I was there.
So we gave the German Team a most brilliant welcome to our city tonight.
Pictures maybe on Sunday or any time soon, at the moment I'm just too lazy to sort through 80 almost identical pics....
On the radio they said their plane would land between 7 and 8 p.m. and they would depart from the airport "some time around 8". At 7 I arrived at the hotel, there were already a couple of hundred people there. The hotel is located right in the city centre, next to the Main Station (Bus, Train, Underground, Taxi, whatever you want....), neighbouring on two major streets of this city and their crossing. The police had already closed one lane of them, leaving a small space for the public busses (which were all greeted as if it was already the Team's Coach to pass the time) to get through. People were everywhere else. I got myself a very good spot indeed on the middle isle right in front of the main entrance and had I come only a few minutes later that wouldn't have been possible anymore. People just kept swarming in from everywhere. In short time they had filled the street, from the crossroad to possibly even a few hundred meters beyond the hotel front down the road. The police wouldn't let them take more than that or the opposite lane as well.
We passed the time with cheering (the public busses XD also, LaOla) and singing and posing for the dozens of tv teams and reporters that were there and for some of the hotel staff taking pics. At about 5 past 8 someone passed the news around that the Team's Coach had just passed through a certain district (near the airport). Anticipation rose.
When finally the Coach arrived at roughly about half past 8 the police weren't able to restrain the people anymore and within seconds the complete road was blocked (near traffic breakdown in our city ensued *smirk*) with happy cheering people. I was able to see through the coach's huge front window all of the guys getting out. Two started giving autographs but the police asked them not to lest they'd lose control completely.
Almost all of them immediately went to the huge window front on the first floor and waved and watched and took pictures.
Then, at about a quarter to 9, they had dinner. We again passed the time with cheering and singing and demanding to see the Team or various of its members, most of all Klinsmann. At 5 past 9 someone indicated that they'd come in five minutes. All the windows were opened and they were all there.
Klinsmann and Klose were extremely shy, showing themselves only shortly before quickly darting into the background again, while some of the youngest members seemed to have a really good time. The whole Team waved and took pictures, made videos, made the crowd do LaOlas (Kahn in particular), applauded and in general all looked quite flattered and overwhelmed and happy.
Klinsmann got the biggest cheer, closely followed by Lehmann, then Frings, Lahm, Klose, Hildebrandt, Schweinsteiger......and all the others. ;)
About a precious happy half an hour later they "left". A few of them went to the lobby, I guess, because suddenly there was a huge cheer among the people right at the door who could peek inside. Most of the others must have gone to their rooms. A couple of them (the "Young Ones") opened their rooms' windows and looked or waved or photographed out again. Frings threw out a shirt after jokingly trying to throw out another player's cap (come to that, I have no idea if this shirt was his' in the first place). *LOL*
Well, time flew and I finally I left the site. ^^
At home I had taped the news magazines of several channels and they showed the arrival and the crowd briefly in almost all of them. ^-^ In one the Media Manager (forgot his name, sorry) of the Team said he'd never seen anything like this before. Which, I think, is of course exaggerated but the boys *did* seem genuinely moved.
The media tells me that there were about 1 000 people at the airport, on their way into the city everywhere the Coach passed it was greeted by waving people and/or honking cars and in front of the hotel were (and here the estimations greatly differ from another) between 5 and 9 000 people.
All cheering like we had just won the Cup. =^-^=
What we sang:
- Wir sind stolz auf euch Schalalalalalaaaa! We're proud of you
- Ohne Klinsmann gehn wir hier nicht weg / gehn wir nicht nach Haus / gehn wir heut nicht heim! Without [seeing] Klinsmann we won't go away / won't go home /won't go home tonight
- Komm raus, wenn du ein Schwabe bist! Come out if you're a Swebian
- Ein Jürgen Klinsmann, Es gibt nur ein' Jürgen Klinsmann, Ein' Jürgen Kliinsmann! One Jürgen Klinsmann, there's only one Jürgen Klinsmann....
- Stuttgart ist viel schöner als Berlin! Stuttgart's much better than Berlin
- Berlin, Berlin, wer will schon nach Berlin? Berlin, Berlin, who wants to go to Berlin anyway?
- Wir wolln die Mannschaft sehn, wir wolln die Mannschaft sehn, wirwollwirwolln wir wolln die Mannschaft sehn! We want to see the Team
- Oooooh wie ist das schööön, ooh wie ist das schöööön, sowas hat man lange nicht gesehn, so schöööön, soooo schöööön Oooooh this is all so beautiful/nice/good, we haven't seen anything like this in a long time
- So sehn Sieger aus Schalalalalaaaaaaaa! This is what winners look like
- the national anthem and if you know anything about germany you know that this is just totally unbelievable
- various Team Members' names
Awwwwwww, this was soooooo great. I'll remember this for a long time indeed.
Tomorrow's going to be utterly, utterly insane. You see, the Team's hotel is just around the corner from the Public Viewing / Official Fan Fest. If the weather holds (oh pleasepleaseplease) I'll be there again, of course. After the match, no matter the outcome, it is my guess that MANY of the overall 100 000 people (and many, many more from all over the city) will start to swarm to the hotel. So far they/we have always celebrated in one of the city's major roads, which was closed by the police exclusively for this purpose. But if my guess is right.... it's going to be complete chaos and anarchy here. In a good way. =^-^=
I'm preparing for a looooooong night. XD
Oooooooooh wie is das schöööööön, Oooooooooh wie is das schöööööön, Sowas hat man lange nicht gesehn, So schöööön, SO SCHÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖN!
