World Cup Delirium

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I don't remember the 2006 World Cup.  I was living in the bustling metropolis of Towanda, Pennsylvania at the time where life revolved around hunting, chewing tobacco flavors, and caravaning to the town's high school football team away games.  In Europe, the World Cup has been the only thing that matters.  Country flags adorn nearly every window and balcony in Basel.

Co-workers wear country jersey's to work and fill out brackets with an intensity and creativity I never saw in my eighteen years during March Madness living in the heart of ACC territory.  Businesses feature World Cup specials from cakes (see below) to drink specials.

During the earlier rounds with day time games, Novartis set up giant outdoor screens with free food and drinks.  I remember distinctly my second week, sitting outside watching a game eating my free bratwurst as one of the many beer waitresses came around refilling drinks thinking that I had died and gone to work heaven.  Later rounds meant 8:30PM games when all Swiss people have long since left work so we started attending public viewings.  Basel is uniquely positioned to give inhabitants the flexibility to literally walk to France or Germany so we began attending game viewings in their home country.  Below is a German game we attended in Freiburg.

Of course we had to join in the local festivities and made friends to outfit us in German attire.  The picture below features Kevin having a German flag drawn on him.

Here's the end result

Though I may not be living in Europe during the 2014 World Cup, I hope to bring some of the fervor I've witnessed wherever I am.