St Petersburg
Printed From: You Boys in Green
Category: International
Forum Name: Away days + World Cup 2022 Accommodation and Travel
Forum Description: Qatar n' all in anyways
URL: https://forum.ybig.ie/forum_posts.asp?TID=55441
Printed Date: 28 Apr 2024 at 1:48pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.00 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: St Petersburg
Posted By: Borussia
Subject: St Petersburg
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:14am
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Thought I'd just create a thread on this as it may be useful for next year (Hopefully so!). Have a friend who is Scottish but has been following Portugal away for over 20 years (His best mate is Portuguese and has friends at the Portuguese FA). Anyways, they went off to St Petersburg for the Portugal game at the weekend. Initially, he was a bit sceptical and was saying that if he didn't like it then he probably wouldn't bother going to the world cup next year. Met him last night and he couldn't shut up about the place ! Said it's a lovely city, lots of history etc and lots of nice buildings. Not one hint of trouble over there, said the locals were pretty friendly. The Metro has lots of English signs so no hassles getting around using that. The stadium is kinda in the middle of a big park so around 20 mins from the Metro. Nothing around it in terms of bars etc (I did point out that this was perfect "Bag of Cans" territory !) Said it wasn't as cheap over there as he expected : If you are close to the main areas then you'll probably be paying UK prices for things. As with most cities, if you go off the beaten track a bit then it gets cheaper. Also mentioned there is a chain of 3 Irish pubs in the City called "O'Hooligans" ! He said the ID system they have in place for the tickets etc is very effective and would eliminate most of the possibility of touts selling tickets. He wasn't too impressed with the outside of the stadium but said they view in there was great, as expected. Obviously, this is one one person's view of one city but maybe Russia might turn out to be a pleasant surprise for those who are a bit wary.
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Replies:
Posted By: Borussia
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:15am
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Cr@p - Meant to post this is the Travel sections. Mods, feel free to move.....
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Posted By: Denis Irwin
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:18am
O'Hooligans  ------------- Eamonn Dunphy:"I'll tell you who wrote it, Rod Liddle, he's the guy who ran away and left his wife for a young one". Bill O'Herlihy: Ah ye can't be saying that now Eamonn |
Posted By: the_walls
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:27am
| I've never been but I've heard before that St. Petersburg is meant to be a lovely city. |
Posted By: ConorMac77
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:34am
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Think we all now know rightly that if we qualify we'll end up being drawn to play in more obscure cities like Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Saransk etc. Sounds good about St Petersburg though if we do end up there.  ------------- The nation holds it's breath...YES, WE'RE THERE!!! |
Posted By: Cabra Hoop
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 12:36pm
Don't think we could have done much better than the locations we had in Poland and France. Anyway, kind of hoping we avoid Moscow if we qualify. I'd imagine some of the lesser known cities would be more welcoming to visitors. On saying that, Volgograd wasn't very welcoming to visitors in the past.
------------- " BFC always gives me a laugh........ " |
ConorMac77 wrote:Posted By: Claret Murph
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 12:37pm
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Would be happy just to get there really . ------------- Lansdowne Road debut aged 52 and 201 days . |
Posted By: irishmufc
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 12:43pm
------------- Wings? They're only the band The Beatles could have been. |
Posted By: irishmufc
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 12:48pm
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Sochi is the spot I'd love us to get. Hope we don't get the cities that further east if we qualify. My preference would be Kaliningrad Moscow St Petersburg Sochi They'd probably be the handiest travel wise. ------------- Wings? They're only the band The Beatles could have been. |
Posted By: Sham157
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 12:55pm
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Posted By: lassassinblanc
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 1:16pm
Sochi is absolute miles away from rest of the venues. I think SuperDave mentioned before it is a day on a train away from Moscow. The Germans were glad they got to play their Semi Final in Sochi as it meant they didn't have to make another long ass journey |
Posted By: lassassinblanc
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 1:20pm
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looking at the World Cup It looks like B3 would be the best to be drawn into in terms First match in Leningrad then Moscow then onto Kaliningrad |
