My wife and I are in Munich until Monday and are hoping to watch the game somewhere fun. We tried to get tickets to the Public Viewing at Olympic Stadium but it's sold out. Does anyone know if there will be scalpers selling tickets outside the stadium the day of? Is it a big no-no to do here? In the US, you're not supposed to, but people still do it. If unable to watch it there, we thought about going to a bierhaus. Hofbrau is pretty close so we were considering that. We know we have to get there very early. Do you think 6 would be early enough for the 9 o'clock game? Also, we're open to any other suggestions a fellow BA might have. Thanks and cheers!
Weather permitting, I watch at the Augustinerkeller. Lots of big-screen TVs set up throughout the Biergarten -- plus the best beer in Munich. I'd get there earlier than 6 if I were you. Going to be huge. Prost!
I've randomly been there for both the men's and women's world cup before. They tend to set up TV's and viewing parties at several of the major/large biergartens. The picture in my avatar came as they were setting up some screens at the Chinisischer Turm. There were also similar large screens at the Hirschgarten. While the odds of them being insanely crowded are pretty high, they have a nice TV on the patio at Andechser Am Dom. We showed up about 10 minutes before Germany/Canada in 2011 and sat right down. However it was instantly packed when the game started.
Really? They deface the Biergarten like that? Ugh. Wonder if they do that in English pubs too? I was in Munich during one of the big football tournaments a few years back (not the World Cup, obviously) and none of the beer gardens went to this extent.
Sorry, are you an idiot? Steve, normally we agree on most things, but here I have to tell you that you're a... well, let me explain. If you own a place of drink, eat, whatever, and you expect people to be there during a game when Germany is playing in the World Cup, you better well damn have a Big TV for your customers to view or your establishment will be EMPTY. A game is a "Strassenfeger," or street sweeper, in other words, the country is closed except to watch the game. Think Super Bowl x 10. If you don't put up a large TV, you might as well close up, for you'll not have any customers, for they'll go where there IS a TV. When was this when you at München? If it was the EM (Euro Championship) and German wasn't playing, then you're right, but the World Cup... my God, are you sane? Sunday at 10 pm is the biggest game in Germany since... I think 2002 when they were last in the finals. @HookemHoos, just find a bar, a restaurant, whatever... they'll have a TV, and if not, it'll be empty. You'll find a place to watch the game. After all, it's the biggest game in Germany in a decade, even bigger than the Champions League game of BVB vs. Bayern. It's the main topic of conversation here.
Probably was the Euro Champs, but I thing it may have been Germany Champs (if there is such a thing). I believe Stuttgart was visiting Munich. Sorry to offend your new nationalism, but > yawn < And I played intramural soccer in college. And if you ever learn my last name you'll probably faint.
Höwedes? The German Pokal was recently between Munich and Stuttgart. 2012-13, I believe, the year Munich won everything. Jupp Heynkes' last year. Edit: [redacted]
For those of who don't know what he means by krankfeiern, which literally means "celebrating being sick," it means calling in sick when in fact you're not, so you can do something fun. Germans have a nice system where if you visit a doctor, s/he can write you prescription for NOT working for a week or more. All companies must obey (by law probably, but I'm not 100% sure) this and as long as a hallowed doctor has prescribed this, no company can protest. Those good at faking illness thus get lots of free extra vacation time, and that's on top of the already (by USA standards) minimum 24 days/year vacation days. I've know some who get more than 35 days per year, not including national holidays. Ah... yet I'm a freelancer and I get no enjoyment out of this system. Since it was a foregone conclusion that the VfB (Stuttgart) had no chance in hell winning against the mighty Bayern, no, I wouldn't have expected TVs anywhere. A DFB Cup is a minnow against the World Cup final whale. In 2 days, you'll not see a soul on the streets of Germany. We bought tickets online to watch the game in FfM at the Allianz Arena. Doors open at 9 pm German time, and we'll be there. There is really nothing like this to compare in the USA, really. People who don't care at all about Bundesliga matches care immensely about a World Cup game if Germany is playing. In 2006, Germans finally learned not to be ashamed of celebrating being German, and for them, the World Cup is a way for them to break out the WWII-enduced emotional straightjacket they'd put themselves in. This has a lot to do with the fact that most women, who aren't invested in the Bundesliga, are almost more fanatical than men when it comes to their national team. Right now, we're in a middle of a storm, a dream of almost every citizen, and this would be true whether it were Belgium, Mexico, Colombia or England, and this week I feel lucky to be here when it's happening. I'm not being nationalistic in any sense, just reporting the facts here.
Reminds me of the old joke about the Second Coming where Jesus has returned and is healing the sick, but when he gets to the German, the German says: "Ja nicht anfassen! Bin noch 14 Tage krank geschrieben."
Another thing I noticed while watching the crowd at the Brandenburg Gate go wild -- it was 11:35 in Germany... don't the beer gardens in Munich close at 11:00? Or was that just one more concession to the madness? Congrats boys, even if you probably didn't give Fußball a second thought before you landed in Germany. (I'm surprised this forum isn't in shambles right now. )
Yes, places with "public showings" of the game were allowed to stay open as long as the game was going on. On a related note, and to follow-up what @boddhitree mentioned before, places with no TV were totally empty yesterday around 8:15 pm. Places with TV's had lines out the door. I played soccer throughout High School (well, sat on the bench at least), although I never really watched professional soccer on a regular basis before moving here. I'd watch the World Cup every four years and cheer for all teams at once. Made it easier that way. Now I'm starting to develop allegiances, though, so I am getting emotionally invested. Still don't know anything about tactics, though. Nevertheless, it's fun to be in Europe when a major tournament is taking place.
I know where I'd have been. I rest my case. (and I am honestly just yanking everyone's chains, there are many more important things in the world to get all lathered up over) (*Oh, and I was a line judge in H.S., but I didn't have the colorful cards in my pocket, so no reason to hate me. )
It should be a requirement to post your actual trip log if you ask for help. I would love to hear some feedback every once in a while - or is that just a very German thing to demand?
I have 32 days of paid vacation, 14 national and state holidays a year, I work 38.5 hours a week which means that Fridays are only half days and thus I have a 2.5 day weekend. And I'm pretty average by German standards. I also ca stay home up to 3 days without even bringing a doctor's notice, just based on my word. If I'm sick longer I get full pay for the first 6 MONTH and after that I get reduced (60 % of wage) for another 72 (seventytwo) weeks which is more than 1.5 years. The interesting thing is that despite this system being in place Germany is the 3rd or 4th biggest nation on Earth by work output while, believing capitalists we should be somewhere between South Sudan and Somalia. Odd, innit ?
