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Wolfsburg: The Volkswagen City
The first order of business on the day was to make sure we got to Wolfsburg with plenty of time to spare for the big game as far as Dimitri was concerned. While almost all eyes would be on the Group G games to see who would get left out between France, Switzerland & Korea, we were more concerned with the Group H game between Ukraine vs Tunisia. In their first World Cup, YKPAÏHA had a chance to advance to the Round of 16 with a win.
After dropping of our stuff, checking out their place & Heike's VfL Wolfsburg garden gnome (umm, where can I get one?), we headed to the local pedestrian zone and found a restaurant to eat and watch the game. It took a while for the goal to come, but eventually Sheva converted a PK for Ukraine in the 70th minute and they held on for the victory. It was time to celebrate....good thing we were going to a brewery for dinner! We went back to the house and waited for Heike and her daughter. We then headed to the Fallersleben Brew Haus to have dinner, watch some fireworks and have some beer. On the way, we stopped at a Health Spa where Bodo & Heike thought it would be funny for us to try the mineral water. Stupidly one by one we tried the water and we all agreed it tasted like Rotten Eggs. Now we couldn't wait to get the brewery and have a beer just to get that taste out of our mouthes.
We actually arrived in Wolfsburg with no plans on where to go once we left a few days later. Thanks to the 4-5-1 we weren't heading to Dortmund but we needed to head somewhere. The choices on the table were either to completely leave the country and go to Amersterdam or stay in the country and try to see if Dimitri could score tickets to the Ukraine's Round of 16 game vs Switzerland. We compromised, sort of, and decided to go to Hamburg then head back to Düsseldorf/Köln to catch the Round of 16 game and then hit the plane heading home.
After the complete 360 in the stadium, we headed down to the field level to check out the coaches boxes and the field. The grass was in excellent condition and was just begging for us to kick the ball around. We broke out the brand new VfL Wolfsburg soccer ball we purchased and started to kick it around. Bodo had a hard time getting Rob & Dimitri off the field. We headed down the tunnel, checked out the "Shoe Room" and then into the locker room and to the showers. The lockers themselves were not that impressive, however the bathroom was a different story. It was more like a health spa. There was a huge jacuzzi, hot tubs, massage tables and a sauna. It must be really hard being a professional athelete..........
Das AutoStadt was located between the Volkwagen Factory and the Volkswagen Arena. From the museum one could see the smoke stacks of the old factory, the
The prime spot to watch the game was a short walk across the canal, right under the concrete of the bridge we had just crossed. This was no official FIFA Fan Zone but it was basically the same thing - there was a big screen TV, dj's, music, food and plenty of people. Any early jitters or nerves the German fans may have had about the game were quicky erased as Lukas Poldoski scored 4 minutes into the game. He would add another 7 minutes later and the party was After the game we went to a Hungarian/Yugoslavian restaurant. The food was fantastic as they seemed to pile everything imaginable onto one plate: chicken, rice, pork sausage, beef sausage, onions, potatos, french fries..I'm sure I'm missing something else. All we needed was all of it on a sandwhich roll and we could be at the Grease Trucks at Rutgers. After the meal we headed back to Bodo & Heike's so we could watch the other game on that day which we also had a passing interest in... it's always fun to root against Mehico. Mexico scored quickly but Argentina answered right back. It went all the way to extra time and once again Mexican dreams were crushed as a 98th minute wonder goal gave Argentina the win. After getting knocked out in poor fashion, last thing we needed was Mexico going deep into the tourney. We slept well knowing that wouldn't happen.
The last stop on our Wolfsburg tour took us the Volkswagen Museum. This museum was a bit on the older side and has been around for a long time, but it is certainly worth the visit. The new exhibit they had was for the new Beetle and it they had all different types of Bugs that people had made and modified through the years...from the first Bugs of the 50s to a wooden Bug that was used as a boat to a Bug that was used with a hot air balloon. They also had a whole host of other VWs raging from old trucks and vans to concept cars to rally cars. If you are a VW fan, this is a must visit when you go to Wolfsburg.
Ed Kirwan Editors Note: Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Read all about our trip to Wolfsburg in the VfL Wolfsburg Fan Magazine "Grun & Gut". CLICK HERE and check out page 67.
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Wolfsburg, Germany - After the US was eliminated from the World Cup, I was in a very somber mood. I didn't want to be anywhere near a World Cup city. The timing of our trip to Wolfsburg was perfect. Heading there was just what I needed to get away from all the fans and the disappoinment of our nation's depature. Instead I was pretty excited to be visiting the city again, seeing all the changes since my last visit in 1999, like the VW Arena & AutoStadt and of course, visiting Bodo again. For the rest of the crew, it would be their first time to Wolfsburg.
