Euro Cup 2008

Since moving to Germany, Luke and I have learned a lot about "football". Not the kind of football we'd go to Manhattan to watch so many Saturdays in the fall, but European football...what we refer to as soccer. We have learned a little more than just about football though, it has also given us a little insight into the German culture. Typically Germans are very reserved and communicate something is good by not saying anything. If however something is wrong or needs to be changed they will very clearly communicate this...not in a rude manner, just very matter-of-factly. This mindset carried over into sports as well...or so we've been told...until two years ago. In 2006 the World Cup was hosted by Germany and Germany finished third. Germans have told us that since then the fans here have become "fanatical". The Euro Cup 2008 started on June 7 and we have been able to see a small glimpse of this as we've watched the Germans celebrate victories en route to the Euro Cup Championship, to be played on Sunday. The semi-final game held even more significance as it matched Germany against Turkey. Since moving here we've discovered that there is a very large number of Turkish immigrants living in Germany. And, unfortunately, as is common in many areas where there is a strong immigrant community, tension between the Turkish and Germans is not uncommon. However, many showed their allegiance to both countries. It was not uncommon leading up to the game to see a car driving around with a Turkish flag on one side and a German on the other. The game lived up to its expectations and Germany won 3-2 on a goal scored at the very end of regulation. They will now face Spain in the Euro Cup Championship.