Nathan, Masha, Jeanne and I take a breather near the Bedrich Smetana statute, looking out over the Vltava river.A particular highlight of their visit: playing the card game "Up the River" at Riegrovy Sady beer garden one Friday night. I must give credit where credit is due. Nathan won to my competitive dismay, rubbing my nose in the ground (not literally, of course). Fun was certainly had by all - even me!
What else? I was successful in turning Nathan, Masha (perhaps?) and Jeanne (I think?) on to soccer during the 2008 Euro Cup. After agreeing to a friendly brotherly-sisterly wager, I was swept up in the barrage of games. Nearly every night a game. It was crazy. Finish work, head home or to the beer garden, watch soccer, go to bed, get up and do it all over again - what a routine! I actually had a minor withdrawal after the Spaniards beat the Germans in the final.
The tournament was pretty outstanding from this lay woman's perspective! As for me, I was pulling for Michael Ballach, Lukas Podolski, and Schweinsteigger - the Kanzlerin's team. German TV carried more than one glimpse of Germany's Angela Merkel up in the stands. But sadly, Germany in the end just did not have what it took to overcome Spain. They were just too darn much. It was still quite the ride for this adopted Germany fan! Yes, I'm a convert.
Oh, and yes, I ended up losing to my brother Mark. A little lesson I learned: when you have a bet - even a friendly one - you get so caught up in wanting your chosen team to win that it sucks some of the simple joy and pleasure out of watching a good game. Hmmm...
