Lovely Lucerne welcomed St Johnstone fans with open arms as the 1,000 or so supporters sampled the delights of the Swiss city on the eve of tonight’s game.
Shorts and T-shirts were the clothes of choice as the sun shone on the Scottish contingent.
I left my hotel room and walked into a setting to rival anything European football has to offer, as a fast-flowing river raced by on its way to a lake and majestic mountains sat just off in the distance.
The travelling fans were dotted about in groups of a dozen or so until, late at night, most gathered by the bars lining the banks of the aforementioned River Reuss.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8qPkNJ-Uc-4%3Frel%3D0
St Johnstone being the club it is, club officials including chairman Steve Brown and some directors mixed happily with the supporters, joining in the banter and chatting away.
The songs were sung and the atmosphere was certainly upbeat, with the consensus being that although their Swiss opponents FC Luzern are expected to be fit and tough to beat there is real faith in a Perth side that upset the odds on their travels in the Europa League last season.
We will have to see about that when kick-off comes tonight at the Swissporarena but day one of the trip to the heart of Switzerland could hardly have gone better, even though some heads will be heavy and pockets a little bit lighter this morning given the prices!
Read my full match report in Friday’s Courier.