CLINTON, S.C. ? The Presbyterian College athletic department and head women's soccer coach Brian Purcell would like to invite everyone to follow along with the women's soccer team as they travel through Scotland and England.  Every few years, the team travels abroad for a few friendly games as well as sight seeing. Coach Purcell last took groups in 2001 and 2005.

The group will fly out of New York on Thursday, May 14.  The ten-day trip will be highlighted with trips to Edinburgh, Stirling, Glasgow, Gretna Green, Liverpool, North Wales, Chester, Stratford upon Avon, and London.

Among other exciting things, the group will tour historic castles and towns, play three friendly games against local clubs, and experience games from the Scottish and English Premier League professional football clubs.  Check back to gobluehose.com in order to see pictures and read updates on the group's progress.

Day 11

On our last day in England, we went to the Fulham versus Everton football match. Sadly, our team lost 2-0, but the experience was still worth it.

As a group, we met at 3:00 p.m. for the game. Before that, everyone was free to do last minute shopping or site seeing. After the game, we ate as a group at The Goose, which is located conveniently down the street from our hotel.

A few girls have tickets to the London Eye for tonight, but most are packing and resting up for our departure at 1:45 a.m., EST. Our direct flight to Atlanta has been changed to two different connecting flights. Both groups should arrive in Atlanta between 10:45 a.m., EST tomorrow morning.

Overall, the trip has been wonderful. We have done so much and seen so many wonderful things. Everyone is ready to be home but sad to see such an enjoyable trip end.

We thank you for following along with our adventure. And, for all of us I say, "Cheers."

Day 10

Today will be hard to describe for everyone. It started with the typical breakfast in the lobby. At 9 a.m. we all met to begin our walking tour of London. John and Mike had a nice loop that began at Parliament and ended at the Tower of London. At any point, our group was allowed to take more time and then meet up a few stops further down the tubes. So no one really had exactly the same day.

But, as a group, we saw just about every tourist attraction on that three or four mile walking loop of London. We took a group shot in front of Big Ben and Parliament. Shortly after a few split off and rode the London Eye (which is a bit anti-climatic). But, everyone got to see great views of London today, and we're tired from all the walking.

A few people have tickets to see Phantom of the Opera tonight while others are going to see Stomp.

Most of tomorrow will be spent enjoying the culture surrounding the last weekend of their football (soccer) season. We'll be going to the Fulham game and the game is very important for their franchise. The environment should be electric, and we all look forward to experiencing it.

Day 9

Today we traveled to the big city of London. After a brief riding tour with Mike and our newest addition, John, we were set out with several hours of free time.

Special side note: John used to be the lead singer for a small band. If you look him up online, you might be able to see that he opened for the Beatles before they became an international hit. As John says with a smile on his face, it was back when he was a young and handsome man with a full head of hair. I'll try to write down the name for the next post. He helped guide PC around on their 2001 trip to Europe.

John walked a group to Buckingham Palace where they witnessed the ceremonial changing of the guard. Another group made their way to the British Museum. One could spend hours and even days in any one of the numerous museums in London and still not see everything. But, I believe everyone had a good time walking around a navigating the tubes (London's subway).

A small group bought tickets to see various plays tonight. After a quick shower at our last hotel, a Holiday Inn Express located in London, our group will likely all travel to Leicester Square where we'll be on our own to eat dinner. Those of us with tickets will wander off to see Wicked or Dirty Dancing.

Tomorrow we'll have breakfast in the hotel before having a completely free day in London. A small group are headed to Paris tonight and will return tomorrow afternoon after trying to fit in as much as they can in 24 hours.

Day 8

We left our hotel a little after 9 a.m. and missed seeing the Queen by only 2 hours. Security was already in place in our parking lot as she was set to visit the opening of a neighboring rugby stadium.

Our first stop was in Stratford Upon Avon. In Stratford, we saw where William Shakespeare grew up as well as where he is buried. Our scavenger hunt items were Trinity Church, Shakespeare's home, and the three theaters that perform his works today.

