To Barca

For this Addick, it is not to SE7 on Saturday to party but to Barcelona.

Some while ago my mate, a fellow Addick, was planning his stag weekend. The dates bounced about a bit and every time he proposed a weekend I would take a quick glance, as I am sure he did, at the fixture list.

Blackpool was toyed with to coincide with the Preston game, I seriously proposed a good old knees up in Blackheath for this weekend and varying other European destinations were deliberated. Football was central to the outcome so Lisbon, Belgrade, Rome and even Dortmund were considered.

Barcelona won through, the appeal of watching El Clasico, even in a bar in the city, was too great. Los Blaugrana and Los Blancos play at Camp Nou 8pm on Saturday and tickets are like gold dust and extraordinarily expensive but the city will be a cool place to be Saturday evening.

There are twelve of us making the trip, four Addicks, four and a half if I include my oldest mate who bleeds Arsenal red but had a Charlton season ticket with his son up until this season and celebrations will be had as we not only toast the groom but also the boys back in SE7.

I have only been to Barcelona once, and that was a work trip, and I was in and out like a blur, so I am really looking forward to it. We are staying near La Rambla and I sincerely hope we get a chance to explore amongst the obligatory drinking.

I fly from here to Gatwick tomorrow night and then for the first time will spend a few hours in The Yotel (anyone ever stayed?) to rest my eyes, and shower before I whizz into town to have lunch with a mate, before heading back to Gatwick to hook up with the lads in time for our Easy Jet evening flight to Barca. I return on a silly early flight Sunday.

My heart will be in SE7 on Saturday, although my drinking hat will be in Catalonia. I’ll be back for the Hartlepool game though. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.