The Oranje Invasion
dateline -- Leipzig -- 6 p.m.
I´m on the ground in Germany and it is simply incredible what it is like, but let´s first take a look at how we got to this point ... sorry for the delay in posting, but the Internet has been hard to get to.
Yesterday was my final day in Amsterdam and it was one that I will not soon forget. After reading The Sun cover-to-cover and watching the BBC for the pregame feel from the opening match in Munich, I walked down to an area called Waterloopein. It is this huge outdoor market where you can find lots of little trinkets and mementos. I myself purchased some Nag Champa incense. I tell you what, I must have walked at least 10 miles -- probably more -- while I was in Amsterdam. I didn´t get on the tram once! I also bought an alarm clock for my early morning rising.
At around 4:30, I headed for the Satelitte Sports Cafe and grabbed a prime seat in front of one of the huge screens they had set up, ordered a tall heineken and settled in. The atmosphere at the place is something that is hard to put into words. As the opening kickoff happenned, the entire place exploded in a huge roar that lasted for a good three minutes. And this wasn´t the German or the Costa Rican supporters, it was everyone who had been waiting for so long for this moment ... the World Cup had begun!!!!!
Six pints and SIX FREAKIN GOALS later, I was feeling good and Germany had opened with a victory. Pretty much the whole bar was rooting for the Costa Ricans, but what do expect, it´s Holland ... the Germans are their arch-rivals. During the game I met Louis, from the Ivory Coast. He was on his way to Hamburg to see his team take on Argentina. You really get a sense what this tournament means when you talk to anyone from a country like the Ivory Coast. This is a nation that has been at Civil War for many years, yet for this special month, the waring factions have agreed to call a truce ... simply amazing.
Many people are saying that if the team advances far into the tournament, the truce could become perminant as the country is brought together by their futbol team´s success on the pitch. Again ... simply amazing.
After the game, I prety much staggered back to the hostel and clicked on the television to watch the Poland-Ecuador match, but it was to no avail. My eyes where shut and I was out by 10. I have yet to mention the weather ... but I will simply say that is has been perfect. I don´t want to jinx it, so that is all I will say.
This morning I awoke at 5:40 a.m. and headed straight to Amsterdam Centraal for my 7:17 train to Leipzig. I was feeling a bit hungover, but two aleves and some echinacea took good care of that! Now, I thought that it would be a loney stroll through through the streets at that time of morning, but I was dead wrong. Basically, everyone was still out from the night before and on their way home as I was on my way out. I also got my first taste of hooliganism and I saw three or four british thugs battling it out with the Amsterdam Police. Needless to say, the thugs lost out and one even got a face full of club, which appeared to remove a few of his teeth. Ouch!
I was at the train station very early and it was a lucky thing to, because the train left about 20 minutes early. Tons of are Argentines are on this train, which was going to Hannover -- where I would transfer. The Argies were heading to Hamburg for their match tonight. There was a mass exodous of Sky Blue and White as we stopped in Osnabrück -- the transfer station for Hamburg. The train to leipzig was a trip and this is where the story of the "oranje invasion" begins ...
The car that i decided to board was definitely the right one. It was decorated with orange streamers and almost 3/4 of the people on the car were decked out in orange. they sang and danced and played their horns for almost the entirety of the 3-hour trip. Breathtaking! I sat and chatted with a few of them and as we plowed through their case of grolsch -- one of holland´s finest lagers -- I informed them I was going to the game. Turns out, most of them aren´t. they are just heading into town fot the atmosphere. Obviously, there was a bit of jealousy and one guy even offered me some cash for ticket, but that baby ain´t for sale!
Once in Leipzig, it all hit me. I WAS AT THE WORLD CUP! Words really cannot describe the atmosphere in this city or what a tiny city it is. Really old school. The first thing I did was go to get my tickets. the lady who handed them to me said she hadn´t seen a smile that big in a while --- obviously I was overly excited.
Now for the best news -- somehow I was assinged front row tickets for my game in Munich. And I am talking front row, front row, not the front row of the upper deck, the front row of the entire arena!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I checked into the Hostel which is right in the center of the city, but my room wasn´t ready, so I dropped my huge bag and and headed to Augustusplatz, the main city square. This is where they set up the huge screen for everyone to watch the games. I watched England hold on for a 1-nil win over Paraguay and then headed back to move my things into my room, and meet some of my Serbian roomates -- already a little trash talking going on, and here I am sitting at the hostel´s computer.
Tonight I am going to find a place to watch the Argentina-Ivory Coast match and then tomorrow it´s time for the real fun to begin!!!
