Brahms and Ravel played on vuvuzelas (those annoying South African plastic horns at the World Cup games) by some wonderfully deadpan guys at the Konzerthaus Berlin.

Here are pretty much the things I knew beforehand about Boston ( Read more... )

I. German players ( Read more... )

I. The South in Summer ( Read more... )

Everything is bigger in America, and I don't mean that as a compliment. The first time I open a refrigerator on any visit back here, I find myself paralyzed for the first few seconds, just gazing into its cavernous depths and thinking, Who actually needs that much refrigeration?Milk comes in massive gallon-sized jugs, vehicles are monstrous and ( Read more... )

It's 96° Fahrenheit in the Washington DC area!! That's 35.5° Celsius, if you were wondering ( Read more... )

Okay, I promised I would put something up here about the trip to Ireland (both Republic and Northern). That trip was, ahem, two months ago now, but when I promise to do something, it doesn't let me go ( Read more... )

Are you sick of it yet? I think I'm getting close. The World Cup, pouring out of the city's every pore. Three games a day means there's soccer blasting from every café I pass as I do errands, going on in the background anywhere I try to eat dinner or lunch ( Read more... )

Game final whistle sounds, and... cue firecrackers and noisemakers throughout Berlin!

Germany won 4-0, and I knew about each goal the second it happened, from the neighbors cheering next door and the air horns sounding in the street.

That's all for tonight, folks.

Heh heh, I'm here at home working on a translation tonight (yes, I know, it's a fabulous way to spend a weekend evening) and was wondering a bit ago why I heard all these air horns and people shouting... then I got a clue and checked the World Cup website. Yup, Germany is playing its first game tonight, against Australia. When more shouts and air ( Read more... )