For the past few days, football fans have had only one purpose in life: EURO 2016. Almost all of Europe was living for this football festival, and our panda mascot couldn't miss it either. He set off for the French city of Toulouse to prepare for the Czech national team's opening match against Spain.
The atmosphere in the city was absolutely great even a day before the match. This was mainly due to the yellow-and-red fans who filled the city, which had almost entirely changed into football jerseys. People were loudly celebrating everywhere and preparing for the upcoming match. The only minor flaw was that we didn't get a special jersey for our panda mascot.
In the heat of the action
The main point of the program and our goal was, of course, the match against Spain. After initial discouraging information about how strict the stadium security checks were and that you couldn't even smuggle a pencil inside, we started making plans on how to get the panda into the stadium and explain to security why it was absolutely essential to bring such a plush toy with us. While watching TV news and reports about Russian fans rioting in the stadium with smuggled flares and steel rods, we gained a little courage. If they could bring flares, surely they would allow us one small plush toy.
In the end, the check went completely without problems. Each of the about fifteen security guards we had to pass reacted only with raised eyebrows and an unspoken question in their eyes: "Why on earth is a grown man carrying a plush panda to a football match?". Well, were we supposed to leave our mascot in the car? In any case, the panda successfully arrived at the match and enjoyed it properly. He took photos with Spanish fans, walked almost to the green pitch, and was immortalized by several major world press agencies. Which is actually not that strange when it comes to a world-class celebrity. Even though we lost the match, the atmosphere was great, and we were already looking forward to the next highlights of our program. We decided to take the panda for a swim on the French Riviera.
A piece of paradise in France
Marseille, Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo... Who wouldn't know these cities. The French Riviera attracts thousands of tourists and many celebrities all year round. We couldn't miss it with our little celebrity either. In addition to the azure sea and holiday atmosphere, the spirit of the football EURO was carried throughout the coast. Both Marseille and Nice were other cities where the championship was held. However, at that moment, we weren't that interested in that black-and-white round nonsense anymore.
We enjoyed the sea and historical monuments much more. We tried to enjoy the last moments on the coast as much as possible. We showed the panda the beach and palm trees and almost bathed him in a fountain. I think we can consider our journey one of the more successful ones. No one was harmed, we all enjoyed it, and we won't forget it for a long time.
Admit it yourself – that's not bad at all for one small (and plush) panda! We'll see where his travels take him next time. Hopefully with his own little backpack on his back. :)
