Yeah, bitter when you realize you can't do it anymore like when 18-20 (drinking I mean ) Ah yes, the good old fag machine dispenser (Zigarettenautomaten ). That's where we got them when we were 12. Tried a "Roth-Händle" once then. Jesus Christ, "evil weed" and that cured me from ever smoking again ps: Back in those days there weren't any of these "danger of smoking" warnings on the package
They would also accept the old 10p coins as a substitute for (I think) the old 1 Mark. So a pack of fags was 20p. Happy days
Do they still have those zigarettenautomaten in Germany? I last went to Germany in 2015 and don't remember seeing any. But equally I wasn't looking for them either. When I was 12 in 1996 though I remember seeing them everywhere just randomly in the street with absolutely no checks on who was using them. I was a bit too young to try smoking at that point but I remember some of the kids that did smoke using them and hiding the fags from the teachers . In England we used to have fag dispensers in pubs and nightclubs before the smoking ban. But they were only in adult only venues like that so kids couldn't really get access to them. Whereas in Germany a 7 year old could have used one if they wanted because they were just dotted about on the streets unsupervised
Definitely That's me done now. Turned 40 last month as well so it's been one of the heaviest few weeks of my life Just want to get our house move done then I can retire by the sea The Altstadt was great. Spent a couple of nights there with the wife for NYE a few years back so thankfully knew where to head. Fan zones were great fun as well. So many different nationalities and everyone just having a laugh. I also went to Cologne on a school trip when I was 12. I swear we're the same person
Still a few but not as many as back in the good old days, very rare. But nowadays you have to use your id-card (Personalausweis) for checking you're at least 18 (at least I think so). So the 12 year olds of today aren't as lucky as the 12 year old me from '1974 who could use it without age check and when there's no adult nearby who would shout and "disperse" us ( of course the 12 year olds of today could "use" the id-card of their old man, I think ) Damn, if only I had known this back then. Were always some british soldiers in Hamburg (Reeperbahn ) and I would have asked for a 10p (and would give them back a "Groschen (10 Pfennig))
The beers being drunk whilst watching the game, are they alcoholic? I just assumed it was zero alcohol as a rule across uefa.
Anyone who drinks non alcoholic beers needs their head tested. It tastes of wank. Of course it's normal beer
When I went to Barcelona and watched Champions League game a few years back, they only served non alcoholic beer as it is a eufa rule; or was.
I turned 40 in December so we must have been in the same school year. Probably why so many of our memories are the same . Bet you were in Germany at a similar time to me, June/July 1996 around Euro 96 time? We stayed in a little town on the Rhein called Rhens-am-Rhein, not too far from Koblenz and Boppard. Loved Boppard with the cable car lift up the hill. And we all bought some stupid neck chains from the shops that we thought were 'cool' . Some funny memories from that trip. Our hotel was split boys and girls separately, with the girls staying in the inn on one side of the road with nice rooms. And the boys staying in this run down shit hole across the road like something from the Hostel films where the water in the shower ran orange with rust for the first 5 seconds when you turned it on and everyone's keys could open everyone else's doors (including the teacher's). On the first day these local kids turned up and started flirting and whistling up to the girls from the street so we all came out of the boys hotel and chased them away. A couple of days later while we had been out on a day trip, we came back to find the windows had been put through on the ground floor facing the street! Presumably those little shits did it as revenge. Fortunately I wasn't in one of those rooms, I was a couple of floors up at the back of the hotel. The people staying in those rooms had to have boarded up windows for the rest of the trip. There was also the hilarious bitch fight between two of the girls. They'd been arguing about something and it came to a head when one of the girls grabbed a load of the other girl's underwear from out of her dresser and ran downstairs and threw it all into the river Rhine . Cue an almighty cat fight by the banks of the river that we all gathered round to watch. Can't remember what it was all about but it was funny to watch. Are you planning to move to a seaside town then? Now I've hit 40 the thought of retirement is starting to sound really appealing . I've done 20 odd years, that's enough now. Think I'm going to have to take in a tournament before I'm 50. Always wanted to do it but a combination of factors have always stopped me. Wanted to go to Germany in 2006 but was young and we didn't quite have enough money to get it off the ground. We all said we'd go to Austria and Switzerland in 2008 and it would have been the perfect time for all of us but England didn't bloody qualify . 2010 was in South Africa, too far away and too dangerous. Then after that just getting older, getting married, life getting more serious and expensive and it's just fallen down the list of priorities. Need to pick a tournament and just go for it.
I'm 50 next year so do all those things mate, the 40's go fast. I was expecting to semi retire around now in spain but brexit fecked that up.
No idea apart from it was 95/96ish and we all wore blue caps! Only memories are the hotel having vending machines with glass Coke bottles from which you could take the metal cap back and get some cash. Oh and one group deciding it was a good idea to do a ouija board in one of the rooms and scaring all the girls shitless Yeah our boy starts school next year so hoping to get down there soon. It's where my Mrs grew up, right on the beach. I want a quiet life now (maybe with a garden pub) You should 100% do a major tournament if you can. Even though it ruined me I had the best time and it's another dream ticked off the list. Just got to do a World Cup now, although I think that'll be something I try and do with my son. What an experience that'd be! Desperate to do USA in two years but not sure he'd be quite old enough and I'm skint now Definitely going to try and get tickets for the UK Euros in four years. It's not a foreign tournament but it doesn't get easier travel/ticket wise
Last game for me today, then off back home tomorrow. Unlike the first two games we havent got hangovers on game day which is a good start. And wont start drinking too early for the 9pm, was ready to sleep by the time we kicked off in Gelsenkirchen. What a trip but I think I'm ready to come back now Unless we miraculously get to semis or final that is, and if I get a ticket.
I actually want to enjoy the game. I'll be having my first beer in an hour or so but slow and steady wins the race. We want to head out afterwards too tbf, last night and all.
My mate went to the bar outside the stadium in Bordeaux at Euro 2016 and after 20 minutes came back with 4 pints of this stuff for the 2 of us. Went straight in the bin. Euro 2016 beer is crazy weak and expensive and fans are upset Football fans hoping to get boozy while watching Euro 2016 games inside French stadiums have been dealt a cruel blow. The only beer for sale inside stadiums is a measly 0.5% in strength.
Well, I did indeed. Woke up with a half eaten pizza on my bed. Sign of a good night. We walked. Our hotel was just 25 mins away.
