There's history in rivalry and the Manchester Derby has more history than it knows what to do with. First played in 1881 when both teams had different names (City was St. Mark's and United was Newton Heath) and ended in a 3-1 win for United, the Mancunian grudge match has become one of the greatest local rivalries in all of sports.

So when they advertised the first Manchester Derby to take place outside of the UK in Houston, I knew I had to go. Okay, granted I came to that conclusion the night before the game and happened to score some pretty awesome tickets secondhand. I'm a Chelsea fan after all.

The first thing I noticed after entering NRG Stadium was the overwhelming amount of red. It was easy to see that United was the bigger club and they had the supporters to prove it. Our tickets placed us right next to the United Supporters section and I was ready for a wild and fun time. As the players cam out of the tunnel, fans were pretty excited to see some of the biggest football stars in the world.

Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne definitely weren't too keen on the dry ice entrance. It was a bit bombastic, but for a crowd used to an NFL type spectacle, it felt appropriate. Then the whistle blew for the start of the match and I sat there perplexed as the crowd went silent around me.

I was in the supporters section, wasn't I?

To be sure, the stadium was pretty packed with over 67,000 people in attendance, it just didn't feel like a football match of this magnitude. The United supporters mustered up the courage to sing one song in the second half when their team was up 2-0, but it was lackluster at best.

A Proper Match

One thing I wasn't expecting, United played some of their stars for the entire match. This was a pre-season friendly and status quo is to field a decent team and rotate heavily but the likes of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku lasted the whole 90 minutes.

One of the highlights for me was getting to watch Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. He spent a few years on Chelsea's payroll finishing off with a loan stent in Werder Bremen before transferring to VfL Wolfsburg. He's definitely one player I wish we would've kept hold of but at the time just couldn't find a spot to slot into the Chelsea side.

As the game moved on I was more and more amazed at how little the fans seemed to care. Sure it was a friendly and all, but when has anything with the Manchester Derby been friendly? The only life I saw in the crowd was when they showed Pep Guardiola on the screen and the mostly United crowd booed until they changed the shot. I've watched better crowd atmosphere at the local Houston Dynamo games with singing, chants and general raucousness. There's supposed to be a bit of pride and zeal to supporting your team and it was definitely missing at NRG Stadium.

The Big Belgian

My favorite fan was the guy directly in front of me wearing a Marouane Fellaini jersey and carrying a Belgian flag. Anytime Fallaini, DeBruyne or Lukaku came close to the cornere, his flag was up and he was cheering as loud as he possibly could. That's a fan spirit I can get behind and was sorely lacking in the rest of the crowd.

For a pre-season matchup, the first Manchester Derby outside the UK lived up to the hype, even if the fans didn't. Not a bad way to start off the Year of Football.

All photos and video copyright Journey and Play 2017.

My first time in London was the summer of 2007. I had just finished up working with a group in Birmingham and after a short train ride, the capital became my play thing. For almost a month I walked the roads from Islington to Southwark in search of the nooks and crannies that I'd read about. To me, London was a thing of fiction. A city that until then, only lived in movies and dusty pages. It took me almost a week to appreciate the way the heat made people slow down, if only for a second.

Which Museum Today?

In the morning's I would take a different section of a museum and experience it fully. The Victoria & Albert museum, with its emphasis on history and design, quickly became my favorite. I went back at least six times that month, each time stopping to take in the beauty of the Chihuly chandelier. Every time that I went something new popped out to me. I went through at least four Moleskine's that month as the London summer spoke to me.

Sitting by the Thames, probably after just eating a Magnum bar, I wrote poetry and dreamed of music dancing across the water. I was 23 and times were simple. The financial crisis hadn't hit yet and the world was an oyster for me to crack. As the tourists streamed by around me, hurrying to see the next sight, I was content. Time was a luxury that I could spare. And spare I did, spending every moment I could inside the Tate Modern, walking along the Millennnium Bridge and listening to Coldplay's "Politik" as rain gently fell. I met friends, wrote music and dreamed what my life would be like after university.

