I trust everyone had a pleasant 4th of July. Some people here in Munich were taken aback as I touted off a ‘Happy 4th’ and then had to explain, today is my country’s independence day. Even Alex was unaware. All the typical happenings that surround Independence Day hadn’t really played a major role in my life so I don’t feel much home sickness on the 4th nor compelled to recite cliché sayings about freedom and pride.
But one of the tv morning shows yesterday, in light of America’s Independence day, had carried out a poll asking Germans if they thought the US had a positive or negative influence on the world: 20% said positive, 72% negative. Pfif. Suddenly I felt a surge of patriotism in spite of myself. Aside from a very unpopular war, when you look at the whole pie, America isn’t all that bad, people.

I was also told at our grill fest on the Isar last night that ARD’s Tagesthemen displayed the American flag with 14 stripes. I half believed it since they botched the German flag during a newscast over the German-Turkey European Championship (soccer) game. But here’s the video proof:

Update: to ARD’s credit, it isn’t so easy to identify a wrong flag at first glance. You can quiz your flag knowledge here, if you can read German.

Begeisterung! What a crazy match between Germany and Turkey. Since there are lots of Turkish decedents living in Germany either way it was going to be a wild night.

We sat on our couch again and watched with bated breath as the game unfolded just as boring as the last two times Germany lost their nerve. Oh no. Twelve minutes into the game a fire lit under their feet but Turkey was still the first to score. Ugh. Then Germany scored to tie things up for half time.

The game would have had a normal sense of tension to it but there was a huge storm in Vienna, which broke transmission of the game several times during the night. Even though we sat alone at home, it was as if we were sitting with everyone in the neighboring buildings as they cry out in either joy when Germany scored or in annoyance when the picture disappeared.

We almost didn’t see Germany score their second goal had it not been piped directly from Basel. Although Turkey’s second goal, 4 minutes before the end of the second half, wasn’t fully realized because of a one second sound delay.

Germany had a beautiful set up and gained their third goal of the evening, 1 minutes to go! The referee added 3 minutes of delay time, plenty of time for notorious Turkey to score again. I couldn’t look any more.

Here was the scene outside our apartment after the match. The jubilee lasted until about 1am.

video created with open source software, Kino, provided in the Ubuntu operating system.

I remember clearly telling Eva: ‘We’re watching the game at home ‘cause I have serious doubts Germany’ll win against Portugal. Wanna come over?’

But they did win. So I guess, we’ll be watching their semi-final match of the European Championship at home again. Because we’re superstitious like that.

Go Germany! Finally you guys coughed up the poison apple you all have choking on for the last two games. Let the Sommermärchen summer fairytale continue..

In Germany the strawberries are in season in June. This fact has taken a bit of time to sink in for me because in Florida, March is strawberry month for me. But I’m a believer now. Although Florida strawberries are the best, hands down.

°°°
This weather has been down right depressive in Bavaria. For real, is this June? Is any one willing to spare a ray or two of sunshine? °°°
I forced myself and Alex to do a 40k bike ride this past Sunday. We avoided a potential deluge by heading north to Garching instead of south. I’m not a fan of northbound treks because the terrain is flat and that means we’ll be speeding to get any kind of heart rate going. And man did we fly.

We checked out Alex’s old stomping ground and made a pit stop at the Taxi Pizza and gobble down a Mexikana (made with kidney beans and corn) - the first German pizza I ever tasted. There’s lots of sprinkled chili flakes on the pizza that make your lips burn hours later.

°°°
So I think I’m in love. Oh Yes -with the new Coldplay album, Viva La Vida. Like I’ve awoken from a music coma and have the urge to bob my head in a ‘hell yeah’ -okay maybe not like that, give a girl a break, it was coma.

It’s been a while since I’ve bought an entire album and felt that floaty, whoa feeling. It sounds like the band had a lot of fun making this album. Way to go, guys.

But maybe I’m partial to sounds that veer off the predictable path just at the right moment. Who doesn’t like ear candy, Gretel? And still I find it cool that these songs manage to tickle the familiar by captivating the energy of earlier U2 and incorporate some of that instrumental butter I’ve gone gaga for from Explosions in the Sky. I couldn’t help but think of John Lennon’s “Imagine” as I first heard Coldplay’s “42″, and that’s not a bad thing. Yeah, the piano motif. Can you hear it too?

Viva La Vida cuts through the dreariness blanketing Munich on this June day. The sky could be blue. But I don’t mind. so much..

Artist: Coldplay
Album: Viva La Vida
Title: Strawberry Swing