Sassnitz, Fußball

 

Friday afternoon after the hike the sun came out and it got really nice. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in our little harbor village of Sassnitz. We had a long, leisurely lunch and then walked down the pier to look at all the boats: boats that are now turned into fish restaurants, fishing charters, sailboats, and the real fishing boats. There were a lot of old wooden boats, painted in bright colors. Dad took a real interest in all the nets.

In the evening, we found the place where everyone was gathering to watch soccer. We got a table just in time, and the place kept filling up. Big screen outside, projector and screen inside the restaurant, a guy running a grill outside (2 EUR Bratwurst). We met some nice Swedish people at our table—who seemed a little starved for conversation. They said we were the first people they have met so far who speak English (it’s mostly German tourists on the island, although we heard some American students too). The game was SO much fun. Great atmosphere, and it was pretty clear from the beginning Germany was the stronger team. They beat Greece 4-2. Every time Germany scored they sent up a firework and had a flare going, people stood up and cheered. They also kept showing hilarious replays of Chancellor Angela Merkel (who was in attendance at the game) cheering for each goal. :)