I´m on the ground in Germany and it is simply incredible what it is like, but let´s first take a look at how we got to this point ... sorry for the delay in posting, but the Internet has been hard to get to.
Yesterday was my final day in Amsterdam and it was one that I will not soon forget. After reading The Sun cover-to-cover and watching the BBC for the pregame feel from the opening match in Munich, I walked down to an area called Waterloopein. It is this huge outdoor market where you can find lots of little trinkets and mementos. I myself purchased some Nag Champa incense. I tell you what, I must have walked at least 10 miles -- probably more -- while I was in Amsterdam. I didn´t get on the tram once! I also bought an alarm clock for my early morning rising.
At around 4:30, I headed for the Satelitte Sports Cafe and grabbed a prime seat in front of one of the huge screens they had set up, ordered a tall heineken and settled in. The atmosphere at the place is something that is hard to put into words. As the opening kickoff happenned, the entire place exploded in a huge roar that lasted for a good three minutes. And this wasn´t the German or the Costa Rican supporters, it was everyone who had been waiting for so long for this moment ... the World Cup had begun!!!!!
Six pints and SIX FREAKIN GOALS later, I was feeling good and Germany had opened with a victory. Pretty much the whole bar was rooting for the Costa Ricans, but what do expect, it´s Holland ... the Germans are their arch-rivals. During the game I met Louis, from the Ivory Coast. He was on his way to Hamburg to see his team take on Argentina. You really get a sense what this tournament means when you talk to anyone from a country like the Ivory Coast. This is a nation that has been at Civil War for many years, yet for this special month, the waring factions have agreed to call a truce ... simply amazing.
Many people are saying that if the team advances far into the tournament, the truce could become perminant as the country is brought together by their futbol team´s success on the pitch. Again ... simply amazing.
After the game, I prety much staggered back to the hostel and clicked on the television to watch the Poland-Ecuador match, but it was to no avail. My eyes where shut and I was out by 10. I have yet to mention the weather ... but I will simply say that is has been perfect. I don´t want to jinx it, so that is all I will say.
This morning I awoke at 5:40 a.m. and headed straight to Amsterdam Centraal for my 7:17 train to Leipzig. I was feeling a bit hungover, but two aleves and some echinacea took good care of that! Now, I thought that it would be a loney stroll through through the streets at that time of morning, but I was dead wrong. Basically, everyone was still out from the night before and on their way home as I was on my way out. I also got my first taste of hooliganism and I saw three or four british thugs battling it out with the Amsterdam Police. Needless to say, the thugs lost out and one even got a face full of club, which appeared to remove a few of his teeth. Ouch!
I was at the train station very early and it was a lucky thing to, because the train left about 20 minutes early. Tons of are Argentines are on this train, which was going to Hannover -- where I would transfer. The Argies were heading to Hamburg for their match tonight. There was a mass exodous of Sky Blue and White as we stopped in Osnabrück -- the transfer station for Hamburg. The train to leipzig was a trip and this is where the story of the "oranje invasion" begins ...
The car that i decided to board was definitely the right one. It was decorated with orange streamers and almost 3/4 of the people on the car were decked out in orange. they sang and danced and played their horns for almost the entirety of the 3-hour trip. Breathtaking! I sat and chatted with a few of them and as we plowed through their case of grolsch -- one of holland´s finest lagers -- I informed them I was going to the game. Turns out, most of them aren´t. they are just heading into town fot the atmosphere. Obviously, there was a bit of jealousy and one guy even offered me some cash for ticket, but that baby ain´t for sale!
Once in Leipzig, it all hit me. I WAS AT THE WORLD CUP! Words really cannot describe the atmosphere in this city or what a tiny city it is. Really old school. The first thing I did was go to get my tickets. the lady who handed them to me said she hadn´t seen a smile that big in a while --- obviously I was overly excited.
Now for the best news -- somehow I was assinged front row tickets for my game in Munich. And I am talking front row, front row, not the front row of the upper deck, the front row of the entire arena!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I checked into the Hostel which is right in the center of the city, but my room wasn´t ready, so I dropped my huge bag and and headed to Augustusplatz, the main city square. This is where they set up the huge screen for everyone to watch the games. I watched England hold on for a 1-nil win over Paraguay and then headed back to move my things into my room, and meet some of my Serbian roomates -- already a little trash talking going on, and here I am sitting at the hostel´s computer.
Tonight I am going to find a place to watch the Argentina-Ivory Coast match and then tomorrow it´s time for the real fun to begin!!!
posted by littles: at 11:51 AM
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