After finding out how cold it really was yesterday we decided that being fully 'thermalled up' was definitely the order of the day so we loaded up the layers and ventured out into the weather. It had snowed a little bit but only small flurries compared with the snow back in the UK. The cold is really quite different to back home in that it's very dry and there is no frost. It's still below freezing but a much more pleasant 'European-style'.
We walked back to the old town and found one of the bars that Chadders' best mate from last night had apparently recommended and we dumped ourselves at a table and started on the house beer. It quickly became obvious that all of us were starting to quite badly overheat with all our layers so we decided to strip off down to our thermals. Chadders refused to let me take my trousers off so I had to soldier on and take in more fluids to cope!
For the next few hours we turned into three grumpy old men putting the world to rights and sharing our individual OCD traits and our annoyances on life, the universe and everything - encouraged by the surly attitude of the waiter. We've now arrived at the conclusion that all waiters are like that with the customers, irrespective of nationality - after witnessing them treating their fellow countrymen like that too.
So, after a meal of Currywurst for the boys and some other sausage and mash related dish for me (can you actually overdose on Pork?) the afternoon was moving on and we had to think about making tracks to the Esprit stadium. After a final pitstop at the bar Chadders and I went to on Thursday (we actually ordered a different beer too!) we headed for the taxi rank (having learned our lesson of being incompetent with the trains) and bumbled our way through sufficient German to get to the stadium.
The stadium facilities were quite impressive and we've decided that the Germans are quite a friendly bunch generally - unlike us of course! They had a system where the first drink you bought you paid an extra euro for a plastic glass (with a handle no less!) and then you took the glass back for each refill, returning it at the end of the night for your euro back. Obviously this meant that there was no litter anywhere within the stadium - no mean feat. The beer was four euros (although fizzy pop was too) but KL had decided to duck out on the beer and drink coke - he does only have one kidney though and he hasn't gone too yellow all weekend so it was probably a sensible move!
The Nations Cup was exciting and although we were pipped at the post by the German team in the final it was a very friendly affair. People even smiled at us when we cheered far too loudly after Andy Priaulx won his heat against Vettel!
We all had a hysterical fit of laughter (which resulted in KL actually crying laughing for several minutes and was close to actually losing control of his bladder - all that pop didn't help) at the German bloke next to us who kept clapping like a seal. My seal noises every time he clapped didn't help but obviously you had to have been there.....
We left the circuit out of completely the wrong doors and at completely the wrong end of the circuit to where we came in so we had to walk all the way round to the front to find the taxi rank to take us back.
Our hunger had returned so we headed back to the bar we had just left before the race for more meat (steak for Chadders and KL and Ostrich for me - Chadders and I also had some snails to start with!!).
At midnight we were kicked out of the restaurant because they were closing and we walked back to the hotel. All of us tired so no night-cap tonight.
It won't be quite the same on Sunday as Chadders is getting an earlier flight home and therefore only KL and I will make the journey back to the Esprit for the individual Race of Champions. Hopefully we can manage!
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