Fortaleza and the German Match

With three stop-overs in the middle of the night our flight was pretty tiring but our Airbnb-Apartment was close to the airport and the stadium. For our Germany-Ghana game we can just walk to the stadium, how cool is this? 

Maya's plane (USA) arrived at 6pm whereas Mike (Germany) got to Fortaleza at 8pm. Since we received four tickets for the same game we put the information on the internet and Maya and Mike wanted to come with us. We also organized the apartment for the four of us and were looking forward for some fan party. Michael booked all our accommodation via Airbnb means we stay with local families in urban areas of the towns, which gives us the opportunity to learn more about the culture and the people. We also met really cool travelers from different countries so we communicated with a mix of Portuguese, Spanish, French, English and German. 

We all got the same impression, the atmosphere is a bit mixed since the election is coming up in October. More money was spent for the World Cup than promised - money which is needed for education and infrastructure. We heard about a lot of demonstrations in the country against Fifa and the Government. For sure the poor people never benefit from such big events.

The day of the game we arrived early and 2 km around the stadium was completely blocked by Military Police. People from the Favelas (slums) tried to sell some drinks or offered a bike ride to the stadium in order to some money. Thousands of German fans were moving towards the stadium. In the stadium the atmosphere was amazing and when the game started no one could stay in the seats. Somehow we ended up in the fan area of some Ghanaian but the cheering and screaming of the German fans was overwhelming. When the Fifa tried to take off banners from German fans the mass went crazy. Everyone was yelling "Fifa go home, Fifa go home!". 

Too bad that the outcoming of the game was a bit different than expected but Ghana was a strong opponent. The second half was troubling, not only for the teams. After the match we drove downtown to celebrate some more with German fans and at the beach it was packed with people. You can say German fans know how to celebrate.

After only three hours of sleep we got up for a day trip. Daniel organized this trip a week ago so we had no idea what the trip was about. Daniel is Dagmar's brother with whom I was AuPair in America in 1997. Before we got to Brazil she wrote me that here brother is living with his Brazilian wife in Sao Paolo and if we need anything we just should drop them a line. Since Daniel and his wife Camile also went to the game in Fortaleza, we met up for the day trip. And we also plan to visit them in Sao Paolo.

The five of us - Micha, Mike, Daniel, Camile and I (Maya was too tired) - drove 160 km by bus to Canoa Quebrada. What a beautiful surrounding with dunes and cliffs and a nice little town. With a buggy we drove around the dunes and the spectacular scenery and in the afternoon we ate a huge seafood platter. Once in a while you have to treat yourself. And this was just the day for it.

Back in Fortaleza we went to the Fan Fest again despite our fatigue. The last evening we just had to party some more before we are heading for Natal. We had a great time in Fortaleza.

Airbnb - www.airbnb.com

Apartment: 489 R. Torres de Melo Fortaleza, CE 60860-370 Brasilien

Contact: Mauricio Diogenes (/users/show/6962826) +55 85 9929 6838, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." target="_blank">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Comment: nice and clean apartment in a good neighborhood. The family is really helpful and
                 Mauricio speaks German.