Quote of the (Fri)day

Officially Quarterfinal Game Day in Berlin now - the city has been on noticeable edge since I arrived up from Munchen on Tuesday. None more so than my old mate Torsten, who earns the quote of the week for his description of his feelings this evening as the Argentina encounter approaches:

"So nervous... I feel like you do if you must go to the dentist or something - you don't know how it will go, you are so worried that there might be something, might be pain, might be problems... Or maybe like waiting for a big exam. You cannot do anything more, so you want it to arrive, but are scared if something goes wrong and then all is over. If Argentina win, I will never eat a steak from that country again."

So outstanding. Even better is the Adidas Football World make-shift stadium of 10,000 set within a Beckham free kick of the Reichstag here where I hope to camp out this morning to secure last minute tickets so we can enjoy the agony and ecstacy en masse.

More stories and photos from Munich later, but the return pilgrimage was truly a magical one. And there is a sense that the next 2-3 days will be the memorable ones. To Frankfurt Saturday to watch England amidst the public fan site, and then to the stadium to hope for a minor miracle look at Zidane and Ronaldo in person. I keep upping the amount I am willing to spend in my mind, but we will have to let it unravel. And Dylan is playing in Gelsenkirchen on the 2nd if the scalpers don't put my money to use.

Truly an epic one awaits. Last night I dreamt of goals and jewels. Time to see what the gods hold in store, what slight touches and sublime maneuvers will be immortalized. Oh, for more days like today.