Karen Mark & James Redshaw

So it finally picked today to start to rain! This has been the most mild winter that we have experienced here in Germany. Last weekend we took the bikes along the Main with some friends and then the ferry at Hoechst and has a really nice lunch one of the restaurants in the old market square. Kids and mums took the tram back to town and the dads rode and were first to Milano’s for a well deserved ice cream.

That was all in wonderful spring weather, today James and I went swimming and on our way home it started to rain and it has just kept on coming! I thought that it was supposed to be April showers!

Well yesterday England played Paraguay, thankfully they won. Here in the city it was quite wierd, so many English fans it really just Red and white shirts on show. In the morning James and I wnet for a walk near the house and all arround the river were English coming in from campsites arround the town to the center of the city.

At about 13:00 we went on our bikes in to town and there were thousand and thousands of English in the city, or more precisely by the river. In the Fan Center there are 30000 seats they were all taken and I think all by England Fans. We walked all the way around and just England England England…. A few Germans and even more Germans in England shirts! I don’t understand that at all… And finally I think it was 8 people from Paraguay who to there credit were having fun and even a BBQ in the bridge (I am sure that this being Germany there must be a law banning that!).

Some people are even saying that there were 100000 English here in the city for the match 30-40000 in the stadium and the ret just in the city it’s self!

More photos are on the photo pages.

Well the world cup has finally arrived! As I write this most of Germany is stood or sat in front of a TV screen, I don’t belive it would be too much of a sterotype to imaginge that most of them have a beer in one hand as well.

The office emptied really early and most were going to watch the opening ceremony and hope Germany get on OK against Costa Rica. I think generally expectations the Germayn have to the tounrament are low and they hope Germany will make it past the group stage any anything else would be luck. The roads were also really empty as I come hoem so that really confirmed where all the Germans are.

I like to make the point that as regards the most important sport we are already World Champions. That said James and I are going to the Togo Korea match on Tuesday, nice since we can cycle to the stadium from here at home. If you have the chance look for us on TV! I will report on the match as soon as we get there, and may be a few pictures of what is happeining in Frankfurt over the next days, hopefully England beat Paraguay tomorrow and all will remain happy.