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Small Talk Awkward Again for Germany

The mood is particularly strange in Germany this morning. Giant screens in public viewing areas are being dismantled, flags are strewn on the side of the road instead of on cars, and nobody knows what to talk about.

On Saturday, the more dedicated half of German fans flocked to Stuttgart to support the Nationalmannschaft in their who-really-cares play-off for third place against Portugal. Feverish French and Italian supporters mixed up in this crowd experienced things very differently: all of a sudden, the Germans love the French, and throw insults at pizza deliverers.

After Sunday's long grand final and a win to Italy in the penalty shoot-out, pizzerias and gelati cafés celebrated long into the night, while the locals, still with a bitter taste after a semi-final loss to Italy, tried to ignore the honking and began to catch up after four weeks with little sleep. Germans are renowned for their inability to make small talk, but they actually had something to talk about this past month, and now it's all over. No matter how the radio and TV presenters put it, the 698 days until the European Championship is still a long time.

Related stories:
Germany's Hangover [Spiegel]
Flags, Flags, Flags [Jaunted]