In reference to Mr. Treckers blog entry I want to add that the Iranian president Amadinejad has publicly announced to come to Germany if the national team makes it to the next round. He will wear the jersey with the number 24. What causes diplomatic headaches in Berlin is that there is nothing the German government can do about it. As a president he doesn't need a visa. And even if the UN decided Amadinejad was a persona non grata he could still become a member of the Iranian national team which Germany granted free entry. Presumably Berlin politicians are keeping their fingers crossed for Portugal, Angola and Mexico - Iran's opponents in group D.

I met Metallica's James Hetfield at Rock am Ring festival this weekend where they performed in front of 80,000 fans. He didn't tell me whether he will go to any of the games but drummer Lars Ulrich took a cup of beer and kicked it into the enthusiasticly cheering crowd remarking that Denmark is not in the final round. Ulrich was born in Gentofte/Denmark but has been living in the USA since 1979. I had a great time at the festival but am suffering from a severe sore throat and lack of sleep: "Exit light, enter night." PS: Guns N' Roses performed at Rock am Ring as well. It was disappointing, by far not as sleazy and dirty as they used to be. Axl Rose has a complete new band (except for old tour keyboarder Dizzy Reed) gathered around him. No Slash, no Izzy Stradlin, no Duff McKagan and no Steven Adler. And Axl has become slow. His movements on the stage all seemed like slo-mo to me. At least he tried. The old songs were extended to epic lengths with painfully long solo parts. And they performed new songs as well who, honestly, I think hardly anyone cared about.

The temperature is rising. And I'm not talking about the weather. Whereever you go these days in Germany there is only one topic people talk about - the upcoming World Cup. At the bakery, in the bars and even in the doctor's waiting room, noone can escape the hype. And noone wants to - or so it seems. Even those who never really cared about soccer are suspending flags of the participating teams from their windows. Pleasant anticipation is overclouding the scene. Unfortunately the weather gods are not yet in the mood for outdoor football celebrations. It's June already but it doens't feel like summer. But there are still a few more days for the temperature to adjust to the World Cup excitement.

The Soccer resp. Football World Cup is just weeks away. In 38 days the world will celebrate its biggest sports event and I will be there to share my insights with you. Be it Togolese families having a picnic or American fans trying to get a taste of these fine German sausages or maybe Kasey Keller showing his teammates around his recently bought castle: I will be there and share my adventures with you, the online world. And there is always the possibility for you to interact. Tell me what I should do, where you want me to go what you want me to comment on.