Pheasant Plucker.

Friday 13th October 2023. Garbalan Camp Site, Aubagne, Marseille.

Hooray, we have finally arrived at our end destination for the Quarter Finals. It has been planned for so long I never thought it would ever happen. I booked this site at least a year ago.

The site is sooo much better than the last one. The reception staff were helpful and friendly….they even smiled. We have a nice flat pitch too. Toilet blocks clean and there is a small bar that at this moment in time is full of Welsh and English rugby fans….they even had a bit of a sing song earlier. Yes, the site is full of Brits, every space is sold for this weekend.

The site is still quite a way from Marseille….perhaps about 10 miles. We have to cycle into Aubagne (nearest town) and catch a train into central Marseille. We will see how it works. There is an English bar in Aubagne that will show the later quarter finals too but we will have to cycle uphill in the dark to our campsite, which might be rather a challenge after a couple of ‘shandys’.

We did cycle into Aubagne today to see where we had to go. It doesn’t have too much to offer but we saw lovely views of the nearby mountain of Garbalan.

We know where to catch the train and we know that we can manage the hill on our bikes.

We have had a dilemma about whether we should try to get tickets for the match. Surprisingly, tickets can still be purchased. I have tried to get tickets previously and couldn’t get any tickets less than £300 each and therefore I didn’t get any. Amazingly, I bought two tickets today for £99, not cheap really but cheaper than the nominal price. I don’t think I have been scammed!

Tomorrow’s game in Marseille is Wales v Argentina, so we can enjoy a day in the city and do some sightseeing. Marseille claims to be the second biggest city in France (I think Lyon claims the same) but it is famous for ‘pastis’, an aniseed liquor and also it’s soap. It is also a large port with connections to Northern Africa. It should be an interesting visit.

I celebrated our arrival here with a little tipple from home….

I’ve updated my fantasy rugby team ready for the quarters. I’m not doing well in the league. I am bottom amongst my little groups of friends who are in the league. I’ve just had to transfer George Ford out of my team as he’s only on the England bench. No wonder I didn’t see him in Aix en Provence yesterday….he will have been sulking in his hotel room.