Now that I am in Berlin, I want to see some football matches! My original plan was to see a game for both Hertha and Union, however, much to my disappointment, there may have to be a change of plans. Of course I should have know that with such a big city like Berlin, it would have been hard to come by tickets. All of Hertha’s games for the rest of the season are sold out! I looked up tickets for Union matches, but I was unsuccessful every time. They are a partially fan owned team, which I think contributes to my confusion and difficulty in finding info on them and getting tickets. Every website I look at is in German too which can lead to misinterpretation. I have not given up on either of these teams. As I have done before in the past, you can always show up at the stadium and try to get tickets there, maybe a scalper, I don’t care. It will definitely be pricey but I have my eyes on the cup match against Dortmund on April 20th. If I can’t get in, I here/bet they will have community viewing on a jumbo screen outside the stadium. Olympiastadion is a world renowned venue and I would really love to get a chance to see a game in it. As for Union, I can try and do something similar. Showing up and trying to get in may be a little easier there. I have heard, maybe incorrectly, that they consistently pack 20,000 plus into a stadium built to hold 4,000, so I have hope.

In the mean while I will gather more info and see some lower level matches such as for the Berlin Liga and the Regional Liga. This weekend I will have the luxury of seeing the first and second place teams in the latter league duke it out in Berlin. BERLINER V ZWICKAU! Should be a great match! These matches for lower levels are more numerous and more often nearby. Plus their season extends a couple weeks past that of the top league, the Bundesliga. However, there are other factors that could contribute to things not going my way. For instance, if the teams I want to see aren’t the home team, then I am SOL. This may not be the case for the last game of the year in the Bundesliga. Our last day of CIEE class is on 5/13, the last games are on 5/14, if I am really determined, or desperate, I may book it out to either Nurnburg or Düsseldorf to catch a game. Another factor is the week earlier we are traveling out to Prague for a weekend conference as a class. As I am writing this, I am just now realizing the possibility of seeing a game there. A chill went down my spine. A chill of excitement. I’ll have to start researching.