Due to a change in our match's venue, we were allowed a little extra time and spent it driving to and touring Oxford. Coaches Purcell and Palmer took the reigns as tour leaders and walked the group around while Mike stayed with the bus. After a quick circle through the streets, the group was allowed to eat and shop on their own accord.

Oxford has many sites of interest, including (but not limited to) the Ashmolean Museum, the Bridge of Sighs, The Bear, The Eagle and Child, and the track where Roger Bannister first broke 4 minutes in the mile. Not all of these sites were seen today due to limited time, but a small group made it to The Eagle and Child pub for a quick meal. It is famous for C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien who frequented the pub for weekly gatherings.

We then headed to West London to play the Barnet Ladies at 7 p.m. Our scouting report had them being the strongest team we'd see on the trip. With our lucky song “Wagon Wheel” already going through our heads, the ladies played a hard first half and were tied 0-0. About ten minutes into the second half, Kate Baker scored off a corner kick. Both teams had opportunities throughout the game and played well, but the Blue Hose would not need another goal and won 1-0. It truly was a great game to witness. The group looked good, energetic and happy to be playing. Our fans had a lot to cheer for.

All together, Coach Purcell's team will end the trip with a record of 2-1 and won the last two games in shutout fashion.

Tomorrow we will have a small tour of London as well as free time in the afternoon.

Day 7

Our group has grown to include the parents of Jessica Kramer and Katie Hunter. We picked them up from a nearby airport and headed for Conway, Chester and Wales.

First, we stopped in Chester. There are many beautiful things to see in Chester, including a cathedral, a Roman amphitheater, city walls built by the Normans, gardens by the River Dee, and The Rodee. Today, The Rodee is used for equestrian events, but its more historical claim to fame is being the site of the first recorded football match. There were no rules in place, but today's game of soccer/football can be traced back there.

Mike is from South Wales and can speak the local language, Welsh. He tried to teach us a few phrases, but the language is a little difficult to pick up quickly. Only about 20% of the locals can speak it today. In an attempt to keep the old language alive, children today have to take several years of it in school along with their English classes.

We drove through the beautiful Victorian resort city of Llanduduo. Due to rain, we did not hop out, but the scenery was breathtaking. Lewis Carol lived there for many years and started working on Alice in Wonderland while staying near the west beach.

A lot of our time was spent in the town of Conwy. Wales has the most castles per square acre in the entire world. In Conwy, we saw one up close as well as walked out on a small pier. We attempted another scavenger hunt to find the oldest home, the smallest home, and a statue of a hero. Several of the girls added a cone of ice cream to the list of things to do. The ones that scratched it off their list merely described the flavor as “delicious.”

A two-hour bus ride returned us to Leigh, and we're about to have dinner before an early night. Tomorrow we'll head for London and play our last game.

Day 6

Today we had our first breakfast at RBG, the restaurant located in our hotel. The food was buffet style and pretty much exactly what we have been eating all trip.

Mike drove us around Manchester for a bit before dropping us off at Trafford Stadium, home of Manchester United. It was only a half hour ride, and everyone was very excited to see it. After buying a few souvenirs from the store, a few of us were able to tour the museum and sit in on a couple youth games being played on the pitch. It really is a magnificent facility.

Sadly, we had not planned to tour the stadium and this put us behind schedule. The rest of our time in Manchester was abbreviated, and we headed for Liverpool.

We were dropped off at Albert Dock, which I learned is where the Titanic launched. Also, it is home of the Beatles' Museum and countless tourists. Just before leaving us to shop and find lunch, Mike gave us a challenge to find out as much as we could about the Superlambanana (read as Super Lamb Banana). Ask your favorite soccer player for an explanation, but I'll include a picture so you can see what all the fuss is about.

We traveled to Leigh for a quick dinner due to our game being moved forward. I haven't mentioned it, but we frequently have mini-rainstorms. The girls of Bolton found a field that wasn't waterlogged, and we were forced to play a little earlier on turf in Wigan. However, due to traffic, our early start was almost delayed to the original time. The field was in the shadow of the JJB Stadium (yet another Premier League team).