Posted By: ConorMac77
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 1:24pm
Believe it or not there actually is a slot that could get us all 4 of those cities but in a different order!  B3 would have us in St Petersburg, then Moscow followed by Kaliningrad. If we were to finish 2nd in the group we'd then be in Sochi. Problem with that is getting to and from Kaliningrad as flying would probably be the only feasible option especially if we were to come 2nd in the group as the distance between Kaliningrad and Sochi would be too big to make overland travel feasible, aside from the hassle of sorting visas to transit through Belarus. ------------- The nation holds it's breath...YES, WE'RE THERE!!! |
Posted By: ConorMac77
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 1:31pm
I'd actually prefer Moscow, not least because there'd be far more to do there than the lesser known cities and would open up the only real chance to take in one of the other games as a neutral (not exactly an option with the other host cities due to the distances between them). As you say though, we were pretty much spoilt rotten in France being based in Paris, Bordeaux/La Rochelle/Arcachon, Lille and Lyon. It was also easier to get to matches in other host cities if you wanted, compared to Russia. ------------- The nation holds it's breath...YES, WE'RE THERE!!! |
Posted By: lassassinblanc
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 1:33pm
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I've heard Kazan is supposed to be lovely. St.Petersburg again so i've heard has a massive mosquito problem especially during summer as the city is built on what used to swamp lands |
Posted By: pre Madonna
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 1:47pm
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My missus was there about six weeks ago and loved it, still going on about it. I was curious about racism but she said she never saw anyone who didn't look stereotypically Russian, which I suppose is one way of solving that problem. She loved the food as well. It seems to be a grand tourist spot. ------------- Greed has won, big finance has won. Whatever small role elite clubs still play in the local communities from which they grew is dwarfed now by their position as global brands. |
Posted By: SuperDave84
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 3:26pm
You don't need a Belarus visa, nor do you need to fly. The match in Kaliningrad is on the 25th June. There's a night bus to Riga every night, arriving the following morning (say you leave on the 26th, arrive on the 27th). There are sometimes daytime buses, so you could go earlier and spend a night in Riga. From Riga, there's a daily train (overnight) to Moscow, arriving at 10am or so the next morning (that would be the 28th). There's a daily fast train from Moscow to Sochi at 2pm or so (so plenty of time to get from one station in Moscow to the other - they're only a mile or two apart) arriving in Sochi the following afternoon (which would be on the 29th). The Sochi second round match is on the 30th at 21:00, so there'd be plenty of time to get there. Of course, that all costs about €300, and you can't book it with free cancellation afaik, but it does give you a full day in Riga to see the sights there, and you could also stop off for 24 hours en route, either in Riga or Moscow. Alternatively, for about €100 less, you could get a slower train to Sochi, arriving the afternoon of the match, leaving Moscow about midnight the day you arrive from Riga, so two nights on that train, albeit this removes the possibility of spending a night in Riga or Moscow en route. Those trains all have bunk beds, so you should get a reasonable nights sleep, compared to sleeping in a seat at least. It's probably not for me (it's a stretch to spend one night on a bus seat followed by two or three on trains) but it is an option for the adventurous. Having said that, if we are in Kaliningrad in that position, it would make sense to get a Belarus transit visa that allows for multiple entries; that way, you could use one entry on the first journey from Moscow to Kaliningrad, and a second from Kaliningrad back to Moscow, en route to Sochi. That would definitely make more sense and it would be little extra administration, given you'd be applying for a Belarus transit visa already. ------------- 
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Posted By: Borussia
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 3:40pm
| Did I not read somewhere that there is going to be free transport for the duration of the world cup i.e. Your visa is your train ticket etc ? |
Posted By: The White Cafu
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 3:43pm
Trains to host cities are free with a match ticket, are they not? |
Posted By: ConorMac77
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 3:46pm
Yeah but I think I saw a comment from Super Dave a number of months ago that it would only entitle you to travel in 3rd class - basically steerage - in a carriage consisting of 50-odd bunk beds (open to correction)! If you want a compartment with fewer beds, you'd need to pay extra. ------------- The nation holds it's breath...YES, WE'RE THERE!!! |
Posted By: The White Cafu
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 3:54pm
To be honest if it saved me €300 I'd nearly travel on the roof of the thing!
