Thursday, June 15, 2006
Outdoor viewing
Now that it's finally hot in Berlin -- in the 90s during the day, a temperature i could only dream about a month ago -- everyone wants to be outside. That includes soccer spectators. Last night I watched the Poland Germany game with friends at a makeshift sidewalk sports bar: a sheet hung in the front window, benches and tables set up across the sidewalk, and a steady flow of beers from inside. When I told one of the fans sitting in front of me I thought it was cool they just took over the whole sidewalk, he said it was no big deal because no one would be walking around during the game anyway.
Showing the colors
As anyone following the World Cup should know, Poland suffered a terrible loss last night -- a hard-fought game against Germany, lost by a single goal scored in the 91st minute. Even though I live in Berlin, I decided to show the Polish colors by wearing my Lepper tie, made famous by populist Polish politician Andrzej Lepper, who wore it all through last year's presidential campaign. Sadly, it wasn't enough to ward off Germany's offense.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Orange Horde
I was in Leipzig over the weekend for the Holland v. Serbia and Montenegro match. The fact that one of the countries no longer exists notwithstanding, it was a fun game. I saw it in the center of Leipzig, where they have a huge screen set up where thousands of people can come watch three games a day. The guys in the pictures are not construction workers, but Dutch fans. And I hope that's a V for Victory sign.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Brothels, Balls, Byline
The World Cup starts today in Germany. It's going to be a crazy month -- 32 teams, three million visiting fans, and an assortment of craziness on and off the field.
I wrote an article about one of the biggest side-stories of the Cup -- hookers -- for Foreign Policy magazine's website. It involved a visit to Berlin's biggest bordello, but it was all very proper. Slightly anticlimactic, in fact.
I wrote an article about one of the biggest side-stories of the Cup -- hookers -- for Foreign Policy magazine's website. It involved a visit to Berlin's biggest bordello, but it was all very proper. Slightly anticlimactic, in fact.