Bolton plays in a tier one lower than Kilmarnock, and our girls were much more energetic and played brilliantly. At half, we had seen goals by Britney Horton, Rachel Lamb, and Morgan Fragapane. In the second half, Lauren Snyder earned her first goal as a Blue Hose soccer player. A hard fought match eventually went the way of the Blue Hose by a tally of 4-0.

Tomorrow we will tour North Wales and Chester.

Day 5

Today was a travel day, so we spent most of the time on the bus. Luckily, that allows for wonderful team bonding for some and catching up on missed sleep for others.

We had our last meal at the Golden Lion and drove two hours to Gretna Green, which is the last city in Scotland before reaching England. Many years ago, it was a hotspot for eloping teens from England because they would not need parental consent. Luckily, no players are coming back with husbands, but they will come back with some photos and souvenirs from this lovely tourist spot.

We then drove another hour and a half to the Lake District of England. Mike dropped us off to have lunch in the town of Ambleside. Their paninis were delicious and an amazing bargain. Plus, they allowed the group to walk around and take photos of Lake Windermere while eating.

There are few places in the world that escape words, but the mountains of Scotland and the Lake District of England are two places that fall into that category. I encourage you to look at the photos added to the album, but trust me that they do not do either place justice. One can understand why famous writers such as William Wordsworth moved here for inspiration.

The town of Leigh was another two-hour drive. Our hotel here is brand new and located on a sports complex. It comes with a gym, sauna and a steam room. Several players took advantage of a quick steam before bed.

Tomorrow we'll get to tour Manchester and buy some gear for the Fulham game in the morning. We'll play our second game late in the evening against the girls of Bolton.

Day Four

After having the morning meal and being serenaded by Taylor Swift for the countless time, we boarded the bus for our ride to Stonehouse for our game against Kilmarnock.

The game was scheduled for 11 a.m. but was moved to 2 p.m. last minute. With the free time we were able to tour the close town of Douglas. One of the opposing team's coaches lived in Douglas and treated us to lunch at her house. To our surprise, she lived in a very quaint home hidden down a gravel road and behind rolling hills. It was very picturesque and you can look forward to some of the views we documented. Also, the team fell in love with the sheep that were running around nearby. Expect photos and stories from the team.

After lunch, we had our friendly game against the local girls of Kilmarnock. They play in a very strong league and it showed from the kickoff. Our rust in the first part of the game left them with opportunities that dug us an early hole. We fought hard until the end and had some good opportunities as well. The team was given a signed jersey as a memento, and Kilmarnock served us sandwiches and fruit after. It was a great experience and everyone enjoyed it.

Mike took us on a riding tour of Glasgow, but we did not have time to walk around. We took pictures of various sites and monuments through the windows. A couple of us were able to catch a quick nap before the next stop in Luss.

In Luss, we walked around and got to see a small village that is located on Loch Lomond (Lake Lomond). It was one of the prettiest places we've been so far on the trip.

Tomorrow we leave for England.

 
Day Three

After I last wrote, we had an exciting fire alarm. The staff here take it very serious, and we got to see a Scottish firetruck. Besides that and the rain we were forced to stand in for ten minutes, it wasn't really note worthy. But you'll likely see pictures (I didn't take any because my camera was upstairs when it began).

We had breakfast at 8 a.m. The food was very good and consisted of eggs, beans, thick bacon, tomatoes, toast, and the like. A few brave souls tried the blood pudding, and I personally will now leave that for the locals.

Before leaving for our day in Edinburgh, we were blessed with a mini-parade by the Protestant Boys marching band. They apparently march frequently, and we, despite not knowing the reason, enjoyed it immensely.

Mike explained to us the historical background for the movie Braveheart, and then dropped us off at Calton's Hill. There are a few monuments and a fantastic view of the city.

