-Victory Is Ours-

(Well, that's it for our neighbors in the East...Sorry, but that's how it goes! ...No, actually I am NOT sorry ;-) --what you see is an electronic display for bus/tram in Dresden)

YEEEHHAAA

Now, Football really takes over daily life here, especially after this grand victory over Poland 14 hours ago. We watched the match in a beer tent on the university campus (yes, right!), full of Football-crazy students. As you can imagine, the atmosphere was awesome, especially after the much-deserved 1:0 in the 91st (!) minute...

Get your audio impression of the atmosphere!

(the place where we watched and celebrated...a big beer tent featuring cheap food and beverages right behind the 'Hörsaalzentrum' (lecture hall centre) of the University of Technology Dresden...now, THAT is what deserves to be called motivational support!)

THE EFFECT ON DAILY LIFE

A few observations:

- Smalltalk about weather has been replaced by Football lingo. Everyone is expert and trainer again for the better part of the next weeks

- A steady increase of DFB-Fans ('Deutscher Fussball Bund = German Football Association) can be seen on the street...following my last post it is finally allowed to be proud of your team (and Germany) which includes the wearing of T-Shirts, flags, face-coloring...

- Even in this country of rules ('Ordnung muss sein' = Order Must Be) there are exceptions :-) As an example, during the days of the World Cup it is not an offence to sound your horn. It would have been impossible anyway to enforce this law, so I guess it is just common sense to lift the ban.

- Suddenly, the share of good news tremendously rose in the evening news. Killings, bombings, invasions, terrorist attacks don't dominate as they usually do and are at least partly replaced by celebrating fans and however-trivial stories about Football. What a blessing...I am starting to wonder whether there is/will be a measurable impact on some crisis or even the so far unimpressed German economic growth..

Short one this time! Just wanted to mark the occasion ;-)

Maik

(Me, Björn and Andi before the start; the match was a first-class fingernail-biter, which turned the present people into a crazy, screaming and of course cursing bunch)