Friday, September 26, 2008

OKTOBERFEST!!!!!!!!! Picture Diary.....:)

OK I know everyone knows the stories and I am sure many of you have seen the movie "Beer Fest" but let me tell you there is know way you can have any IDEA how huge Oktoberfest is until you see it for yourself in Person. Wow....it has certainly got to be the only place that you will find upwards of 100,000 people drinking and partying at 11am. Wow....and these are pictures from only one day of Oktoberfest....it is 3 weeks long and everyday is as big as the next. And to make it even better I went to a Bayern Munich game that night, and it was not just any Bayern Munich game is was a German DFB Cup Derby, with their closest rival, FC Nurnberg...one of the biggest games of the year!!!!! My day began at 8am and ended at 3am the next morning.....to say the least I was exhausted. But boy it was worth it!!!!! I tried to find the best pics to highlight everything from the day for you, but like I said...if you like what you see, pictures just do not do it justice...........

.....click on the pic to see it larger.....


Bus To Munich....Note this is the bus that drives the team I play for.....FC Eintracht Bamberg....REPRESENT!!!!

Here we are at the stadium....10am ready to head to oktoberfest!!!!!

We are here....the entrance to the Beer Drinkers Paradise....huh....looks like a Giant Carnival....

Outside the first tent....ok....they are not exactly tents....well the tops look like tents, so I guess it is not totally a lie....but the call them tents none the less....haha

This is inside the first Tent.....yeah this is 11am in the morning....so where are we going to find a seat????

Our first "Mas" that is the only size you can order if you want beer here....haha....That is a Full Liter of BEER!!!!!!

The Haufbrahouse Tent!!!!! Didnt make it in but notice the crowd of people outside...and you cant find a seat inside the tents....there are about 20 of them all seating 5,000 to 10,000 people....You do the math but that is a lot of people....

Inside the Second Tent.............

DINNER TIME......Not even a joke this is all I ate since breakfast....but they have a saying here...."7 beers 1 snitchel now its time to drink".....you see 7 beers have the equivalent nutritional value of 1 snitchel (basically a breaded pork chop) so I guess this is all I needed with all the beer I was drinking....Right????

Hat Lady.....she actually sold hats.....haha.....but her hat was definitely cooler than any she was selling....haha.

Alright.....enough drinking!!!!! Let's go to the Game!!!!! HAHAHA.........Look at my new hat.....:)

Pretty Sweet View huh.....there are not to many things more beautiful than this.....

Wow!!!!!!! I love Germany!!!!!

Good Seats Huh?????? Is that a beautiful sight or what....I would die a happy man just getting to warm up on a pitch like that.....:)

Hahahahaha......NOPE......Actually these are my seats.....well I was not sitting in them though.....boy it doesnt get any better than this....next step would be to be playing out there.

Sold Out......65,000 Strong......boy it was loud!!!

This video is just a taste......and it teaches one of the million chants they have for the team....keep in mind this crowd was not silent for almost 3 hours.......Boy it was intense.......

I can't get over this....these guys are the best in the world!!!!!! (well one of the best in the world) I wouldnt want to affend anyone....heheheh

This is a clip of the game.....from my cell phone mind you.....I really was this close......Still totally pumped.....can't wait till the next game!!!!!!

Luca Toni!!!!!!!!!

2-0 Bayern Munchin........

Well wow I have to say that was def an experience of a lifetime.....could not do that every day.....but I am looking forward to my next Oktoberfest experience.....this definitely will not be the last!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care everyone there is more to come............

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Chase Continues

Shoot I think it has been about 3 weeks since I touched base with everyone last. Wow I still can't believe the time is going by so fast. So I have been here for 5 weeks now, but it honestly feels like it has been so much longer though. 
Well things have been going good, I am chasing my dream....and The Chase Continues....So I cant complain!!! The past couple of weeks I have been trying to pull everything together here to get my residency, well I finally got it....Yaaaaaahhhh!!!!! So now pending the reciept of my players card this next week, I should be 100% eligible to play next weekend. So I am totally stoked for that. 
Boy that was a process though and with all the ups and downs and the language barrier it is a bit frustrating at times. Those of you that know me well might know this but when it comes to anything I am doing I get quite frustrated when things don't go perfectly the way I had planned. Something that I think has been a bit of a crutch of mine that I have been really working on over the past few years of my life. I need to get better at just "letting go, and letting God", like my mother always says to me (I Love You Mom). I mean I knew in the back of my mind that all of this might take time to get rolling but I get my hopes up, and when things don't work out right away I getting frustrated. But the bottom line is now I have my residency and now I finally get to see how I hold up playing soccer here in germany. 
Now here is how it is going work. The team I will be playing with is a 6th division ameuture/semi-pro team, if I do well I might get a little money here and there, but nothing is guaranteed. But the goal is to make the starting 11 by the end of the first half of the season, which ends October 31. The second half of the season I would be looking to get some looks by the 1st team, which is in the 4th division here, where I would be guaranteed a bit more money on the starting 11. But this level is still not professional, they are one step below, 3rd division here in Germany is the first professional level which is my ultimate goal here. So it is just a ladder and if I do well and am consistent in my play I will move up. 
Along the way I my have the opportunity to try out for a couple professional teams in both Sweden and possibly Denmark (they are pending right now). And during the winter offseason, I am trying to get in the "professional combine" in florida, with which will get me many looks from pro teams in the states and in Europe. 
So it is SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER for the next few month (well I am hoping the next couple of years), but I do have to make money, not alot but some to pay the few bill I have here and back in the states (Damn Student Loans). So keep in mind the options are a bit limited here since my German is not very good, but i may be working at Burger King here...haha....yeah I never thought I would be saying that but money is money right, and I have a few other things pending but this is the first thing that came up. So as long as I pass the training I will  also probably be starting that this week as well. 
So that is my life right now.....very unpredictable right now, but I cannot remember the last time my life was anything but.....so I am happy and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me next. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, I will take any extra help I can get over here.........:)
Take care and I hope all is well for all of you......