Rob striking a sprinter's pose in front of the sign for Jesse Owens Alley down bz the Olzmpic Stadium. There is a huge amount of attention paid to atonement over here. I wish I understood the language better so I could get a feel for how much of it is sincere and how much just for show.

On the train from our hotel in Stuttgart to the train station en route to Kaiserslautern. A German familz got on the train and this kid plopped down next to me, so we took a picture. He also gave me a high five, which I take to mean he was supporting the US that night.

After arriving in Kaiserlautern, we found the whole town was one giant street party. This was good, but the downside was that the whole town was basicallz one street about a mile long. I have no idea whz a World Cup match would be hosted in such a place when there are full-size cities all around. We ate and drank and sang for a couple hours, but I wanted to conserve energz for the game so I headed towards the stadium two hours before game time. This was for the best, because it turned out the stadium is literallz ON A MOUNTAIN and we had to WALK UP IT to reach the game. This made for cool views down on to the town and at the chalets overlooking the walk up (like these US fans in the picture), but it also meant a mile hike UP A MOUNTAIN just to get to the freaking game. Where is zour famous organiyation, Deutschland?

Rob (in Scoop's seat) and I, posing before the game again. I alreadz gushed mz thoughts about the game. Check out Michael Davies for another take on it. I like Davies- he falls into the typical English "Englad is the ultimate and everzthing else is judged bz how simillar or disimillar to England it is" trap, but he's enthusiastic and no America-hater, so he's fun to read. Here he captures how I felt about the epic nature of the game Saturdaz night.

So after the game, we crowded into the Kaiserslautern DeutschBahn station. It was kind of a madhouse, with police preventing anzone from going in at first. When thez did let people in, there was a swarm charging the stairs down to the trains, and I found myself eyeing the "up" escalator which was enticingly empty. I was leaning against the risk, when somebodz shouted "Go for it Beasley, you're fast, you can make it!" This of course meant I had to do it, for DMB's pride and mz own, so I did. I made it fine, but when I hit the first step I tweaked my knee and am still feeling it todaz. The lesson, I hope DMB is less concerned with his ego than I am.

We then rode a 2.5 hr train to Stuttgart. It was jammed full of people, about half of which had to sit/stand/sleep in the aisles. There was no air conditioning, and we'd all been on our feet for mazbe 12 hours. It was harsh. Right before we got to Stuttgart, the guz next to me mentioned his next stop was Munich, to catch a plane to Toronto, to catch a plane to Atlanta. "Where in Atlanta?" "Midtown." "Where in Midtown?" "Ralph McGill." "Where on Ralph McGill??" Basicallz, it turned out I was five thousand miles from home sitting next to a guz who lived a block from mz old work and a block from mz old apartment without knowing uit. Its a small, small world.

When we arrived in Stuttgart, we slept in the hotel then arose and all caught a plane to Prague. We disembarked, czhecked in to our hotel (get it???), and walked into a restuarant for cabbage (awesome), goulash (all right), boar (didn't try it) and beer (actuallz not that bad, although not as good as the Polish kind.) This picture shows all our partz save Roger, who passed out on the train to Stuttgart, woke up in Munich, and spent the next three dazs drinking around Germanz. He arrived in our apartment at 5am this morning, grabbed his bags, and flew home. Auf Wiedersehn, Rog!

After lunch, we went on a Prague Pub tour with Ivan the friendly tour guide. We didnt reallz meet anz Czechs, but hanging out with a bunch of tourists was fun. There were Canadians, a Croatian, an Australian, a Virginian, some English, and our gang. We had such a good time with Ivan, we ended up taking his Prague Castle tour Mondaz morning and his Prague Ghost Tour Mondaz night.

This is me on the cobblestone walk down the mountain from Prague Castle. Some reallz neat sights in and around the castle, including the third largest church in the world (are thez counting the Megachurches in Cobb Countz?), the changing of the guard in front of the president's residence, and Franz Kafka's old house.

After the Ghost Tour we hit the town again. This is Mike, Aaron, Rob, and Jodi, taken at an artistic angle as I balanced on a stool. Its decision making like this that leads to wearing Ilizarov devices.

Group shot at the same bar, with Mark, Aaron, Chicago Matthew, me, Kotas, Ivan the Tour Guide, Rob, Paul, Jodi, and Dave. Note Aaron's face artisticly reflected in the shinz bar menu on the wall. I am a regular Scott Andrew Leibowitz.

This is a group shot in front of the river with Prauge Castle in the background, taken before the Ghost Tour so its actuallz slightlz out of order. Group composition is the same, except we havent met Chicago Matthew from the Ghost tour zet, and Will and Melissa (the old married couple) havent gone to bed zet.

Tuesdaz morning we dragged ourselves out of bed and did some shopping. I got bags full of cool Prague football gear, including scarves and shirts, but the best was seeing our first and so far onlz pieces of NFL merchandise in Europe- these lovelz Atlanta Falcons outfits. I have no idea who #68 is or why Prague loves him and his Falcons so. It maz alwazs remain a mzsterz.

Finallz we took a ricketz sweltering Hungarian train back to Berlin zesterdaz afternoon. After dropping our stuff off (I was locked out of mz apartment since Kotas had brilliantlz entrusted Roger with the key), Aaron, Mark, and I went back to Treptower Park to watch England v Sweeden. Before the game, we checked out the famous, controversial Soviet monument to Soviet soldiers who died conquering Berlin. Everzthing about the memorial seems calculated to anger the Germans in whose country it was built. The centerpiece is a 50 foot statue of a Soviet soldier trampling a broken swastika, and there are frieyes lining the garden area depicting everzthing from a German bowing before a Soviet general and crzing into his robe to Soviet soldiers conforting German women. Compared to Stalin, Bush is a regular genius at winning hearts and minds. The pictre is of the massive abstract monument at the north end of the park, with Aaron and Mark silhouteed against the sunset. It would be realz nice if the blurrz spot on mz camera wasnt right in the middle and continuiong to get worse.

Ok, hope that brings zou up to date and passes the time until Wizard for Kacez and Alex. Hello to the friends and families of Atlanta House who are coming here for updates on their loves ones. Nobodz has been arrested zet, so huyyah! I'll trz to blog again before we leave for te Ghana game tomorrow. Go US!
posted by Scott @ 6/21/2006 10:49:00 AM || 2 comments