A week on Saturday the World Cup circus resumes, and Scotland are playing away in Macedonia, kicking off the European section. The last Euro qualifiers should be seen as the culmination of one element of our national destiny - to lose in the most courageous and unlikely manner, in the narrowest of ways. By this argument, the whole of the last phase of Scottish football, from 1974 onwards, led up to that defeat by Italy. What could be more appropriate than beating France at home and away yet still not qualifying?
So having completed that part of our destiny, I am utterly confident about qualification, and will hear no talk of jinxes. I've never been to an international tournament, but am absolutely desperate to go to South Africa for this one. By train, naturally.
It should also be noted that the 2010 World Cup falls directly between the last date for the next UK General election and any autumn referendum on independence. How much must Salmond be desperate for qualification and any afterglow from all that 90-minute nationalism?
getting to Damascus from my bit by train should take about 4 days, after that could be a bit stymied by the geography and the politics. have had to abandon the Skopje road trip next weekend...
The man in Seat61 doesn't seem to be able make it happen (and he is good at trains - perhaps the best).
http://www.seat61.com/Map-southernafrica.htm
But I would go for the RMS St Helena if I could make the time.
http://www.rms-st-helena.com/
what a jounrey that would be...I'd imagine that parts of central Africa, you'd have no option but an animal or a Land Rover, though