Part of travel that I think is a lot fun, is watching something like the World Cup while you are in Europe. Go to the local pub or cafe or square and watch. Join in the cheering. Get some t-shirts, flags, wear flag make-up.
Flags hanging from my balcony, USA and Germany. Both are playing tonight.
Half time score, Germany 3, Portugal 0 Tor!!!!
Will watch from home tonite.... grandkids are obsessed as are lots of young people here in the US... about time we got on board:))
Their choices are, of course US...but after that is Italy and then I am not sure...
Jo, I was in Berlin over the weekend, and they had multiple venues set up where people could watch the games. Of course, I wasn't there for the big one tonight. Closest game a non-soccer fan like me could kind of get excited about was Spain vs. Netherlands. Oddly enough, there seemed to be a lot more Spaniards in Berlin than Dutch. Might have something to do with the employment situation in Spain.
There's nothing more fun than watching the World Cup in Europe if you're a soccer fan. We were in Sorrento, Italy for the 2006 World Cup... big screen tvs all over town inside and outside, lots of cheering, singing and celebrating. We were in Paris for the 2010 World Cup and watched many games for weeks at Trocadero/Eiffel Tower where they had a huge screen tv... so fun. We watched this past Saturday's game, Italy vs England, at Tony's Pizza in North Beach, SF... very fun but made us miss being in Europe watching it.
Susan, sadly this year they are not putting up the screens at the Trocadero because of too much hooliganism in 2010.
Walking home this evening after dinner and a nice group gathered around a huge screen that they had facing outwards towards the terrace at my local at the end of the block. Beautiful evening for it.
It's everywhere!!
It's a funny thing, but my wife, not normally a big sports fan, has been swept up in World Cup fever. I will say that it means a bit more to hear that France is playing or Italy is playing; now that we've been to a couple of these countries, it means more to us.
She also, unexpectedly, got into the NHL Finals, as Los Angeles won over New York. And then there was the NBA Finals yesterday, and we were all happy that San Antonio won, or at least that Miami did not ;-))
Jo,
I'm not normally a huge soccer fan, but I have been watching some of the World Cup games (in beautiful High Def.) and quite enjoying them. I watched all of the Italy - England game the other day and have watched parts of other games. I'll probably watch more as they get closer to the final result.
I was in Europe during the World Cup in 2010, and had several fantastic travel experiences connected with that, including observing a celebration that almost resulted in a riot in Switzerland, as well as a morning trip from Bacharach with a bunch of inebriated high school students that were having a World Cup party on the train.
in 2010, we planned in February without thinking about it a trip to Prague and Amsterdam for July. And lo and behold, we were in Amsterdam the night of the final (and also later for their parade) and it was an amazing experience. So this year we planned, again without considering it, a trip through Berlin and Copenhagen, and we will be in Berlin during the 1/4 and semi-finals, which Germany is likely to be playing in. Again, this should be an amazing experience to see the crowds and excitement.
I actually love soccer. The 1st goal the Dutch scored against Spain the other day was possibly the most beautiful goal I've ever seen.
Many of the pubs on Second Avenue in NYC are all about the World Cup. There are flags and pennants and soccer balls everywhere. :)
Pam
Of course we're glued to it! Been down the pub way too much over the last week and have planned my schedule to be able to go as much as possible over the next few weeks. We get the games at home but it's more fun there.
My hubby is Portuguese so he's a bit down tonight. I only support England inasmuch as my Liverpool boys are English (keep an eye on Raheem Sterling, a very exciting young player for England). And my English friends expect me to cheer with them!
Pam, we are headed to New York (and then Charlotte) for Liverpool's pre-season tour. The NY supporters club have made arrangements to headquarter at six or seven bars to accommodate the crowds, rather than their usual one bar. Really looking forward to meeting Liverpool fans from around the world!
Yes Team USA... Great win!
Jo. had the boys here (Andrew, who you met) and they are for USA, then Matthew is for Germany and for Andrew it's a toss-up between Italy and Germany (although they are both Italian... Matthew is the one who thinks German is easier than Spanish!)
They do have some Germany heritage from me :) So, I guess we have lots of opportunity to be happy no matter who wins!
