It turns out, as I learnt on my flight to Dresden Monday morning, that Spain had just won the previous evening the Euro football final to Germany.
Yet in Dresden (and all over the country I imagine), people were not bitter - just disappointed about the loss, but still showing support for their unfortunate team with numerous national flags on display (especially on cars).
Such a thing is so unthinkable in France, where the early loss of "Les Bleus" was blamed on as many scapegoats as people could think of: the referee, the coach, the players, the weather, the stadium, the hotel, etc etc. Insults were vividly thrown at all of the above, just showing really that the French people are sore losers and whiners.
Not only aren't Germans prone to such childish behaviors, they also behave with an uplifting spirit when faced with provocation.
Just seconds before the Rigoletto performance started that evening, a flaunted and ostentatious Spanish supporter shouted "Viva España" in the auditorium of the Semperoper.
The German audience stayed stoic, and my neighbor's reaction was indeed the quintessential German comment: "Ach, so...".
Who ever said equanimity and fair play were typical British qualities ?
Yet in Dresden (and all over the country I imagine), people were not bitter - just disappointed about the loss, but still showing support for their unfortunate team with numerous national flags on display (especially on cars).
Such a thing is so unthinkable in France, where the early loss of "Les Bleus" was blamed on as many scapegoats as people could think of: the referee, the coach, the players, the weather, the stadium, the hotel, etc etc. Insults were vividly thrown at all of the above, just showing really that the French people are sore losers and whiners.
Not only aren't Germans prone to such childish behaviors, they also behave with an uplifting spirit when faced with provocation.
Just seconds before the Rigoletto performance started that evening, a flaunted and ostentatious Spanish supporter shouted "Viva España" in the auditorium of the Semperoper.
The German audience stayed stoic, and my neighbor's reaction was indeed the quintessential German comment: "Ach, so...".
Who ever said equanimity and fair play were typical British qualities ?
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