Awoken by the rain
- 8 Jul 06, 02:17 PM
BERLIN - The weather has finally broken in Germany, after 30 days of unrelenting heat the storm clouds have arrived over Berlin.
After yesterday’s downpour when we were trapped in a station, both Fletch and I woke up bright and early this morning – about five – with the rain hammering down on Svan’s roof.
The noise was quite phenomenal and made sleep nigh on impossible.
On and on it went for almost two hours, a quick glance through the curtains revealed our sandy campsite deluged with massive puddles, I really hope Svan isn’t sinking and we’ll be able to move again come Monday.
Unfortunately the storm had another effect last night, as the open-air concert on the fan fest had to be cancelled.
I had been looking forward to a bit of live music, meant to mark a handing over of the World Cup baton to South Africa for 2010, but as we approached the Brandenburg Gate the steady flow of people in the opposite direction told us something was up.
There were still a fair few people wandering around at the fan fest, investigating the discounted World Cup merchandise for sale – I saw one beautiful shell suit jacket with a German flag running through it that Fletch had to drag me away from.
On the way out we had to ask for directions to the nearest station and soon after met two Australian girls in need of the same information.
I cheerfully pointed them on their way towards the U-bahn – we wanted an S-bahn stop – and it was only when we came to the U-bahn about five minutes later I realised I’d sent them off in the wrong direction.
I really hope they were not still wandering the streets when the storm hit.
Anyway, with the final tomorrow and our trip coming to an end I’ve been thinking about the things I’ve heard along the way and not been able to squeeze into a blog entry.
So here are some quotes I’ve heard along the way that have made me chuckle:
Going shopping is like something from the 70s.
God gave Brazil the beautiful football, but the Devil taught the Germans how to take penalties.
Hey, Mr Rucksack.
I’ll get my gun out.
Remember darling, we don’t like Beckham.
They keep putting in swimming pools but we just break them every time.
Der Kaiser switched on his weather machine for the World Cup.
Football’s coming home – it’s good but it’s not great.
Die Welt zu Gast bei Freund-innen - A time to make girl-friends.
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I was on the fan fest at the same time, may even have taken an interest in the same tracksuit. Have you guys taken a look at the new Hauptbahnhof which opened only just weeks before the world cup started? There is a pretty nice riverside bar opposite, full of supporters from all over when the weather has been nice.
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It's true! The new Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station) is now the largest in Europe. Trains run on at least three different levels in different directions. And the built-in shopping mall is also quite fantastic! I think it's THE thing to du during the rain!
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Very nice description of Rain in Germany. I wonder if
you should become a poet after the world cup to get free from the hangover.
Today I visited the official website of World CUp football and was surprised to
see that FIFA is happy with World Cup's appeal in India. there was a picture of
two boys playing football in rain and water. world cup received
than cricket in India. In South Asia, playing football in rain and mud is a memorable experience for many of us.
What about the Germans. Do they play football in rain?
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If you like overheard conversations, try:
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@ Razib Ahmed
Yeah we play football in rain, but in Germany it's not called "rain" - it's called "Fritz Walter weather"... ;)
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Great Report.
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