Who are you for???
Kim, that's so unfortunate. We didn't see any of that when we were there, for at least 10 games... everyone was really well behaved. I guess it's a case of a few ruining it for the many.
George, why are you always such a grump! O' I forgot - hockey is FINALLY over.
We were in Paris for the World Cup in 96(?). The final was France and Argentina. No better place to be.
Oops, I stand corrected. It wasn't during the 2010 World Cup, it was the disturbances caused when the Paris St Germain team came to celebrate their 2013 victory as French champions that things degenerated so.
An article with some photos/film footage.
Anyway, the new mayor has now reversed herself and said that the city will install giant screens for watching (on the esplanade in front of the Hotel de Ville and I don't know where all else) if France makes it far enough in the competition.
During the 2010 World Cup I was in the mountains of Galicia in a tiny village named La Faba when Switzerland beat Spain, we watched the game on a tiny television in the only bar in the village, needless to say the Spaniards were in shock. Later along the Camino we would plan our day walking depending on game time if Germany or the U.S. were playing that day. After arriving in Santiago there was a night when both Germany and Australia had individual games, I have a photo I took in the bar whereas everyone is watching the German game except for two Australians facing the opposite direction watching their team play. I then traveled to Germany and got to watch the German team play while visiting friends in Bingen and Rosenheim, the days activities were planned around game time. I finished up my European trip by being in Madrid when Spain beat the Netherlands to win the Cup. I've always wanted to be in a city when they win some type of world championship and the Madrileños didn't disappoint. My hotel was about a block off the Gran Via, I immediately went out there and thousands of people flooded the street in celebration. A day or two later I went out for the parade along the Gran Via, I waited about 2 hours finally giving up, walking back to the hotel and coming back when I could see it was getting close to my location. A lifetime memory for sure.
My all time favorite travel experience was being in Nuremberg Germany during 2006 WC. About a thousand US fans gathered outside an Irish pub in the city center. As mach time approached we all marched in unison to the train station singing "johnny comes marching home" and some other patriotic chants. We blocked traffic, got a lot of waves and thumbs up from the office workers ,and got into a few minor scuffles with some Ghanian fans which the police quickly broke up. We filled entire trains on the short ride to the stadium and didn't let up. Sadly team USA couldn't match the intensity on the field and we were eliminated. Back in the main square of Nberg at one of the unofficial fan fests the city hired a local garage band which specialized in American rock anthems to perform all night. The lead singer couldn't speak a word of english but did one of the best live rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama" (in english) I have ever heard!!!!!
All of my favorite trips involve soccer tournaments: Euro 2000/2004, WC 2002/2006, numerous WC qualifiers in Mexico City. It's great to be among thousands of other fans from all corners happy 24/7. I'm currently saving up for France 2016...and you should too!!!!
Haven't been anywhere during the World Cup, though this year has me planning ahead four years from now to maybe be in Europe at that time. I think it would be great fun to be in Germany. I quite like them, after the US of course.
However, we were in Ireland during the Gaelic Football championship. Dublin beat Kerry in an apparently close game and while we were in Galway that night and the locals convinced us to cheer for Dublin, we were in County Kerry the next day and saw some of the hangover sadness. Flags and banners still flying, but sad bartenders and locals at the pub. :)
p.s. in my Parisian residence, we are cheering for the U.S. and Italy (our two homelands)!
Jo, you bet I am - whenever can tear away from tasks at work. Alas, I am not retired yet. Yesterday's match between the U.S. and Ghana was a nail biter at the end. I am a very proud Seattleite to say that the U.S. team captain plays for our very own Sounders team.. Soccer is becoming a big draw to our fair city. Fun noticing how many non-responses or "Out Of Office" messages I received yesterday during the game. Think I will take a break now and watch the game on our firm T.V. for lunch... Fun reading these responses. One of these days I too will enjoy a soccer (futeball) match outside of the U.S. Till then... it will be the T.V.
Linda
Kim, good to know! Thanks for the update. I do remember the problems with PSG... that was such a shame.
