German Recreation Part I: Fußball

This last week in Berlin gave us a good taste of recreation, German-style. On Thursday, some Boschies and I were invited to play a pick-up Fußball (soccer) game with some German men, ranging in age from their twenties up into their seventies. It was probably the first true game of soccer I’ve played in a good ten years, but I figured twelve years of experience would count for something. My skills, though rusty, were sufficient for the two long hours of action. My stamina, however, greatly diminished after years of general laziness, was not. I was both astonished and humbled by the seventy year old men running circles around my lame twenty-six year old frame. No worries though. After the game, as I attempted to breathe and rehydrate, I learned that the Germans have another way of recuperating from sport. They invited me to the local pub where we could forget the water (they don’t serve it free here) and instead quench our thirst with a liter of Hefeweizen (wheat beer). The conversation was friendly and full of laughter, though I was also struck by Germans’ directness and their willingness to discuss topics we Americans would consider taboo among a dinner table of strangers (both of which I had been forewarned about- thanks Birgit!). I'm not sure which I enjoyed more: the game or the conversation afterwards. Though my body ached for the next two days, I will be back to play again next week.