Makin' German Mates
Where: Germany
Here in south-western Germany, the locals have a bit of an introverted, keep-to-themselves reputation, which most of them will readily admit. But at the same time, they're Germans, and Germans love to follow rules, so when they're told that the World Cup is a time to make friends they stand up and do it.
Take the Öhringen region where the Australian Socceroos (yes, that's the team name) are housed. Banks, pubs and supermarkets are crowded with shiploads of toy kangaroos and there's a mad scramble to learn the didgeridoo. Every local kid can draw the Aussie flag. Heck, most of them even know that Canberra's the capital of Oz, not Sydney. And they've planned a huge "G'day Mate" festival for Thursday this week, featuring Australian food, dance and--of course--beer.
About 80 minutes into yesterday's first round game between Japan and Australia, the kangaroo-lovin' locals might've wondered if they'd picked the right friends. With last tournament's co-hosts leading 1-0 for almost the whole game, who would've thought that the Socceroos could come back with three goals, starting in the 84th minute. Perhaps they just wanted to test out the loyalty of their new mates, or more time to practice the didgeridoo.
[Image via young_einstein/Flickr]
Related stories:
Elated Aussie fans [ABC]
World Cup Craziness [Jaunted]
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