Here the French contingent goes wild when Zidane makes his penalty kick. For me this evening was a rare opportunity to experience something truly European. Leisurely dining outdoors, meeting new people from all over the world, and celebrating the victory of “my” country in the world cup. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the Italian erruptions because I was too busy celebrating with my compadres to take pictures. When the game was over, the French and Germans were all truly happy for us. It was a fantastic evening and the drinking, singing and celebration continued for hours.

I had dinner in this outdoor beergarten which was setup with a huge screen for the World Cup finals. I arrived early and got a great spot among the thousand or so people who gathered at this venue to watch the game. About 10% of the crowd was for Italy, 30% for France, and the rest were Germans who did not really pick sides. Seated at my table were two Swiss guys and 3 couples from Germany. One woman earned her living using the equipment my company produces. What a small world.

I took dozens of photos of the architecture but this is among my favorites from a photographic perspective.

This little German girl was just too cute to pass up. Unfortunately, I could not communicate well enough to learn the significance of her tiny hat.

Open air cafes abound.

I decided that this was the lion for me to pose with. I asked a women walking by to take the photo. She turned out to be an optics engineer from Austria and we had a nice chat about cameras and lenses.

Little shops like this one are to be found in every nook and crany of the city.

The integration of architecture and sculpture is apparent with every new “Platz” revealing an even more spectacular view.

Highly decorated lion statues can be found at every turn. Here a waiter pauses for a chat with his girl friend.

I arrived at about noon and travelled by S-Bahn to the city center. After checking into my hotel and grabbing a quick nap and shower I set out for some sightseeing. Despite having been to Munich over a dozen times, I have never really had an opportunity to see this beutiful city.

Today I am off to Munich on this Lufthansa jet. To say the German’s have embraced the spirit of the World Cup would be an understatement. If I had tried, I could not have timed my trip better to coincide with the finals. Although it was really just dumb luck, I am looking forward to seeing the final match in a German beergarten.

Final shot of the day.

I reached the end of the shore walk as the sun was setting and paused for this shot which for me captures the feel of the city.

As I was walking down the street, I came across what appeared to be a race in which all participants were wearing red dresses regardless of gender. Of the 500 or so “runners” all seemed to share a high blood alcohol content and to be displaying a lot of skin (this being a family website, I have posted the most conservative albeit least interesting photo). Only in California!