Fussball & the Fourth of July

It would be difficult to live in Germany and not get into watching soccer. And it would be sacrilegious not to watch at least a few games at the local biergarten. So with our "cultural training" partner Georg we headed to the Seehaus Biergarten in English Gardens for the Germany v. Ghana match. It seems everyone is into soccer - even the local seafood was sporting a German flag.

We arrived at the Seehaus and joined a table of young people who were very friendly and could hold a lot of beer. I had one beer, Ken about one and a half and Georg Two. I think the table went through a keg! One of our new friends was Morris who was sporting a very patriotic stash.

It was a very happy crowd especially when Germany won, but in true camaraderie we all clapped when Ghana scored in tribute to our waiter from Ghana.

Our second attempt to watch at a biergarten ended five minutes into the game with a downpour so heavy that it took two days for our clothes to dry completely. We were rooting for the US and pleased with their successes. But after they were out we were rooting for our new homeland - and they won it all!

In the midst of all the World Cup madness it was time to celebrate the Fourth of July. Since Georg spent a year in Michigan during high school, we invited him to celebrate once more. Deviled eggs, burgers, baked beans and slaw along with a red, white and blue tart were on the menu. It was a beautiful night on the terrace. We even had fireworks thanks to cousin Tom Host who sent a video clip from home.