The Pageantry of the World Cup

Some photos from the past two days--the top being a gathering near city hall in Seoul, South Korea to watch their team's game yesterday (which looks quite familiar--I was in the middle of many similar throngs at the last World Cup in SK four years ago), and the bottom a gathering of German fans in Hamberg before today's German game against Poland.





I'll be going really dark tomorrow as I'm planning on watching the England game tomorrow night with friends (it'll be played at 9am here on the Pacific coast)--thus I'll be avoiding any and all news-related sites and just focusing on my freelance work.

[PS] Found this reader's comment in The Guardian's daily soccer email newsletter, The Fiver, on previous discussion of the quality of American beer: "American beer is like making love in the bottom of a boat ... effing close to water!" I'll be drinking Boddington's tomorrow night...