So, what is it like being in Germany during the World Cup?

The atmosphere in Germany during the World Cup is not really comparable to any sporting event we have in the US. If you want a rough idea, I suggest you imagine what it would be like if the entire South Eastern US (about the population of Germany) only had one football team and it only played in a bowl game once every four years. We went to the main Berlin Fan Fest for the Argentina vs. Mexico game last night. We couldn’t go watch the Germany game there because there were 750,000 people in the square and the police were not allowing anyone else into that section of the city. People from all over the world are in Germany, not to attend the games (FIFA WC tickets are more illusive than a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory), but just to watch them on a big screen with tens of thousands of screaming fans. The late game we showed up for was a lot calmer and only 300,000 to 400,000 packed into the square.

Me and two other guys left the game early and went up into the Bundestag (or Reichstag, as it was once known). This is the German parliament building that the Nazis burned to the ground to consolidate their grip on the government. When Germany was reunited and Berlin was restored as the national capital, a modern dome was added to the top to symbolize unity and hope for the future. In the pictures I had previously seen in magazines, the dome always seemed most beautiful at night, so I was insistent on visiting it then. We were not disappointed. On top of the Bundestag there is a wide open square from which to view the city and the dome. The dome itself has two long interlocking corkscrew ramps - one for up-bound traffic and one for down – that never intersect. This creates a mind-bending effect as you ascend to the top observatory. At the top the dome there is an open skylight and a circular bench on which you can lay down and gaze heavenward. I’m usually pretty uninspired by modern architecture, but given the history of the spot – once a gravesite of democracy and the point of cleavage between East and West – only a clear break with the past could convey Germany’s hope for the future.
We went on a bus tour of Germany today and saw some interesting things; however, I fell asleep and missed a lot of sites. After a month of traveling, it takes a lot more to get me excited than it did earlier on the trip. Tour guide: “And over here is the Holocaust monument…” Me: “Oh wow. I guess I should take a picture of it. By the way, is reason we haven’t eaten yet part of some Holocaust sympathy experience?”

Ever since visiting Sarajevo I’ve been thinking about how long it takes a city to recover from that level of destruction. Visiting Berlin is a clear warning not to be overly optimistic. There are quite a few buildings that are still tattered with bullet holes and if you look at the Greek Embassy on the West Berlin side, it looks like WWII ended yesterday, not 60 years ago.
We also visited the Berlin wall. The attached picture is of me and fellow UT student Jesse Cragwal on the East German side. And, it is possible that the two youths pictured above might be in possession of pieces of said wall. The Gipper told us to.