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Posted By: SuperDave84
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 4:04pm
What I said was it wasn't clear what class of carriage it entitled you to. I still don't know. There is someone on here (UCDfan?) at the confederations cup. Maybe he can tell us. Also, while it is free, you can't just rock up and get on. There is a specific website on which to book trains, which I think you can only do once you have your FanID (visa substitute) and match tickets. It looks like the whole thing will be an administrative f**king nightmare if we do make it, especially Kaliningrad, with the Belarus visa issue. -------------
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Posted By: The White Cafu
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 4:08pm
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Good info on here, but still nobody is 100% clear about it https://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-g1-i13435-k10072713-Getting_around_Russia_2018-World_Cup.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-g1-i13435-k10072713-Getting_around_Russia_2018-World_Cup.html
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Posted By: Darraghn92
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 4:15pm
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That's the official site to register for the Confederations Cup free transport. Assuming the same will apply for the WC |
Posted By: SuperDave84
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 4:15pm
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From the official page: "The additional trains will consist of sleeper cars, along with a restaurant car and a car with special-purpose seats equipped for passengers with wheelchairs." "Do I have to pay for the bed sheets? No. Bed sheets in additional trains are provided free of charge." So it seems they are sleeper cars, albeit it is not clear if they are open plan dormitory cars, or second class closed compartment sleeper cars. -------------
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Posted By: colemanY2K
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 4:36pm
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Surely getting to and from Kaliningrad by train won't be free if you have to travel through neighbouring countries i.e Latvia, Belarus and possibly Ukraine. ------------- "One of the dominant facts in English life during the past three quarters of a century has been the decay of ability in the ruling class." Orwell, 1942. |
Posted By: The White Cafu
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 4:38pm
| Also worth noting that no alcohol will be sold on fan trains. |
Posted By: Gary McKay
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 4:49pm
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Yes St. Petersburg is well known to be a beautiful city and the only place in Russia I would venture into. ------------- "Smalling and Jones.... have the potential to be the PL’s best ever pairing in my opinion." - SlurAlex |
Posted By: kevincronin2000
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 5:12pm
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bit of an article here worth a read too http://www.espn.co.uk/football/club/chile/207/blog/post/3145435/chile-fans-enjoy-moscow-at-the-confederations-cup" rel="nofollow - http://www.espn.co.uk/football/club/chile/207/blog/post/3145435/chile-fans-enjoy-moscow-at-the-confederations-cup ------------- time is the stuff that life is made of, don't waste it. |
Posted By: kevincronin2000
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 5:16pm
Few in your luggage you will be fine, tbf selling alcohol on a 14 hour train journey would be asking for trouble. ------------- time is the stuff that life is made of, don't waste it. |
Posted By: OnTheOneRoad
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 5:26pm
A first game in Kaliningrad would be lovely. Budget flight to Gdansk/Lithuania and then a short journey onwards ------------- No thank you Turkish......I'm sweet enough |
Posted By: colemanY2K
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 5:38pm
The only way that could happen is if Ireland came out as either team D3 or D4. There wouldn't be a short journey after that match though...no matter which team Ireland came out as. ------------- "One of the dominant facts in English life during the past three quarters of a century has been the decay of ability in the ruling class." Orwell, 1942. |
Posted By: SuperDave84
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 6:04pm
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Russian trains have an odd enough attitude to alcohol. Officially, alcohol is only allowed in the restaurant car, not in accommodation. However, there is generally a blind eye turned, so long as it doesn't get rowdy. Sure until 2013, anything under 10% abv was considered a f**king soft drink in Russia. I'm not sure if you would be allowed to bring your own beer into the restaurant car and drink it there, however. I imagine that would not be allowed on a standard train but on the special trains, things may be a bit different. Sure hopefully we'll all find out next summer. I'll be bringing a healthy supply of $10 bills for bribes. -------------
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Posted By: Butch
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 10:55pm
| There will be direct flights to the Russian cities that we will play in |
Posted By: irishmufc
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:10pm
Is that statement based on conjecture or what you think could happen charter flight wise? ------------- Wings? They're only the band The Beatles could have been. |
Posted By: Hickster74
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:11pm
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Arrived in St Petersburg this morning. The fan id visa was simple, just filled in the usual details and got an email the next day with a link to download an electronic version to print and pick up the hard copy when you arrive. You can get the hard copy posted in advance but I booked too close. I was a bit sceptical of how the print out would work but in the end it was only checking in Dublin that was difficult - they didn't know what it was but there was no problem arriving. Great city so far and very helpful and friendly locals going out of their way to help. Came over on an air Moldova overnighter. I'll never go that way again - only one staff on the transfer desk and wouldn't let me skip the long queue even when it got to 10 mins to my flight. I had to go mad and ended up being driven at 50 mph on the runway to the plane... Borussia, your mate's right about prices, its only a little cheaper than home in the tourist areas (all I've seen so far). €5 a pint. I watched the semi in Mollies on Rubenstein earlier, cosy spot that seems like it'd be a local if you lived here. That same street is class, amazing bars and restaurants on it that I have to check tomorrow. And, a no doubt Russian pub, called 'Fiddler's Green'. O'Hooligans on Burkina was quiet but it could be madness...