Yoo
Pictures maybe on Sunday or any time soon, at the moment I'm just too lazy to sort through 80 almost identical pics....
On the radio they said their plane would land between 7 and 8 p.m. and they would depart from the airport "some time around 8". At 7 I arrived at the hotel, there were already a couple of hundred people there. The hotel is located right in the city centre, next to the Main Station (Bus, Train, Underground, Taxi, whatever you want....), neighbouring on two major streets of this city and their crossing. The police had already closed one lane of them, leaving a small space for the public busses (which were all greeted as if it was already the Team's Coach to pass the time) to get through. People were everywhere else. I got myself a very good spot indeed on the middle isle right in front of the main entrance and had I come only a few minutes later that wouldn't have been possible anymore. People just kept swarming in from everywhere. In short time they had filled the street, from the crossroad to possibly even a few hundred meters beyond the hotel front down the road. The police wouldn't let them take more than that or the opposite lane as well.
We passed the time with cheering (the public busses XD also, LaOla) and singing and posing for the dozens of tv teams and reporters that were there and for some of the hotel staff taking pics. At about 5 past 8 someone passed the news around that the Team's Coach had just passed through a certain district (near the airport). Anticipation rose.
When finally the Coach arrived at roughly about half past 8 the police weren't able to restrain the people anymore and within seconds the complete road was blocked (near traffic breakdown in our city ensued *smirk*) with happy cheering people. I was able to see through the coach's huge front window all of the guys getting out. Two started giving autographs but the police asked them not to lest they'd lose control completely.
Almost all of them immediately went to the huge window front on the first floor and waved and watched and took pictures.
Then, at about a quarter to 9, they had dinner. We again passed the time with cheering and singing and demanding to see the Team or various of its members, most of all Klinsmann. At 5 past 9 someone indicated that they'd come in five minutes. All the windows were opened and they were all there.
Klinsmann and Klose were extremely shy, showing themselves only shortly before quickly darting into the background again, while some of the youngest members seemed to have a really good time. The whole Team waved and took pictures, made videos, made the crowd do LaOlas (Kahn in particular), applauded and in general all looked quite flattered and overwhelmed and happy.
Klinsmann got the biggest cheer, closely followed by Lehmann, then Frings, Lahm, Klose, Hildebrandt, Schweinsteiger......and all the others. ;)
About a precious happy half an hour later they "left". A few of them went to the lobby, I guess, because suddenly there was a huge cheer among the people right at the door who could peek inside. Most of the others must have gone to their rooms. A couple of them (the "Young Ones") opened their rooms' windows and looked or waved or photographed out again. Frings threw out a shirt after jokingly trying to throw out another player's cap (come to that, I have no idea if this shirt was his' in the first place). *LOL*
Well, time flew and I finally I left the site. ^^
At home I had taped the news magazines of several channels and they showed the arrival and the crowd briefly in almost all of them. ^-^ In one the Media Manager (forgot his name, sorry) of the Team said he'd never seen anything like this before. Which, I think, is of course exaggerated but the boys *did* seem genuinely moved.
The media tells me that there were about 1 000 people at the airport, on their way into the city everywhere the Coach passed it was greeted by waving people and/or honking cars and in front of the hotel were (and here the estimations greatly differ from another) between 5 and 9 000 people.
All cheering like we had just won the Cup. =^-^=
What we sang:
- Wir sind stolz auf euch Schalalalalalaaaa! We're proud of you
- Ohne Klinsmann gehn wir hier nicht weg / gehn wir nicht nach Haus / gehn wir heut nicht heim! Without [seeing] Klinsmann we won't go away / won't go home /won't go home tonight
- Komm raus, wenn du ein Schwabe bist! Come out if you're a Swebian
- Ein Jürgen Klinsmann, Es gibt nur ein' Jürgen Klinsmann, Ein' Jürgen Kliinsmann! One Jürgen Klinsmann, there's only one Jürgen Klinsmann....
- Stuttgart ist viel schöner als Berlin! Stuttgart's much better than Berlin
- Berlin, Berlin, wer will schon nach Berlin? Berlin, Berlin, who wants to go to Berlin anyway?
- Wir wolln die Mannschaft sehn, wir wolln die Mannschaft sehn, wirwollwirwolln wir wolln die Mannschaft sehn! We want to see the Team
- Oooooh wie ist das schööön, ooh wie ist das schöööön, sowas hat man lange nicht gesehn, so schöööön, soooo schöööön Oooooh this is all so beautiful/nice/good, we haven't seen anything like this in a long time
- So sehn Sieger aus Schalalalalaaaaaaaa! This is what winners look like
- the national anthem and if you know anything about germany you know that this is just totally unbelievable
- various Team Members' names
Awwwwwww, this was soooooo great. I'll remember this for a long time indeed.
Tomorrow's going to be utterly, utterly insane. You see, the Team's hotel is just around the corner from the Public Viewing / Official Fan Fest. If the weather holds (oh pleasepleaseplease) I'll be there again, of course. After the match, no matter the outcome, it is my guess that MANY of the overall 100 000 people (and many, many more from all over the city) will start to swarm to the hotel. So far they/we have always celebrated in one of the city's major roads, which was closed by the police exclusively for this purpose. But if my guess is right.... it's going to be complete chaos and anarchy here. In a good way. =^-^=
I'm preparing for a looooooong night. XD
Oooooooooh wie is das schöööööön, Oooooooooh wie is das schöööööön, Sowas hat man lange nicht gesehn, So schöööön, SO SCHÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖN!
Yoo