A German Travels the South

Apparently there's a soccer series going on right now that has brought a bunch of foreign soccer players to America. Soccer is not an American game -- it is the least interesting and exciting of the many variations of games with uninterrupted play ranging from one side of a field to another attempting to score goals. Americans have several better variations that we play, including indoor ones like basketball and hockey. Cherokee Stickball is another game of this sort. All of these are faster-paced and more interesting, so we don't much pay attention to the soccer version; I'm not quite sure why they've having the games here this time. 

However, what I have been enjoying is the joyous reactions of one of the traveling Germans to things he's been finding across the South. These things are well-known to me, and it's nice to see how much fun he is having. 

For example, here he is attending one of these games at a Southern-style university stadium (Auburn, as it happens). He is astonished by this experience. 

Before that, the hotel receptionist gave them a ride to the stadium because it was raining.

Before that Chattanooga; dinner at Chili's; visiting the beautiful mountain lakes. 

Before that Georgia; Brasstown Bald (it is in fact an alpine rainforest around here, by the way); American fast food; tubing on the Chattahoochee; Helen; Waffle House; Stone Mountain.

Interspersed among them, scenes driving down the long American highways listening to country radio.

Last night they visited Buc-ee's and ate dinner on stacks of deer feed corn.

It's nice to see someone taking such evident pleasure in visiting the South. 

UPDATE: Apparently there's a Swedish player having a similar experience in the Mid-West.