We met Bodo at the train station and the first thing you notice getting off the train are the big smoke stacks of the Volkwagen factory. We headed back to Bodo & Heike's house to drop off all of our stuff and one of the first things you notice is all the VW's on the road. In case you didn't know Wolfsburg was basically created for the Volkswagen factory workers so Wolfsburg and VW go hand in hand.
After going to the Hofbräu in München it would be hard for a brewery to top that, but the Fallersleben Brauhaus had it's charm. It was a nice size and offered a tradional menu of pretzels and schnitzels with a VW flavor. Seriously, one of the dishes on the menu was made using the same sauce that they use in the VW factory dining areas. Naturally we had to get the VW Currywurst along with our rack of beers. You really can't go wrong ordering a whole rack of beers. We discussed our trip so far, the things we had done since we last saw each other and planned what we would be doing the next few days in Wolfsburg and beyond.
We enjoyed the dinner along with the fireworks display and then headed back to Bodo & Heike's. The next day Bodo had a special surprise for us. Bodo & Heike volunteer for the VfL FanEck or Fan Corner, which acts as a liason between the team and the fans allowing them to truly enjoy the game day experience. It has its office inside the Volkswagen Arena so they know a few people at the club. He organized an exclusive tour of the VW Arena for us. Before we headed to the stadium though, we first headed to the VfL Wolfsburg Fan Shop to pick up some gear. It was hard not to try to buy everything in sight, but I resisted the urges and only bought one shirt, a scarf and a few pens. We headed to the Arena and met up with one of the Maintenace Crew Managers which Bodo knew. We entered through the VIP entrance and got to see all the perks and ammenities that the high rollers get at the stadium - the bar, the restaurant and the luxury boxes overlooking the field. Must be nice. Must be nice!
We then walked around the sections checking out the view from all the different seats. We checked out the supporters section behind the goal in the Nord Kurve. They have a nice setup for the seats with metal folding chairs so they can be up for the VfL games to allow standing easily but down for UEFA and International games which prohibit standing terrace type sections. They had a supporters section for kids where if you were over a certain height, you were not allowed into that section. They even had a little playpen area so the little kids could play and go down slides. The Little Biggest kid we had with us, Rob, couldn't wait to try out the slide and wooden horse.
Next we visited the press room where all the post game interviews, etc are held. The room, which was state of the art, had tables for beat reporters and internet connections all over the place. The room even had a mini bar and tap. Gotta love Germany. We answered some questions for the packed house of 6 that were in attendance and made our way out of the Arena. We checked out the training fields right outside the Volkwagen and then headed across to the street to visit another one of the newer features of the city, "Das Autostadt" museum - translation: "The Auto City."
recognizable symbol of the "Fabrik," as well as the spiral glass parking garages which held all new Volkswagens ready to go. Apparently one can purchase a VW and then take a ride to Wolfsburg to pick their vechile up. That's one way to avoid the Destination Charge fee we have here in the US. Das Autostadt was not a VW thing though, it was a celebration of the automobile. Sure they had many Volkswagens in the musuem but they also had a collection of other old and new cars, basically outlining the history of automaking throughout Germany. Outside of the main musuem, they had 5 other smaller Manufacturer's buildings which were dedicated to that maker's brand of cars. We got to check out the Bentley and Skoda buidlings but unfortunately we ran out of time to check the Audi and other buildings. This is the World Cup and there was yet another game we could not miss. The host country would be playing Sweden in the Round of 16 match and we were headed to the main place in the city to watch the game.
on in Wolfsburg and throughout Germany. Bodo commented to us, as did many other Germans, how great it was to see everyone out waving the German flag and being proud of their country. Unlike it is here, it is uncommon to see people display the country's flag outside their house and such.
Our last day in Wolfsburg we hit some of the older sites in the city. We first went to a park a little bit outside of the city which offered some pretty impressive view of the Wolfsburg skyline, which basically consisted of the factory, the factory and more of the factory. From the park we visited the original home of Wolfsburg, VfL Stadion. This was where I saw the game back in 99 vs then defending champs Kaiserlautern. Two goals from Roy Präger won the game for Wolfsburg that day. The team was now a few years removed from the stadium which was being used for the Regional League VfL Team. They also sold off some of the stands to be used for other construction endeavors. After being at the VW Arena the day before, it was amazing the difference in the two venues.
Unfortunately we were out of time in the VW city and never got a chance to do more, like take a tour of the factory or check out the race track where they test the new Volkswagens. We had to keep moving. We had to get to Hamburg and I'm sure Bodo & Heike need a rest from having 4 guys invading their house. We all had a great time in Wolfsburg and for me, outside of the US-Italy game, this was the most memorable event from our trip. I can't wait to head back to Wolfsburg during the Bundesliga season to check a game out in the stadium and visit Bodo again.
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