After some exploring, we met and traveled to the Hearts v Dundee game. We had great seats and were covered from the fickle weather of Scotland. Our seats were behind a goal. In the first half we were lucky enough to see two goals on our end. Up 2-0 at half, our Hearts team pulled out a 3-0 win over the visitors. It clenched third place in the division and allowed Hearts to earn a spot in the Europea League for next season. This is the second highest tier of European Football, behind the Champions League. Everyone had a good time and were mostly dressed in Hearts gear (check the photo gallery for a picture of the sleepy team on the bus postgame).

We returned to the Golden Lion for dinner. The potato and leek soup was by far the best appetizer. Chicken and pasta were popular choices. For desert, the lemon cake was the best choice.

Tomorrow we'll head to Kilmarnock for our first game. After watching Hearts win 3-0, our spirits are high and the game will be fun.

Day Two

Our layover in New York was close to five hours due to a delay in Atlanta. Our last two group members joined us from that delayed flight, that we joined for the flight over the pond. Even once all 22 of us boarded our plane, we still had a 40-minute wait on the tarmac. On the bright side, we had individual screens in every headrest. The games were a big hit with the team, as were the On-Demand tv shows and movies. Oddly enough, the plane was smaller than the one we took to NYC. We only had a single aisle, and a little less leg room.

Our first meal was an option of chicken or pasta. Both seemed to be popular choices, but the pasta was in short supply by the time it reached us in the tail of the plane. We were offered a second meal around breakfast time that consisted of a bagel and banana. Everyone tried to sleep between these meals, but it was very difficult to do.

We actually made up all the time we lost on the tarmac and arrived in Edinburgh at 8:26 local time. Due to the 5-hour time difference, that was 3:30 a.m. EST to all of us.

Our first task was getting through customs. Unlike London, the line is extremely short. We were through and changing clothes for the day within thirty minutes. After another head count, we met up with our tour guide Mike. Mike has led PC around Scotland and England before and is a treat. The team really likes him and vice-versa.

We toured the Edinburgh Castle and then had free time to eat “lunch” wherever we chose. Most of us even had time for shopping. Coaches Purcell, Smith, and Palmer purchased Hearts jerseys in anticipation for tomorrow's match.

Around 3 p.m. we arrived in Stirling at our hotel. Everyone nodded off for a few minutes during the commute (about 40 minutes). Most of us are running on very little sleep, and it makes for a more interesting time. We will all sleep very well, and very soundly, tonight at the Golden Lion Hotel.

Dinner was in the hotel restaurant, as will tomorrow's breakfast. We had the various options for our three-course meal. The most common choices were the melon appetizer, chicken or fish main course, and the chocolate cake or strawberry cheesecake desert.

A few of us are going to explore the town a little more now. It is around 8:30 p.m. and we have strong winds and an inconsistent rain. But that won't damper our spirits.

Tomorrow we plan to hike Arthur's Seat and attend the Hearts match in Edinburgh. Depending on the weather, we could delay our hike. Breakfast is at 8 a.m.

Day One

We arrived at the Atlanta airport and met as a group at 10 a.m. in the atrium.  A few players showed up extremely early, and, of course, a few got lost in such a major airport and needed a few extra minutes to find the group.

After a quick headcount by head coach Brian Purcell, we checked in with Delta as a group and received our boarding tickets, comparing who was sitting next to whom.  Our first flight did not depart until 12:50 and we had time to have a quick sandwich.  Others chose to eat Mexican and a few just loaded up on magazines and neck pillows.

Our flight to NYC went smoothly in the 767, until the landing.  A strong tail wind shook us a little and caused a few overhead compartments to open.  No one cried, but a few players held hands for moral support.  The flight itself was fun, and we passed over Clinton, S.C. around 1:15 traveling at 500 mph and at an altitude of 37,000 feet.  Everyone resisted the urge to nap, and a few even made new friends with aisle mates.

We are now in the beginning of a four-hour layover at JFK.  A pair of additional trip-goers will be arriving around 7 p.m. and we join them for the second leg of our journey.  We will depart around 8 and fly through the night.  When we land in Edinburgh, it will be morning and we'll hit the ground running.

Please check back on www.gobluehose.com for further updates.