"Beautiful Basel and a six goal thriller!"

The 7th of 8 personal stories that are interwoven throughout my self-published on Liverpool FC entitled "Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles" and my 7th and so far final trip into Europe following the Mighty Reds.

This is a very indulgent edition BUT it invokes such glorious, personal memories of a chaotic couple of days travelling to and from Switzerland and I hope my raw and uncut "one-take" principle conveys this personal tale with a tiny piece of justice.

Anyway, "TICKET!"

Here's the pride and joy of a book I'm incredibly proud of, together with an extract from this chapter and other ways and means of supporting me (if you're able) to thumb the eye of the traditional publishers who refused to read my original manuscript!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6W6TYCL

https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.paypal.me/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/steveblackford

"Two decades on from these 4 or 5 days crisscrossing the French/Swiss border I can’t recall exactly where on the outskirts of London I picked up code-name “Buns” but I did, and the collective “we” then headed toward the cross channel ferry port of Dover. With a company car, a fuel card and several photocopied copies of our planned route, this was living the dream!

The open road, a vitally important European football match for the Reds of Liverpool and two young lovers still tugging at the ribbons and bows of the honeymoon banners on their year long love affair to date. Buns was not an avowed Red when first we met but through my obsessive passion soon adopted the correct footballing faith and was more than happy to go along for the long ride into Switzerland. Working at the time on the edge of London as a “Runner” on a TV production which starred Simon Pegg and long before he became synonymous with films such as Mission Impossible and Star Trek, Buns took unpaid leave to guide us through the many mountain tunnels near the French/Swiss border and on through to the city of Basel.

The only hiccup on our outward journey to Basel was of my own making and one that still tickles me today, if only for its utter absurdity. Following the multiple printed copies of our route planner we hit the first of many French toll roads and as we inched, bumper to bumper with numerous other cars nearer to the toll booth window I spotted a permanently raised barrier. Then I made the mistake of spotting the Union Jack flag of the UK and, rather ridiculously, assumed that any British drivers were free to waltz on through for free!

All perfectly rational as I’m sure you’ll agree.

So I sped toward the still upturned barrier and we were away, purring along the toll road with the Euro’s still in our pocket and a patriotic pride in our Nation.

OK, not quite.

But at the time, and until the very last time that bloody annoying French lady in the next toll booth screamed “TICKET!” at us, I thought I’d completed a perfectly rational driving task and taken the free ride afforded to all members of the British Empire.

The lady in the ticket booth was apoplectic that we didn’t have a ticket!

“TICKET!” she wailed as we threw our collective arms up in befuddlement and probably paid twice what we should have, and just to avoid her screeching about a damn ticket any more".

Thanks for watching!

Please "like" and subscribe!

Thank you.