It was time to move onto the next city.
Once again I was lucky and evaded the rain just in time.
Although, the sky began to open up by the time I reached the Salisbury station.
I boarded the 1030 train bound for Southampton, the home of the Saints.
Southampton Day 1:
As soon as I arrived, I didn't chance the cloudy skies.
I hopped into a taxi and headed for St Mary's Stadium.
I was scheduled for the noon tour.
(Lucky for me, the rain started halfway to the stadium.)
I arrived a half hour early to St Mary's so I was I finished up my Christmas shopping. :]
As 12 neared, the tour guide rounded up the group.
The tour guide, Mike Young, was very informative as SFC has a great importance in his life.
He took us to all the import areas of the grounds.
--the players lounge, the locker rooms (home & away), the Ex Saints executive box,
The Matthew Le Tissier Suite, trophy hall, ect.
The players lounge:
The story behind the away locker room:
Our tour guide explained the weirdness of the double mirrors in the away locker room toilets.
According to sports psychologists, men do not like seeing themselves using the bathroom.
So the one quirk, the dual mirrors inside the toilets to make the away players feel uncomfortable.
Whether it works, who knows! Still, it is a funny proposition.
But he also explain other weird quirks in away locker rooms shared to him by other clubs' guides
(ie - Chelsea's heating, A/C "problems"; Liverpool's wet floors, Arsenal's random piece of furniture in the middle of the room)
The one difference from the Saints locker room was the inability to sit in the players seats.
Was well gutted as I wanted to sit where Lambert sits.
At Old Trafford and at Anfield, tours had the ability to.
Although, there was a huge difference in presentation between the 3 locker rooms.
Old Trafford was basic, but eloquent. Anfield was historic and simple.
None the less, the Saints locker room was well designed.
Nigel's most important poster in the locker room:
I think the best story he shared was the story of Matthew Le Tissier wanting chips.
Won't give the full as I am awful at telling stories... here's the just!
Our tour guide said he knew Le Tissier's parents and following a match, Le Tissier, his parents,
and Mike & his wife were all exiting the stadium.
Le Tissier wanted chips from a chippy they had passed, but his mom denied him.
He repeatedly asked his mom if he could get chips, but everytime she said "no".
The idea of a 25 year old, professional footballer, asking his mom if it was alright to buy chips :'D.
Sitting in Southampton manager, Nigel Adkins' seat:
Peter Rodrigues' 1976 FA Cup medal:
This is the only time in FA cup history that the Queen presented the FA Cup.
The spire behind the video board is where Southampton FC was founded in 1885.
Check from Corbett that kept Southampton out of bankruptcy.
Paid the wages of everyone at the club for the summer.
Photo of the final league goal at the Dell, scored by Matthew Le Tissier (also signed).
Southampton 3 : Arsenal 2
Southampton Day 2:
I wasn't planning to do much except catch my train to my cousins.
When I was re-packed, I walked through East Park on my way to the station.
East Park is home to many heritage monuments within Southampton.
One that particulary interested me was the Memorial to the Engineers of the RMS Titanic.
The Titanic set sail from Southampton on 10 April 1912, but as the story is well known, did not make it to New York.
Many who were aboard the Titanic were residents of Southampton.
The engineers, all from Southampton.
Richard Andrews memorial:
I arrived at the station and learned I had in fact booked an "Anytime Day Single", so I headed to the West Quay for lunch.
The West Quay is the massive shopping centre in Southampton that includes their Christmas Markets.
After lunch, I took a wander around the Town Quay, where the Queen Elizabeth was at her port.
I also passed by several interesting points of interest on my way to one of the major port areas within Southampton.
Jane Austen's stone marking the beginning of her heritage trail:
Her romantic fiction novels hold an important place in English literature.
Remains of the South Gate Tower, built sometime during the 14th century:
The ports in Southampton were also the departure point of the Mayflower, destined for America in 1620.
Unfortunately I couldn't find anything that memorialized that historic point of American history.
Not much of an end as I'm awful with conclusions...
But I concluded my successful, 4-day travels, by returning to the station, bound for my cousins. :]
