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Published: December 27th 2006
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June 18, 2006
The train departed the Constance train station at around 11:30--my brother and I had just missed the 10:30 train by seconds, so we had to wait. We were on our way to Leipzig, about eight hours away with all the connections, for the France-Korea game. We soon realized we weren't going to be able to make the game on time unless we figured out a plan to put our bags somewhere before the game without much time being wasted in Leipzig. The train arrived into Leipzig 20 minutes before the game started. The trip had several stops and change of trains, so we soon made a plan to leave the bags in Offenburg, the stop with the longest amount of time between trains. The ride was beautiful, passing through the hills of the Black Forest. We were the only ones on the train to be hassled by two German cops that were wondering why we would come to Germany. The World Cup, we replied, and they were satisfied.
We left our bags in Offenburg. The people working at the station weren't nice, and to pass the time we walked a little around town. The only problem with this
plan was that we would have to leave late at night after the game, or extremely early in the morning to come back to Offenburg so we would arrive in Berlin early afternoon, where we were going to meet up with Tron--he decided to stay an extra day in Constance.
The ride to Leipzig was extremely long, and we mostly sat on the floor. We hurried out of the station, and ran to the tram stop right out front. Luckily, I don't know how, we chose the correct tram, heading east on B87 (don't remember the name of the road) paid the driver, and got off the corner of Waldstrasse, a good two long blocks away from the stadium. We hauled ass. We ran fast, following some Korean fans who were also late. Stopped at the ticket office, got the tickets and kept running to the gate. Mountain climbing in South Korea surely helped in this run, otherwise I know I would not have been able to do it. We ran the whole way, full sprint. Stopped at the gate, while security checked our bags. We kept running. The stadium in Leipzig, Zentralstadion, is one set of stairs after another.
We finally made it to the game, excited, and only the first five minutes had ticked off. The Korean fans were going crazy. By far out numbering, and out cheering, the French fans. Henry scored early, just as we were sitting down. Korea tied it up late, and the game ended in a draw. However, after the game the Korean fans and players were celebrating as if they had won, and France acted as if they had lost. Too bad Korea didn't take that high into the next game, and weren't able to pass on to the second round.
After the game we walked west, through some of the side streets. As we walked, it dawned on us that it was a shame that we weren't going to be able to see the town during the day, as from what we could see the city looked beautiful during the night.
We beat the crowds back to the station, and checked some times for the trains. There was one that would leave at 12:45 for Frankfurt, a stop we had to make to get to Offenburg. We were happy.
Walked south of the station, to get something to eat and drink,
and settled on a very quiet restaurant, and we were a bit sad no crowds were around. However, within twenty minutes the place was full of Korean fans and media, along with some French fans. Got a chance to talk to a Korean that lives in Michigan, and we drank some beers.
By time we arrived back to the station, almost everyone had settled into a hotel, left on their train, or had chosen a nook in the station for the night. We got on the train that was on the platform that was assigned to the train going to Frankfurt. We dozed off, not looking around, and it wasn't until the train started moving--thirty minutes behind schedule--that a Canadian started a conversation with us. She told us that this train was going to the airport--we had gotten on the wrong train. I was a bit ticked off as the signs clearly stated that this train was on its way to Frankfurt.
At the first stop, we talked to the conductor, and said we had to get off, and left us there, at around 2 am. We walked on Seehausener strasse towards a huge complex. We don't know if it
is a mall or is used for conventions. We headed south and found a cab that was on the side of the road while the driver slept. We felt bad, but we woke him up. He was in service and was glad to take us back to the train station.
After getting back, we looked around for an explanation, and due to the game, the track was switched while we had already climbed on the train. The year before we slept at Barcelona's train station, this year we slept in Leipzig's. Luckily it had benches and we dosed off until almost six when the next train left for Frankfurt. We got a seat for the first few hours and were able to sleep. Got into Offenburg around mid-day and got our bags. The train that was coming from Constance emptied, and we looked for Tron, just in case he was in it. We didn't see him. The train to Berlin came, and found a nice nook on the floor, as the train was already packed, and waited out the ride. Five minutes later we see Tron walking down the aisle, and we were fortunate to find each other. A good night overall, tiring though by the time the adventure ended. I think Leipzig would have been great to see and explore, but the game was fun and the trip was worth it.
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