The Netherlands is bringing it on! Last few minutes, 3:2
It's everywhere. Never been to Europe that far into June-July. We watch at home and in pubs here. After the U.S. we have Italy, France, Portugal, Brazil, Netherlands, and Germany supporters within the family/friend circle. It is more unique to watch once you have visited the countries.
That sure was an exciting game between Germany and Ghana. Would like to see Ghana move ahead in this World Cup.
When I have no particular horse in a race I will usually root for the underdog, and so I was pleased to see how well Iran played against Argentina, though Argentina won, 1-0 with a goal quite late in the match. Argentina had been predicted to win easily.
Yes, following and watching some of the games, so far so good.
Emma amongst my copious Liverpool gear is a mug with that quote from Shankly.
We are following Liverpool on their pre season tour again this summer. Have tickets to the games in New York and Charlotte, as well as a meet and greet event with club legends (I'm expecting Rushie and Fowler).
Too bad about England. My hubby is Portuguese so today is a big day for him. Our English friends have turned their allegiance to Portugal for him.
We were in Colmar, France Friday night. After France defeated the Swiss the town exploded in celebration for hours. Hundreds of people parading down the street, banging pots & pans, lighting fireworks, honking horns. It was like a never ending New Years celebration. Yes, it is very exciting to be in Europe for World Cup. The people are very spontaneous and exciting and World Cup Victories are like Christmas, New Years, and the Fourth of July all rolled into one. Viva La France!!!
Just spent a few days in a smaller town in Eastern Belgium. They had 7000 people packed into the Grote Markt Tuesday night and were expecting more tonight. Ive moved on to Amsterdam but watched the second half of Belgium vs Russia at dinner. Go Red Devils!
Still watching, despite the disasterous performance of Spain. Being Spanish by marriage, it has been a bit of an adjustment in our house! We hosted a World Cup themed bar b q this past weekend, and invited our guests to wear soccer gear from their favorite team and to bring an "ethnic" food item. From the Dutch supporters who arrived in wodden shoes and lace caps to team Japan with happy coats, headbands and sushi, a good time was had by all - including my Spanish born husband, who chose to wear a Hockey Night in Canada jersey instead. There have been some very exciting games, and we are already planning our 2016 trip to France to enjoy the European Championship! Perhaps Spain will be able to defend their 2012 title at that event!
The draw is not going to be enough for Portugal. While mathematically still in it they are unlikely to progress.
I'm not a Holland fan but I got them in the office pool so I guess I should root for them. It's worth $140 this time!
I'm legally obligated to point out that, as the tournament stands now, the USA is officially better at soccer than England and Spain. Also since Mexico has now made it into the round of 16....if the US doesn't advance my head will explode.
I find myself in one of my favorite getaways, Oberstdorf in the Allgäuer Alps. In the Kurpark, the town set up a large TV screen, tables with benches, and this being Bavaria, a beer stand and sausage grill. Watched Chile fall to Brazil in an overtime shootout with about 1000 other people, and a surprisingly large number of dogs. Soccer just doesn't excite me, even after four years of the Bundesliga and Champions League. But I'm not about to turn down a public gathering like this. Amazing, even in a far corner of Germany, buried in an Alpine valley, there's at least a handful of Brazilians and Chileans to cheer on their national teams. It's a small world after all.
Why couldn't something this civil and enjoyable (ie, open air public alcohol consumption) happen in the US every now and again? Why must we always over-react to everything, and ruin the community spirit that an event like this could bring out?
"...Why couldn't something this civil and enjoyable (ie, open air public alcohol consumption) happen in the US every now and again..."
Because these open-air event attract mostly young people in the US, and young people aren't know for handling their stupid-juice very well. . Despite this thousands of fans in Grant Park Chicago managed to have a good time without the booze:
Cheering on my home, USA! What a wild Round of 16 it's been.
Let's go USA! I promise not to eat any more Belgian waffles, ok?
USA! USA!
In Paris now you can watch Friday's France-Germany match on the big screen in front of the Hotel de Ville. But they will not show any matches other than les Bleus..
And expect metro disruptions in the sense of closure of the Hotel de Ville metro stop around match time.
Too little too late for the USA, the better side won today:(
But for the next four years the USA is officially better at soccer than:
Spain
Italy (again)
England (again)
Portugal
Ghana
Russia
a moral victory!
