I know that I just had to go see Old Trafford should the day come that I set foot in England. While planning for the whole trip, I was moving around tours and dates just to have a day up in Manchester.
I booked my train in advance from London Euston to Manchester Picadilly through Virgin Trains. Booking in advance may save you some money. I booked the cheapest one there is but there were no windows. The train itself was clean and travel time only took a little over an hour. To book tickets, visit their site at http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/. Virgin would offer a Plus Bus pass (GBP 3) which will give you unlimited bus rides in your city of destination if available.
Once I got to Old Trafford I rushed to the red cafe to get myself some Fish and Chips (GBP 9) as I was so hungry already and my tour was starting in about half an hour. The cafe was all about the Reds with the names of the players painted on the seats. They were showing replays of United's matches on TV.
At 3pm my tour was about to start. We were lead into a section of the Sir Alex Ferguson stand and facts about the stadium was explained to us as well as the coverage of our tour. I zoned out honestly, I barely heard anything our guide was saying because I cannot believe I was finally inside Old Trafford and seeing the best pitch ever. To anyone outside the Philippines you might be laughing at this but come over here and you can see how bad are pitches are.
We were lead through tunnels and stands. Saw the Munich Disaster Memorial and how this changed the fate of the club.
We saw the players lounges and dressing rooms.
Once more we were about to go out on the pitch. We were asked to form 2 lines, the same fashion as how players would enter before a big crowd. I swear I was keeping myself of shedding a tear or two. The feeling was nostalgic and I just wanted to roll on the grass and savor every moment.
Our group came from all over the world. There was a nun from Poland, a girl from Indonesia (who has been a long time United fan and was surprised to see a Filipino in there as football only started to take off here), a guy from Hong Kong and I befriended Geerish from Mauritius.
After the tour, go to the Mega store to claim your free certificate and purchase your MUFC merchandise.
For every United fan, you should go here if you are in England. It's pretty much worth it. For fans of other clubs, visit your stadium. It may be a different team but it's going to be the same feeling.
Book your tickets at the MUFC website http://www.manutd.com/en/Visit-Old-Trafford/Museum-And-Stadium-Tour/Welcome.aspx.
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