November 7th, 2021
Austurbæjarskóli, Reykjavik
In contrast to yesterday , we had a bright and sunny , if bloody freezing , day today . I’d been for a swim earlier in the outside ( yes outside) baths where the Icelanders have the luxury of underground geothermals keeping the water nice and toasty . Brilliant and refreshing , these pools are the equivalent of folk meeting for a brew to chat and gossip . Many locals were there today doing just that , pretending that the bubbles weren’t their farts .
As for the game , ask an Icelander where is the best place to play footy and they will invariably respond - on an all weather pitch. Of course .So today was the first game on one of these in the grounds of a local school . I’d met a load of Icelandic Liverpool fans the other night .Two of these huge blokes, Askell Hardarsen and Tömas Joensen, popped down for a game today with their mates Ôlafur Ásgeirsson. Robin Möberg ( Sweden ) and Vikram Pradhan ( India ) When we arrived , local chaps Stefan and his little brother Ben were already playing but agreed to join us . Flippin eck . These Nordic’s mean businesses . Me, Askell, Oôlafur (Oli) and little Ben took on the rest . What a game ! Full blooded and ferocious with not an inch or second given for free . Stefan was brilliant for them . A red flame lighting up the pitch, scoring a few past the doddering pale guy in the nets. His brother, little Ben, was totally unphazed by the giants all around him. He played a blinder, nipping into great spaces and scoring a couple too. It was a tight game but we had Oli. He was most definitely at the wheel , scoring 7 for us as the game reached a tense 9-9. The very technical Vikram, prop forward Tömas and Robin the cool pushed us all he way but Oli smashed home the winner in the end. 10-9. What brilliant lads . Not only was their English perfect , but they had sarcasm and piss-taking off to a tee. Very brainy and talented lads too , but all that’s for the book . The biggest compliment that I can pay them is that I felt like I’d know them all my life .Thankyou for your friendship. One love There is more that unites us than divides us Thankyou once again to Magdalena for filming