And now we can root for other teams.... :) I have to cheer on the Dutch as I was there four years ago for the final when they lost. Loved the parade through the canals though that welcomed them home from South Africa....hope they can have a bigger one this time.
Pam
Yes, we were watching while in Europe and following at home. The US did well :-).
Was hoping Mexico could pull it off..
Our trip this year takes us to France, then Belgium, then the Netherlands, up the Rhine through Germany to Switzerland, then back through Paris, England and home. At one point, I could dream that we would beat Belgium, then Switzerland, then the Netherlands, before facing Germany or France in the championship game. People from at least four different countries on our itinerary would resent us.
I can't imagine a better place in Europe to watch a major football tournament than Germany. Was in the US for the early part of the matches, but got back to Deutschland in time for the Round of 16, was very torn watching the Germany vs USA game. Wish Germany was playing better, instead of getting lucky it seems repeatedly, but oh well, we're still in it!
A reminder that people here get just as excited about the "EuroCup" (EUFA) as they do about World Cup here, and that's in the summer of 2016. If you've enjoyed watching the WC, you might consider planning a trip to coincide with the finals here, it was the most amazing experience 2 years ago.
Welcome back Sarah!
So good that Sarah is back!
A reminder that people here get just as excited about the "EuroCup"
(EUFA) as they do about World Cup here, and that's in the summer of
2016
The European championships are popular in the US as well, and like the WC a massive number of tickets get sold go to Americans. ESPN/ABC provide full coverage just like the WC. The 2016 tourney will be hosted by France, and has been expanded to 24 teams from 16. And yes I'm saving up for it!
Thanks for the welcome back, guys! Been a little busy getting my own business started up here, and traveling as always!
We're technically supposed to go home in January 2016 but they've been getting quite lax about finding government workers jobs back in the states very quickly, so a tiny part of me is holding out hope we'll still be here for Eurocup! I till think it was more fun than World Cup has been so far, but maybe tomorrow night will change my mind (if we win)!
I'm also looking forward to following more tournaments in the Americas - especially after the amazing performances of Mexican keeper Ochoa and American keeper Howard. Simply astonishing how good those guys are.
I have yet to be seduced into supporting an actual local club team - VfB are so bad they aren't even fun to support as underdogs, and yet who can support what I like to call "the Yankees of German Football" FC Bayern? My brother is a Tottenham fan, maybe I should just follow suit!
Welcome back Sarah!!! Good to see you!!! You've been missed...
Yes, welcome back, Sarah! I especially miss your trip reports.
"but oh well, we're still in it!"
Like in the finals. With a couple of minutes left Germany is up 7-1 (Brazil just scored).
Astonishing performance by Germany. Now I'm torn between Netherlands and Germany, two teams left I was rooting for after the U.S.
I'm flying both days and will miss both the semi and final match..... Nuts!
This evening to see two teams doing the utmost NOT reaching the finals! :)
Now I think everybody should be cheering on Germany. And I'm not just saying this because I hold a German passport! The only thing worse for Brazil than loosing this semi-final would be having to watch arch rival Argentina win the cup on their soil ....
There is no soccer the next two days. What will I do. Oh, I know. I'll go outside and watch the grass grow.
Really, soccer is so boring. They run around for 90 minutes, then they run around for another 30 minutes, then the have a shoot-out, which really only tests the ability of each goalkeeper to guess right. Why don't they just start off with a coin flip and save us all of the agony. It could be over in a minute.
The soccer tie-breaker is about as exciting as college football's tie breaker. Boring.
Sounds like Curling is more your cup of tea.
FOOTBALL!!! lol
I know over here we say soccer, but this is World Cup Football.
I am not sure if Argentina could pull this off, but it would be nice. Nothing against Germany..I would have backed them, had Netherlands won the game yesterday.
I hear you with American football and I AM AMERICAN! Not even my children (all three of them) care for it.
We never watch Super Bowl. Basket ball is fine, but baseball is another that I would prefer to be in the stands chatting and eating hot dogs!! Give me horse racing or even cricket!!
