searched to enter the area around the ground.  Clive gets searched also and eventually  they let him in with his flag + pole, camera, coat, fridge magnets, half and half scarf, maps, his  collection of Euro brochures and mostly importantly Danny the Dragon.  Only thing I can’t understand is why Clive’s queue is now much longer than mine?   While Clive goes off to scout the area I join the refreshments queue.  Forty minutes as arranged Clive re-joins me still an impressive distance from getting served.  Virtually one hour later we’re served.  This might be my last meal of the day, so it's sausage baguette and fries, it turns out to be true but I’ll not spoil the fun by telling you now. 

 

Access to the ground itself was easy but what a mountain of steps.  The exterior has many thin pillars that are meant to reflect the pines that forested this area before the stade was completed in 2015.  Ticket in, green light and away I go.