KC Old Boy Howard Clayton and his wife Marguerite report on their trip to Germany to see the “beautiful game” at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
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To-o-o-o-r! That's what we might have heard had Trinidad and Tobago or Sweden scored in the first game on June 10. Since the Reggae Boyz missed out on World Cup Soccer this year, we threw our support behind the Soca Warriors. (see photos 1,2,3,4)
They did not disappoint us. They did not advance in their first World Cup appearance, but they fought hard. As fellow West Indians, we felt every disappointment, shared their anticipation and took pride in the fact that they played three good games.
We arrived in Germany a week before the games began. We were amazed at what appeared to be a lack of enthusiasm among the Germans. In the first few cities that we visited, Dusseldorf , Essen and Dortmund , there was barely any evidence that an earthshaking event was imminent. A few stores had soccer-themed displays, some light poles flew small FIFA flags, but that was it.
Come June 9 and the first German victory, the national flags began to peek out of car windows, from apartment balconies and on clothing. As Germany 's victories increased, so did the flag-waving and the spontaneous noise-making. We were able to witness this firsthand as we drove across Germany in our rented motor home. We passed through or near Hamburg , Munich , Leipzig , Kaiserslautern , and Frankfurt . We camped in or near Essen , Schwabisch Hall , Berlin , Nurnberg, Mainz and Dusseldorf . We had a chance to soak up the ever-increasing excitement in the air. Brazil appeared to be very popular in Germany (see photo 5) and the campsites were full of fans from across the globe.
We observed the last-minute, down-to-the-wire preparations of a fan camp that our son and his girlfriend stayed at for four days. (see photo 6) The day before the first game, the open field for the campers was just being mowed and fenced off, no toilet facilities were in evidence, the walkway to the building across the street was still under construction, no communication network had yet been set up. The organizers were rather embarrassed when we turned up eagerly, one day early. It was not one of the FIFA-sponsored camps but we suppose it all turned out okay. Our son and his girlfriend are still alive!
Fan stadiums had sprung up like mushrooms all over the country. We watched the games on big screens in several cities and even in Salzburg , Austria . (see photo 7) The most impressive was the enormous, double-sided screen set up in the middle of the Main River in Frankfurt . Thirty thousand fans watched on June 17 as Ghana beat the Czech Republic . (see photo 8) The atmosphere in the fan stadiums was electric, good-natured, friendly and festive. (see photos 9, 10, 11)
Of course, Germany has much more to offer than the World Cup experience and in between visits to the fan stadiums, we were able to enjoy some sightseeing, e.g. Checkpoint Charlie (see photo12) , in the former East Germany, and the Brandenburg Gate, with a huge soccer ball as a temporary neighbor (see photo 13) . On the side of a road somewhere in Berlin , a Jamaican flag fluttered in the breeze (see photo 14) . We're everywhere!
Auf wiedersehen! Walk good!
By Howard and Marguerite Clayton
Howard is an associate professor of Management Science at Auburn University in Alabama . Marguerite has been a music teacher and choir director for 33 years but is now focused on composing and arranging.
