It was an early start. Pete and I had to leave the house by 7:40 to catch the ferry from Konstanz to Meersburg. We left on time, despite being extremely tired. I had only slept about 5 hours because I had gone to a party the night before, fine enough though as the first part of our trip was uneventful and quite quiet; I even caught a few winks in the first train from Friedrickshafen to Ulm. We were making our way to Augsburg, a Bavarian town of about 269,000 which lies just 4 hours to the north of Konstanz. Why? We were going in support of our favorite football club, Karlsruhe.
Karlsruhe currently sits in first place of the second German soccer division. The way it works in Germany, and for most of Europe for that matter, is that the top three teams from the second division are promoted to the first division at the end of every season and the last three teams in the first division are relegated to the second division. The tables are run by points; a win is three points, a tie is one point for each team, and a loss is no points. Karlsruhe is now three points ahead of the second place team, Rostock. At this stage, both teams will probably be promoted, but winning the league is also extremely sought after and thus every game becomes vital, especially towards the end of the season when gaining points becomes most crucial. The struggle for points turns normal matches such as Karlsruhe vs. Augsburg, two teams which would normally be indifferent to one another, into fiery rivals.
We had a bit of time to waste between trains when we arrived in Ulm so we checked out a newspaper shop in the train station. With luck it was an international news stand and carried newspapers from the US. It was refreshing reading a newspaper from back home, although it didn't have much to say other then the coverage of the Oscars, which were taking place that night. Pete was searching for a soccer magazine and I perused the newspaper, when suddenly, without warning, they came.
It began as a small roar, barely noticeable, but built and built as they came closer. Pete and I stared at one another in confusion as others in the train station began looking about aimlessly. There was a slight rumble and the sound of feet could be heard thumping the floor in unison. Being in Germany, I couldn't help but have the pictures of Nazi propaganda films entered my mind and I laughed and shook my head at the ridiculousness. Pete and I, still staring at one another, craned our necks and directed our ears towards the sound. As the roar came nearer I could start to make out the words, "Hurah, Hurah, Die Karlsruher Sind Da!". Hurah, Hurah, Karlsruhe is here! Pete and I, seeing the recognition in each others eyes, simultaneously darted out of the newspaper shop and ran into the main hall of the train station. Just as we entered the foyer a sea of blue and black came around the corner flooding the train station as a swarm of bees might burst from their hive. A group, perhaps no larger than 50 supporters, mostly made up of boys aged 16 to 20 donning blue scarves and caps, marched through the train station; some waving flags and others with there hands in the air singing songs and chanting, making sure everyone was aware of their presence. These were the Karlsruhe faithful. The die hard fans who travel to every match, no matter the distance. It was a sight which I'd never seen before. Sure I've seen fans gathering outside of a stadium before a game, wearing their team's colors and hollering, but this was something more, this was organized. These weren't fans, but a small army.
We hopped on our train with the Karlsruhe faithful in front of us. The train itself was like a frat house, beer bottles strewn about the floor. We took our seats with the faithful still singing away, they had now grown in numbers as well and their group now included older men with their little children. One of the younger supports threw up from the alcohol and a chant immediately began, "Du Idiot, Du Idiot, Du Id-i-ot!" The train from Ulm to Augsburg was about an hour and a half and the faithful's pre-match ritual was relentless and totally got me into the spirit.
As we pulled into Augsburg Hauptbahnhof the cheering became louder. The doors to the train opened and the faithful rushed out like a mob. From my window seat I could see the citizens of Augsburg, their eyes protruding from their heads in bewilderment, everyone promptly stopped what they were doing and became mere bystanders to the blue and black parade which had just invaded their town. The faithful, more animated now than ever, began making their way to the stadium under heavy police escort. As we neared the stadium, which held about 60,000, we were met by opposing fans. The supporters, although passionate, were very well behaved and nothing more then some shouting back and forth took place.
We paid 8 Euros for our tickets and entered the stadium. The match started under heavy rain, but it would soon die down. It rained just enough to make me freeze throughout the match and give me a nice cold for the next few days. The atmosphere in the stadium was, at times, more exciting then the play on the field. Once again, I've been to many sport events in the States, but the fans there were nothing like they are at these matches. Pete explained to me that there is a man who buys tickets to every match, not to watch the game, but to lead the rest of the supporters in cheer. He stands with his back to the soccer pitch and, like a conductor, leads the fans in cheer.
Karlsruhe ended up losing the match, but this certainly didn't dampen the spirits of the faithful, as the conviction in their chants seemed even stronger than before.
Having a little time before our train home, Pete and I stopped to get something to eat and then took a walk around Augsburg. It is a very nice little town and also has a university. I would say it's definitely a candidate for my next studying abroad adventure.
One of my best friends Bob comes to Konstanz on Saturday. It will be a weekend filled with football as Manchester United plays their biggest rivals Liverpool. We will watch that match at the Irish pub and then on Sunday we will make our way to London to watch an acutal English Premier League Match. I can't wait.
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