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Posted By: ConorMac77
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:14pm
Either way I doubt if many of us will be able to afford them. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of indirect flights or flights combined with overland transport are needed. ------------- The nation holds it's breath...YES, WE'RE THERE!!! |
Posted By: Butch
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:32pm
Can't say a whole lot at the moment but people are working on it at the minute should we secure qualification then the flights will go a head . Also safety issues have to be addressed and some runways are being upgraded as we speak to deal with the influx of football fans |
Posted By: The White Cafu
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2017 at 11:53pm
Lots of cheap options available instead of going direct or having to train it, Hickster's route was the main one I was looking at. |
Posted By: Butch
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2017 at 12:05am
| There will be multiple routes taken like always but I can see the direct approach being taken up in big numbers . A lot of lads will take the week and try get the 1st 2 or last 2 games in . And knock it on the head at that , knocking around Russia for 2 weeks will not grab the imagination of 1000s like France . I know there will be the usual suspects who will do the lot . My 1st World Cup & the chance of not getting married next summer ,... I'll take my 2 weeks on the chin |
Posted By: ringerbell
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2017 at 1:41am
Is loads of indirect options but I'm hoping our fixtures should we qualify will suit just booking direct flights to and from Moscow. Will plan to be there for the 3 group games ------------- the closest i will ever come to playing for ireland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0_7w4JyvI4 |
Posted By: Hickster74
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2017 at 4:07pm
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In a place called 'The Templet Bar'. Will I tell them...?
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Posted By: Hickster74
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2017 at 1:47am
| Before I forget or decide not to for fear of the Algarvers looking down. The last archway on the left on the wrong side of the canal that leads towards the Church of the Saviours Blood. Clubs with rapper wannabes that stay open til 8am and a shooting range that opens at 9 to shoot a Kalashnikov before bed. |
Posted By: Newryrep
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2017 at 3:12pm
Hope you are making contacts re future sccomdation ------------- 'Irish' Songs for an Irish team - no SPL EPL generic sh*te Richard Dunne - 6th Sept 11 - best marshalling of a defence in Moscow since General Zukov Russia V Germany 1941 |
Posted By: Butch
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2017 at 12:38pm
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* into Moscow - I know thread is St Pete €190 return https://www.skyscanner.ie/transport/flights/dub/mosc/180605/180614/airfares-from-dublin-to-moscow-in-june-2018.html?adults=1&children=0&adultsv2=1&childrenv2=&infants=0&cabinclass=economy&rtn=1&preferdirects=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&inboundaltsenabled=false&ref=home#details/11154-1806050555--32090-1-11051-1806051700" rel="nofollow - https://www.skyscanner.ie/transport/flights/dub/mosc/180605/180614/airfares-from-dublin-to-moscow-in-june-2018.html?adults=1&children=0&adultsv2=1&childrenv2=&infants=0&cabinclass=economy&rtn=1&preferdirects=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&inboundaltsenabled=false&ref=home#details/11154-1806050555--32090-1-11051-1806051700 |11051-1806140605--32090-1-11154-1806141710 |
Posted By: Kseniia
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2017 at 11:05pm
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I hope ill see you guys in Petersburg  https://youtu.be/6Ar6459jYGc - White Nights |
Posted By: Butch
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2017 at 10:09pm
| Any chance of getting the SD lad to a train route over to Moscow for the WC ? I'd take a flight to the UK and take it from there ... Also I'd be f**king flying home |
Posted By: SuperDave84
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2017 at 11:15pm
