Tonight, the German national team defeated Portugal 3-2 in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008. It was a gripping game even though the Germans lead throughout the 90 minutes of play. We all went to a local pub that had 3 screens in different rooms broadcasting the game. The room where we found a place to stand (all the seats were filled well before the match started) had the game projected on a wall. Even though we were a few hundred miles away from the live action in Basel, Switzerland, the locals were as enthusiastic as the crowd in the stadium. Everyone was outfitted with a Deutsches Fußball Bund (Federation) jersey and lots of people were waving their German flags. At full time came German victory and the bar erupted into song and dance.
Soon, people filled the streets with their face paint, flags, and open beer bottles. The main road through central Bonn was blocked by people shouting German soccer cheers. The drivers were more than happy to be stuck and added to the raucous atmosphere by beeping their horns. Even as I write this entry at midnight, I can hear horns sounding and people shouting outside my window.
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