The Slow Bus Home

One of my favorite memories in London is riding the night bus from Piccadilly Circus to my stop in Highbury. It was a slow process every night, trudging through Holborn, up through Clerkenwell, past Angel and finally home in Islington. Depending on the night of the week, the passengers changed from shift workers, students and regular Joes to semi-drunk college students, soon to be drunk shift workers and kids smoking pot in the back. I was never disappointed with the rotating cast of characters, so much so that I barely ever took the tube home. Many nights I'd hop off at Angel and walk up Upper Street past the nice restaurants, Australian-themed bars and coffee shops. The world was small to me and this was the only way I knew to stretch it. It also made me keenly aware of the setting of Ed Sheeran's music video for "A Team."

Sometimes I'd wear headphones and explore new music, but mostly I let the sound of the chippies and random kids wash over me. My ears were finally becoming accustomed to the accent and every new word made my brain light up. I was a sponge that couldn't get enough.

All Good Things

Seven years later I would return to London again, this time on my first international trip with a person I was dating. So after a few days and many failed plans, almost seven years to the day that I first stepped foot in London, I asked my wife to marry me. It wasn't the perfect proposal, nestled in the Festival Gardens in the shadow of St. Paul's Cathedral after a long day of walking. We were both starving and on our way to meet friends so as the bell tolled ten, I got down and asked her to be my wife. It was the scariest thing I've ever done, and there's no other city in the world that would do for such a special occasion.

We continue to return to London, despite the weather, terrorist attacks and its impending exit from the EU. We return because we have to. Because it beckons us. We return to remember. We return to forget. We return to begin again. For us, London is home, even if we've never lived there.

As I've talked about before, sometimes the best camera is the camera that you have with you. On a trip to Switzerland's Jungfrau region earlier this year, Seoul-based film team Roomia proved just that by capturing all their footage on an iPhone 7. By using the FilmicPro app to control the iPhone, they were able to get some pretty great shots with nice exposure and balance. Not sure if any stabilization was used but this footage makes me want to grab a phone gimbal and travel the world immediately. The color grade used in this was applied in Final Cut and brings about an almost vintage feel. The way the colors invoke springtime makes me want to book a trip to the Swiss Alps right now. The blues of the Alpine sky really pop against the cable cars as they fly by overhead. The quick transitions, which are used sparingly and to good effect, really set the mood for an afternoon of skiing. A few years ago we flew over the Alps and looking down on the magnificent peaks really kindled a longing for mountains in me, just like this video did.

The Top of Europe

You can find out more about Switzerland's Jungfrau at the Swiss Tourism Board website here. Below is another video from Roomia on their Swiss trip and shot on an iPhone 7. it's amazing what we carry with us every day can achieve. Now get out there and start shooting.

For more than 100 years, the Jungfrau railway has been making its journey to Europe’s highest-altitude railway station at 3454 metres a.s.l. – right at the heart of the UNESCO heritage site “Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch”. All through the year, the cog railway runs steeply up through a tunnel to the Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg. -MySwitzerland

I tend to plan my travel around cities. Urban areas are my element and I feel at home. There's less planing required because everything is right in front of you. The problem is, lately I've been craving nature. I blame it on the recent U2 concert I went to here in Houston. It's the 30th anniversary of their album "Joshua Tree" and for the tour Dutch photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn, who shot the original iconic images for the album, created a short film that played through almost every song. Set in the American West, each one took a look at the idea of America, usually set in the middle of nowhere. You can check out some photos from the night by photographer and author Karen Walrond here. There's a seductive nature to being out of your element. As a kid I remember a road trip across New Mexico and watching heat lightning off in the distance. Each time the lightning cracked open the sky it was like a paintbrush being dragged across the dusky sky. It's still one of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood.

Road Tripping

I've always wanted to fly to Seattle, rent a car and drive all the way down the West Coast, across the Grand Canyon and back into Texas. Ideally it would take about two to three weeks and would include stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park, Tuscon, El Paso and Marfa. The idea of tripping through the American West has intrigued me for years and one of these days I'm going to do it.

Matti H. of Travel Feels captured the first leg of my dream road trip in the above video. There's also this video from Maarten Warson that covers a lot of the same ground but with more shots in the city (and a dancier soundtrack.)

So here's to constantly playing with Google Maps to get the road trip route just right, finding the right friends and setting up the music playlists way in advance. I think a road tip is exactly what I need.

Tell me where you would stop between Seattle and Houston to help me plan this epic adventure!