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If you want to go very, very cheaply overland the route is as follows: Option 1: Sailrail to London (don't crap out and fly) €47 taking the slow boat, including the train fare to London. Dublin 08:05 - 11:30 Holyhead Holyhead 12:52 - 16:37 London London 18:04 - 21:05 Brussels (from £44) One night in Brussels Brussels to Prague - from €21 (!): Brussels 08:24 (+1) - 11:30 (+1) Frankfurt Frankfurt 11:54 (+1) - 14:03 (+1) Nuremburg Nuremburg 14:37 (+1) - 16:22 (+1) Cheb Cheb 16:34 (+1) - 19:41 (+1) Prague Some of the connections may seem tight, but if you miss one because of delays, there are still plenty of ways of getting to Prague on time - even a delay of 3 hours, or two individual delays of one hour and two hours along the way, can be made up. You could be an hour late into Frankfurt, two hours late again into Nuremburg on a second delayed train from Frankfurt to Nuremburg, then, if you've missed the 16:37 train to Cheb, take the 17:43 train to Schwandorf to meet the Munich to Prague train, have twenty minutes to change, and you'd still get to Prague almost half an hour before the Kiev train leaves. Frankfurt 12:54 - 14:59 (16:59 with a two hour delay) Nuremburg 17:43 - 18:48 Schwandorf 19:09 - 22:41 Praha. You can't book to go that way via Schwandorf, but if you get stuck because of delays and miss the earlier connections, they'll let you take it without paying extra. And the Germans may occasionally be delayed but the chances of that f**king up are very slim indeed. For Brussels to Prague, €21 is unbeatable. And they're not bad trains: they're ICE trains from Brussels to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Nuremburg, albeit it's a local train to Cheb, before a Czech Intercity train from Cheb to Prague. Prague to Kiev - 2 nights - from €65 (including a bed in a three bed sleeper compartment) Prague 23:09 (+1) - 07:43 (+3) Kiev Kiev to Moscow - overnight - about €90 (including a bed in a four bed sleeper compartment) Kiev 20:33 (+3) - 09:48 (+4) Moscow All that is under €300 (booked far enough in advance), and there's no f**king about with Belarus transit visas, as the Kiev to Moscow train doesn't go via Belarus. Option 2: This is much quicker, but more expensive and a fair bit more hassle to organise, even if it is less hassle when travelling: Sailrail to London €47 Dublin 08:05 - 11:30 Holyhead Holyhead 12:52 - 16:37 London Either an evening Eurostar to Paris and a night there, or a night in London and a morning Eurostar to Paris (from £44) Paris 18:58 (+1) - 10:07 (+3) Moscow (leave Paris Friday only) - €300 on the direct Paris - Moscow Russian Railways train. You need a Belarus transit visa if you go that way, which is €60 (and a fair amount of hassle, likely, because you'll not be able to apply for it until you have your Russian visa or "Fan ID", and having to send your passport to the Belarussians about a month before the World Cup could be stressful). If we do qualify, I will go overland one way or the other. Probably the first way, and not just because it is cheaper, but because of the hassle and extra expense of getting a Belarus transit visa, not to mention the fact it is not clear if they will accept a Fan ID for the purposes of issuing a visa, seeing as they usually require you to show you already have a Russian visa. -------------
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Posted By: Butch
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2017 at 6:20pm
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Cheers Dave , all going well I would love to travel over land next summer and maybe leave 2 weeks before hand but she will shoot me ! Oh the joys of school going kids and a missus
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Posted By: Denis Irwin
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2017 at 6:24pm
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So long as Vlad doesn't start dicking about ------------- Eamonn Dunphy:"I'll tell you who wrote it, Rod Liddle, he's the guy who ran away and left his wife for a young one". Bill O'Herlihy: Ah ye can't be saying that now Eamonn |
Posted By: Butch
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2017 at 6:34pm
I'd be more afraid of her than Vlad |
Posted By: Il Principe
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2017 at 1:30am
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hope we are in kaliningrad for at least one game piece of piss to get there
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Posted By: SuperDave84
Date Posted: 18 Aug 2017 at 3:52pm
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Not a f**king chance. It would be another Bordeaux and a nightmare to get tickets to it, with every alickadoo in the country wanting a ticket to it. We would sell our full allocation no matter where the games were; I wouldn't really fancy the mad scramble if we were to end up in Kaliningrad, especially if we were to have to play another European team there, because the same would apply for their fans too. If it was a game against a side from outside Europe, then it might be alright. Still, it would be a nice problem to have! -------------
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Posted By: Il Principe
Date Posted: 19 Aug 2017 at 12:29am
lol that was a donald trump style response dave, you flip flopped mid post
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Posted By: Kseniia
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 8:09pm
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the cheapest way to go from Ireland to Russia flights to Helsinki and train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg
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Posted By: Old Gill
Date Posted: 06 Sep 2017 at 12:39am
| How would you get there? |