OVER to the other end of the country, we visited the largest city in the southern coast of England, Southampton.
The city is, of course, home to Southampton Football Club - nicknamed 'The Saints'
They used to feature in the Premier League, but now are struggling in the Football League Championship, and play at St Mary's Stadium.
The Saints' anthem is the popular sport tune When The Saints Go Marching In, and since the club's official nickname is 'The Saints', they are one of the only teams who do not change the original lyrics of the song when it is chanted from the stands during matches.
Southampton is also noted for being the home of the ship Titanic, and I immediately thought of my colleague and co-host of Nokia Football Crazy, Andy Penders.
As a die-hard Saints fan, I can sympathise with Pender seeing his team languish in the Championship, given that he's even played in their youth squads before.
But I can't imagine the anguish every season seeing his team sink (pun intended) lower and lower in the league.
But I'm sure he'll stick with them through thick and thin, and like the love theme by Celine Dion from the movie Titanic goes, his theme song would certainly be My Heart Will Go On.
Jokes aside, while Southampton FC would only appeal to keen followers of the club, it was a great place to visit just for its historical value.
MEMORIALS
In 1912, the Titanic sailed from there, and the city contains several memorials and museum exhibitions related to the Titanic, since most of the crew were from Southampton.
We visited a post office where victims of the disaster waited in agony for news of their loved ones, and checked out the hotel where the guests stayed before they boarded the ill-fated ship.
I felt a chill up my spine thinking about it, and James Blunt's album All The Lost Souls immediately came to mind.
This article was first published in The New Paper on May 30, 2008.
