paris

well yesterday was a day of mixed feelings, we came to one of the most amazing cities in the world and saw the last world cup games that we will see from the continent that gave us this wonderful game. While walking around in the early afternoon looking for lunch we had two goals. first find a place with AC and second make sure its showing the game at 4 so we dont have to miss it. turns out we could have watched the game at dinner time instead but o well, the night game though we wanted to watch somewhere spectacular because it was such a great game. we were told to go to the giant screen under the Eiffel tower and watch with a bunch of other people. turns out that there were so many other people there that it was full and we ended up watching the game in our room instead. but we made the most of it, blowing our vuvuzelas and having a blast. its amazing how much the french don't like there team currently and i can only imagine what it would be like if America cared that much. Maybe one day we will. well this will be my last blog and i hope you enjoyed reading it, i certainly enjoyed writing it for you.

Garrett

Well these last couple of days have been pretty hard on American soccer fans like myself and it shouldn't be any surprise to anybody that the people of Europe were delighted with our departure from the Tournament. We have been watching the games the last few days on the internet but it was evident from reaction on the streets of france who the locals wanted to win in both the American and English games. This reaction is something that most would expect from a bunch of upset Frenchmen whose team was disgraced and bounced in the first round so we were not shocked but a little amused. Ghana seems to be the neutral team that is picking up the support of the fans whose teams are already out and with the growing list of high profile exits why not root for the underdog? we are off back to the states in a few days so i will probably only post one more time but this has been a fantastic experience and hope i have given some decent insight into my experience and that all of you will be booking flights to brazil in four years.

Garrett

The Italian Experience

After a couple days of travel through Italy we have finally settled down in a small village on lake como just north of milan. We got here just in time for the United States game yesterday afternoon. I thought my parents were going to have to take me to the hospital due to heart attack and after Landon bagged his goal the shouting was so loud from our room that the neighbors came over to check on us. Things were completely different today when Italy was playing, before kickoff there were italian flags in every window and you could tell that the italian peoples confidence was brimming. there is no way the current world champs lose in the group stage right? And all they need is a tie against slovakia to get through. and things looked ok for a while but after the first slovakia goal you could have heard a coin drop from a mile a way. the town was stunned and things only got worse as they were then given false hope before having there dreams crushed one last time. The whole town is still in shock and they have no idea what has happened. The one thing they have going is that they have tons of stuff they can blame the loss on. In walking to get food after the game we heard it was the ball, the altitude, and even the ref for not awarding a goal on the ball that was cleared off the like by Slovakia in the second half. The Italians seem to be good at diving and making excuses but not winning games in this World Cup.

Garrett

Disgruntled Fans

Just like we saw a bunch of disgruntled English people a few days ago, yesterday we spent the afternoon amongst a group of stunned, then angry Italians as their side found a way to go dow none nil to New Zealand and then fight back for a draw in which they never looked like the world champions of four years ago. Many of the people around us who had praised manager Marcello Lippi in 2006 now are wondering about his choice of players and formation. There were actually fans that were so disgusted with the play that they left at halftime. You can always see the heart that these fans show and the love that they have for their teams even when they are swearing at the screen and storming out. There's still plenty more to enjoy from this eventful and exciting tournament.

Garrett

Venice

Well today started as a rather rainy day in the beautiful town of venice. My brother and I were a little disappointed because it didn't seem like there would be much to do. Wow were we wrong, almost immediately upon going outside we were surrounded by kids playing soccer in the street and everyone of them had on Azzurri jersey on or something else that said Italia. After kicking the ball around with them for a little while we asked them where the best place to watch the game was and they led us to a fan zone that had been set up with a giant TV so everybody could watch the games together. There are pizza places everywhere and this is all happening in a pretty steady rain. All the shops have signs that read, "Closing at 3:30 for the match," and you can tell that these people really love their soccer. We are off to watch the matches now but I will have another post later tonight.

Garrett

Pub Experience

After being in at the World Cup for eights days you think you have experienced all the great atmospheres that surround the World Cup, but yesterday was a whole new and crazy adventure as we went to a British pub to watch the USA vs. Slovenia game and the England vs. Algeria game with 300 drunk Englishmen. I have never see so many people who are riding an emotional roller coaster as both games went on. It was a blast and after spending three hours getting told our team is trash and we probably won't advance it was pretty entertaining watching the faces of all the England fans as they walked with their heads held low when leaving the pub. On the other side of things, our hotel happened to be in a large Algerian neighborhood and they cheered well past midnight. Looking at this and how it affected so many people was amazing and you can truly see how far this game reaches across the world and how deeply people love their football.

Off To New Adventures

Well today is our last day in the beautiful city of cape town. It has been nothing less than perfect here for a week and I couldnt have imagined a better trip in my wildest dreams. We have seen all different parts of Africa and it has really been an amazing cultural experience. Now we are back off to Europe to enjoy the rest of the World Cup as we travel around England and Italy. The people here in South Africa are so proud to be hosting this event and they have all been so friendly that there has not been a single bad thing to complain about, other than the lack of goals in a few of the matches haha. Get your tickets for 2014 in Brazil because this is an experiance that is not to be missed if you are a soccer fan like me, and even if you are not a huge fan of the beautiful game, the pagentry and everything that has surrounded us has been totally worth the trip. My brother and I have already started planning out 2014 adventure and I hope you will as well.

Garrett