Hey, I say you can like both! This is not a zero sum game! I have really enjoyed the World Cup this year. I'm going to have to cheer for Germany. It was such a great place to spend my half of my sophomore year in college. :)
Pam
Good quarter final results, even if it was at the expense of les francais; great, fantastic semi final score, now if only history repeats itself on Sunday as in 1990 !!
Can 2 billion (reportedly the viewing audience for the final tomorrow) be wrong about futbol?
I would go to see the game tonight at one of those open-air viewings of the final tonight, but it's been raining all day and forecast to continue. I'm not really enough of a soccer fan to get that wet.
Oh, yes, watching the final at a favorite brewpub in W.Seattle. Should be a lot of fun. I may be rooting for the underdog, but I will wear blue and white proudly. Go Argentina!
Jo,
Yes, I was definitely watching today, and rooting for Germany. Congratulations on the win!
I imagine that the player from Bavaria that scored the winning goal won't be buying any beer today!
I was in Germany during World Cup in 2010, and was wishing I was there tonight as I'm sure it's going to be quite a party!
I watched today's game... Congratulations to Germany! They played better than Argentina so it was well deserved. Germany must be crazy celebrating right now!
Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg celebrates Germany's win:
Could not keep the teenage grandkids and all their friends away from the TV for every soccer game.... maybe the young kids know something the 'old folks' don't know:))
We had to get up really early to leave the Smokey Mountains so we would make it home before the game:))
They were all rooting for Germany once the US was out. I guess since most kids play soccer they appreciate it. Parts of it do seem rather silly, but no different than any sport if it is described in basic terms.... like, what's the point of most of it? Sheer entertainment.
Well, Lee, if soccer is boring then what would be American football and baseball?
Cricket? Yawn.
American Football. A game made up of four, 15 minute segments spread out over 4 hours. No thanks.
Fishing and Golf are exciting spectator sports.
"Team Handball ... how exciting is that?" Believe it or not, handball is probably the third most popular professional team sport in Germany, after soccer and ice hockey, if you don't count cycling.
Obviously, the mood in Germany is pretty postive right now. Flags everywhere. Yesterday was an off-day in the Tour de France, so the only thing on the sports channels all day long were the victory celebrations for Die Mannschaft. I didn't realize how short Germany's favorite pop singer Helena Fischer is until seeing how tiny she looked next to the team members, most of whom aren't strikingly tall.
"Cricket is the nearest thing there is to empirical evidence of the existence of God"
Um..well, Keith, I could take that in lots of directions, however it first occurs to me that you've never seen a Frisbee ;-)). As for so-called American football, the best thing about it-the only good thing about it-is that it disappears at the end of the season in a blur of guacamole and some really creative advertising. It feels like spring to me when the "football" season is over. And why do we still call it football here, anyway?
I would love to see a Cricket match some day. And darts is a fine game, too, folks just don't understand it.
"And why do we still call it football here, anyway?"
Umm... because we've always called it that and we have a perfectly serviceable word for the other game? Should we start criticizing the Dutch because they call baseball "honkbal"?
But the Dutch are using their word, not so? As in a different language?
I distinguish between American football (which still baffles me about the FOOT part of it), and Football, which many of our Latino friends consider the "real" football :).
Would love to hear how the team celebrated once back home. Germany deserved the win. They played very well. Nice team spirit. I was not disappointed that they won. Any links to read about celebrations over there?
Glad that Germany won, they were the better players, glad that history repeated itself
..because we've always called it that
I get that, and don't mean to criticize, it's just that soccer/futbol is all about the feet, not to mention grace and elegance, whereas American football is not so much. Don't mess with baseball; it is the greatest game of all.
"I distinguish between American football (which still baffles me about the FOOT part of it), "
Both sports descended from similar games, which were all called "football" to distinguish them from other sports that involved rackets, bats and bowling. The "foot" came from the fact that the ball was moved either by kicking or running with it, as opposed to throwing it, hitting it with a stick or racket.
That history was in 1990 when ( W.) Germany beat Argentina, 1-0. But if one wants to split hairs, understandably, then this victory is indeed the first where a reunited Germany wins the World Cup. If they had played Holland instead, it could have been a repeat of 1974 (I think much tougher though), when W Germany beat the Dutch.
