Fußball ist König

If I can't be in Italy with the Azzurri still in the hunt, then I might as well be in a place where everyone is caught up in a big semi-final game.

This is a place where household names like Ballack, Schweinsteiger, and Klose have resonance. The Schwarz-Rot-Gold is everywhere, on buildings, cars, shirts, and painted faces. With the Turkish consulate down the street, there are also plenty of Turkish flags. On the news, one gentleman had sewn together halves of the German and Turkish jerseys.

Fighting the jet lag and lack of sleep, it becomes difficult to keep watching the game on TV. There is a lot of tense waiting by the fans, for their team to pull ahead, or hoping desperately for the equalizer. The reaction to goals by both sides is instantly heard, up and down the street. In this well-played and entertaining match, there are several, and none of the ugly kind.

Vienna Calling

In the end, the home team pulls out a victory in the last minute of regulation time. With the windows open for lack of air conditioning, it takes a bit longer before I can sleep, due to the requisite honking of horns.