EM08

June 26

I’m experiencing the Euro-Cup while I’m here. Not being a big sports connoisseur I don’t have the same excitement and passion for the game as most everyone else in this country but it’s interesting to observe and participate if even from the periphery. Last night they played the semi-finals. Germany vs Turkey. This was a big deal partly because they didn’t expect Germany to get this far initially and secondly because they have a large Turkish population. Some wondered whether that would cause problems since the Turkish aren’t always looked upon kindly in some areas. Of course I thought it was fun to see people all dressed in German paraphernalia and then also Turkish wear when I was in Karlsruhe in the afternoon. There was a lot of celebration especially when Germany won the game in the end. When I got off the streetcar in Rheinstetten, Germany scored their second goal. I knew this because I heard the great cheer erupt from the SV (sports club) down the way that has a public viewing screen set up. I watched the last exciting minutes at Anke’s. The Turkish team played much better than the Germans and I thought it was honourable to hear some people say that really they were very lucky and that the Turks deserved to win more by the way they played. It is nice though to see the sense of national pride that Germans have found again. It started in 06 with the World Cup. I’ve never seen that many German flags before. Pictures courtesy of Onkel Joe.

I’m in Paris for the final game against Spain. Doesn’t seem quite right but there it is. Good thing I love Paris.