...and Germany's going to the World Cup!

My friend, Vivi and I!

I really wanted to see a soccer game while I was in Germany as soccer is such a huge part of life and culture here, but I definitely didn't expect to see the National team play.  But that's what happened!  My friend Vivi and I went down to Köln to watch the Germany vs. Ireland match, which happened to be Germany's qualification match to get into the World Cup!

And it wow, it was a stellar experience!!!!

It was probably the craziest sporting event I've been to... Definitely more intense than a Red Sox vs.  Yankees game (which is pretty hard to top.)  There were over 46,000 people came out to watch this game in the stadium (which goes on to show how much people love soccer here.)  Everyone was cheering, shouting and so drawn into the game for the entire time.  It was crazy to say the least.  Every time Germany missed a goal or Ireland got the ball, everyone started to shout and holler at the players.  Let's just say that I learned a lot of new words and phrases. ;)  But Germany still pulled through, kicking Ireland's butt 3-0!

I'm pretty sure I smiled the whole night

This type of experience  you could never find in the US as we don't just watch one sport, but instead a bunch of sports.  It's hard to explain in words, but I guess that having one national sport brings everyone more together and gets everyone even more attached to their team. Which explains why so many people attend every single national game and why everyone's so enthusiastic and passionate.  But I liked this as it simply filled me with so much energy and excitement, kind of making me feel German, too.  :D