Mannheim: Our First Visit

The Americans played their second World Cup match against Italy, the eventual champions. We knew we were in for a tough fight, but that's the reason you become a fan, right? The match was set to take place in Kaiserslautern, a town in the densely wooded eastern section of Germany. There is an American military base nearby, so we had a feeling this game would be well attended by Yanks.

Lodging options were few and far between in Kaiserslautern, so we found a nearby hotel in the less-desirable city of Mannheim. Nothing against Mannheim - it was pretty enough with its squares, shopping streets, and impressive train station - but when you're in a country like Germany for a month, you kind of want to explore some of the best the country has to offer. We wound up staying in Mannheim again later on in the tournament, much to our chagrin, for the match between Australia and Italy. But, we found the local public house and relaxed many hours away watching endless amounts of soccer.