Spülwasser

The World Cup has opened in Munich. The world is crazy for soccer. The list of countries competing is pretty amazing:


Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Trinidad, Tunisia, Ukraine, USA

A real mixed bag of countries there. I'm gonna have to pick me an underdog to root for. And while soccer is far more popular than cycling in this country, its still not as popular as things like Baseball, basketball and football. So its nice to see a non-american sport take center stage like this.

But, a few of my relatives in Munich are escaping that action and visiting here.


My uncle Rheinhold will be here in a few days. He's old school Bavarian. Wears lederhosen, yodels, the whole nine yards. His bavarian dialect is so strong that most Germans can't understand him. Crazy as a loon but as happy as they come.

Actually, that whole side of my family is crazy. Each crazier than the next. I always thought my mom was a little wacky (kiss the cow!), but she's the most sensible one in the bunch. I can't wait to see them all again.

In fact, I'm getting a little homesick for the fatherland. Beer, beer gardens, alps, lakes, beer, stammtische, art, history, walking, hiking, bakeries, cheeseries, beer, feather beds, clean roads, no speed limit, beer. I am due for a visit.

Speaking of beer, I wonder what Munich thinks of Budweiser being the official beer of the World Cup? Bud must have paid a pretty Euro for that kind of coup.

Oh, I just looked it up. They reportedly paid $47 million. Yeah, the germans aren't too happy about it. Maybe thats why my uncle Rheinhold left for a week.