Euro2008 – Expect Emotions!

In these last few months, we were reminded again by how “into” soccer Europeans are. Of course, soccer fever heightened to a barely-controlled frenzy in our area when Germany made it through the semi-final round of the Euro2008 soccer games to play Spain in the final round. This tournament, which comes around every four years, is bigger here than the Superbowl is in America. We marveled at the number of car windows sporting small German flags. Houses were decorated to the hilt with German flags and banners everywhere. We saw a dog spray-painted with yellow, black, and red. Even the Germans themselves were dressed in Germany’s colors – sometimes with hair to match – for every soccer match in which Germany played. Unfortunately, despite all of its fans’ enthusiasm and excitement, Germany was not able to pull off making the needed goals to win the final game. And so the flags and colors have been put away until the next tournament.