Sports Journey: Vacation Encounters
- Richard Smith
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
I write for Stadium Journey. That means I attend various sporting events and write about and review that particular venue. The aim is to give future attendees an idea of what their own visit will be like.
These official trips are not the end of my stadium “visits”. No matter where I go, it seems stadiums find me. Even on a recent European vacation, far from any sporting event I intended to cover, these structures punctuated my journey, serving as a constant reminder of my passion.
I had a long European vacation. First in Germany, followed by a two-week cruise starting in Rotterdam and winding through Norway, Scotland, and England before returning to the Netherlands, was meant to be a break from work. Yet, the architectural marvels of sports venues kept appearing.
In Molde, Norway, nestled amidst stunning natural beauty, an incredible seaside stadium dominated the view from our ship. I found out this was Aker Stadion, home to Norwegian Eliteserien club Molde FK. Once docked, I walked around the stadium, and although the team store was closed, I was able to catch a glimpse of one of the teams practicing on the pitch.
Later in both Trondheim and Tromsø, both in Norway, I thought about searching out the local stadium, but I thought it was more fun when I stumbled on them. It also meant more walking, and I was already averaging about 30,000 steps per day. You have to walk off that cruise ship food somehow, but a few more steps to see a stadium seemed to be out of the question.
Even further north, I actually did stumble upon a remarkably small soccer stadium, high up in the Norwegian wilderness – a testament to the global reach of the sport, even in remote areas. In Honningsvåg, a small city near the famous North Cape of Europe, I saw a small venue called Honningsvåg Stadion. It was barely a “stadium” and I am not entirely sure who played there, but the pitch seemed to be very well cared for. Doing some research, it might be the home of the Honningsvåg T&IF football club, but I am not sure if it is true and what league they play in.
As our ship sailed on, and during shore excursions, I caught glimpses of Scottish stadiums such as Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.’s Caledonian Stadium and Falkirk F.C.’s Falkirk Stadium. Both looked like ones I would have wanted to catch a match at.
The theme continued when I disembarked in the Netherlands. My Amsterdam airport hotel, by pure coincidence, was situated right next to a massive soccer stadium, its imposing presence a familiar sight in an unfamiliar city. This was AFC Ajax’s 55,000-seat Johan Cruyff Arena. The road to my hotel went under the stadium, and I even ate dinner at a restaurant that night attached to the venue.
The grand finale of my stadium-spotting vacation came at the very end. I flew to Wales for the highly anticipated first night of the Oasis reunion concert tour. The venue? The magnificent Principality Stadium in Cardiff, home to Welsh rugby.
Standing there, soaking in the atmosphere of a legendary band reunited, I couldn't help but smile at the irony. Even when my purpose was purely personal and musical, a stadium was still at the heart of the experience. It just goes to show, whether I'm actively seeking them out for an article or simply enjoying a well-deserved break, stadiums are an undeniable, ever-present part of my world.
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