BFR - can you elaborate more on Dortmund - looks like a great stadium, but what is the actual city like? and is it easy to get to?
It is a great stadium - officially it's called the Westfalenstadion (even more officially it's called the Signal Iduna Park if you want the corporate name) but the locals also refer to it as "Das Opernhaus" and for good reason. You can still stand in some sections and drink beer in full view of the pitch and on a bad day they'll get only get something like 75,000 people. The big matches are those against Bayern Munich and local rivals Schalke - this is known as the Revierderby after a local expression for the Ruhr. I presume they have some rivalty with Fortuna Dusseldorf - but it's been years since they were in the same division.
The city is to be fair good in parts, it has like most German cities a decent Altstadt which was rebuilt to the original street pattern after WWII but it's quite industrial in other respects. If you are going for a weekend perhaps try and tie it in with the Weihnachtsmarkt/Christmas market which runs from mid November to Christmas eve. Although they are a bit kitsch they are bearable for a couple of hours while you get some gluhwein and grub down your neck.
Flights - Easyjet fly from Luton to Dortmund, I've never used Dortmund airport which is a small/regional airport so I can't make any comment on how accessible it is but there will be buses etc into the city. You could fly to the much bigger/better connected Dusseldorf airport and then take the ICE train. From memory there's a direct link from DDF airport to Dortmund and being a Charlton fan any excuse/opportunity to use a train should not be lightly passed up.
Thanks - Charlton Life number 1 for travel advice!
Brighton. Out of interest: as I lived there for three years and saw a few games, they became my second team. Is it ok to wear their shirt for football training or is it blaspheme? It used to be ok when they were two leagues below us!
As some people have said Rome, the noise the Italians make is something else and Germany (Munich) sitting back in your chair sipping a nice cold beer watching the footie in front of your eyes is great.
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