Visiting Paris? Nothing helps get you in the mood for a brilliant holiday like watching movies set in your soon to be locale. Here are my top eight recommendations for films to watch before you visit Paris.

In Paris, everybody wants to be an actor; nobody is content to be a spectator. -Jean Cocteau

Midnight In Paris (2011)

Probably the most accessible of the films on this list, Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris follows an American couple visiting Paris in posh style with their parents. the story quickly takes a turn as Gill, smoothly played by One Wilson, begins to long for the Paris of the past, the one written about by Hemingway and painted by Degas. Filled with nostalgia, romance and intrigue, Midnight In Paris is a perfect way to prepare for your trip to this magical city.

Breathless (1960)

If Midnight In Paris is the most accessible of the films about Paris, then Breathless (À Bout de Souffle) will counteract that. This masterpiece from Jean Luc Godard is full of jump cuts, funny dialogue and some of the most iconic scenes set in the French capital. If you’re new to the films of the French New Wave, this is your perfect introduction. Breathless follows the whirlwind romance of a French outlaw and his American love interest as they traipse around the city avoiding the authorities. A French classic that must be seen.

 

Ratatouille (2007)

If you’re traveling to Paris with children, Ratatouille is the best way to help pique their interest. Kids and adults alike will love this beautiful Pixar film that stars a French chef and his rat friend Remy as they work in a stereotypical Parisian restaurant. Directed by Brad Bird, who also helmed The Incredibles for Pixar, Ratatouille is a fun jaunt into the city of light that gives viewers of all ages a lighthearted look at Paris and some of its more known locations.

Cleo From 5 to 7 (1962)

Agnès Varda uses Paris as the backdrop for one of the best character study films ever made. Cleo From 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7) follows Cleo through the back half of her day as she waits to get test results back form her doctor. the film also serves as a look at Parisian life in the 1960’s and the Algerian War, which led to Algeria’s independence from France in 1962. Cleo begins as a pretty vapid character that suddenly is faced with her impending mortality, prompting much wandering, physically and mentally. It’s a beautiful, meandering film that really captures the heart of the early 1960’s and gives a glimpse into the sexism that women dealt with.

 

Paris Je t'Aime (2006)

Eighteen short films set in different arrondissements, Paris, je’ t’aime is a love letter to the city in every sense of the term. With shorts from Gus van Sant, Alexander Payne, Wes Craven and many more, this is the perfect film for a quick introduction to the many different flavors of arrondissements of Paris. My personal favorite is Alexander Payne’s short that follows Carol from Colorado as she takes her first European holiday. hearing Carol speak French reminds me of my horrible attempts to speak a language that I’m pretty bad at, as are most tourists.

Before Sunset (2004)

Director Richard Linklater's use of real time in filmmaking is absolutely genius. Before Sunset picks up nine years after the previous film, Before Sunrise, with Jesse and Celine meeting in Paris. In each of the movies in the Before trilogy, the city that it takes place in becomes a character in its own right, with Paris playing its magical part in the romance. There’s something ethereal about Linklaters’s film. the almost mumble-core style dialogue mixed with exotic locales just draws you in. If you’ve ever wanted to just wander around Paris, this film is a great place to start.

The 400 Blows (1959)

There’s too much to say about François Truffaut’s masterpiece The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) and how much of an impact it’s had on my life. So I’ll save that for another post. Suffice to say that this French New Wave classic inspired countless filmmakers with its gritty look at Parisian life in the 1950’s through the eyes of a child. Young Antoine Doinel is the quintessential misunderstood child, and a somewhat biographical take on Truffaut himself, that just can’t seem to do anything right. the opening scenes show a moving Paris from a very low angle, invoking how a child would see such a massive city. A bit more harsh of a look at the French capital, but a moving and necessary one.

 

Amélie (2001)

There's just something about watching Amélie walk around Paris that is inherently romantic. Storyline aside, just seeing her interact with the outlandish but everyday Parisians makes you feel one step closer to eating a croissant in Montmartre. Jean-Pierre Jeunet created such a beautiful and whimsical film that puts you into the shoes of Amélie Poulain, a lovable and mostly accident prone young woman in the northern Paris district of Montmartre as she looks for love. It’s romantic, fun and a really heartwarming look at the former artist enclave of Montmartre and the area around Basilique du Sacré-Cœur.