u/BerlinSam

Firstly let me declare that I am an Aston Villa fan and was privileged to attend the final last night in Istanbul.

Although the game didn't go your way, I hope that the disappointment doesn't last too long and you continue to thrive & give the more glamorous clubs in the Bundersliga a fright.

May I also say that Freiburg fans are the best and a lot of AV fans forums are commenting on how friendly & nice to engage with you all were. Even though you were outnumbered, you continued to sing and stayed behind to watch the presentations although your disappointment must have been immense.

In short, you and your club are a credit to the Bundersliga...

Well I'm sitting within sight of Besitkas stadium in Istanbul where my beloved Aston Villa will play in the Europa Cup final. I have kept myself occupied throughout the day with places of interest in this city. The Villa fans have been awesome over the last few days & it has been a tremendous atmosphere.

Being an ex soldier who has served with the Army in trouble spots all over the world, I thought nothing would phase me now. However this feeling is unique & my nerves are shredded....!

I've been dealing (buying & selling) on the Kleinanzeige webpage for a while and built up a good personal profile, such as trustworthy & friendly along with a 😊 badge next to my name.

Sometimes when I am interacting with another person on that forum, I hesitate dealing with someone who has a 'naja' Zufriedenheit & ☹️ Profile.

This may be doing a disservice to the person who otherwise may be quite decent. So I was wondering if Germans actually look at or care for the profile of the person that they are dealing with on Kleinanzeige?

Just been watching the documentary (The Bus on Netflix )based on the French team mutiny during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when they refused to train or play. A team so full of footballing talent but as individuals, people with huge egos, who never really gelled under a stubborn manager.

I know these kinds of incidents during major tournaments occur at times (looking at you Nigeria) but has there ever been a high profile case involving England?

So I'll be flying into Istanbul next week from Germany. It seems that my flight may be full of Freiburg fans.

So Villa jersey on or off during the journey..?!

The football neutrals will hope that it goes down to the wire, the last game of the season v Man city. They requiring a win to become Champions & we to remain in CL contention.

But hopefully we have already secured CL football for next season with a win over Freiburg prior to that.

Some say that is why we love the game. I say, fuck that...just get us over the line!

With the exorbitant entry prices, Americans lack of love for the beautiful game & the orange menace being awarded the FIFA 'Peace Price..' I just thought that this World Cup couldn't get any worse.

However, this morning I read that Kate Perry will perform (Superbowl style) prior to the first game and Shakira's number will serve as the official world cup song...

Wishing all mothers a wonderful love filled Mother's Day...

Although I would love to get a ticket for the Europa cup final, I have noticed an increasing number of posts on this forum offering tickets, sometimes for thousands of pounds.

However, these 'contributors' have only 1 day accounts on this & zero other contributions.

Please be careful before you engage...

In my excitement, I have been talking with some Besitkas fans who also have been given a small allocation and will have presence in their stadium.

It seems that they will also be supporting Villa due to still having good memories and respect for our Tammy..

Aston Villa v Freiburg...

A plea from an Aston Villa fan. I will be travelling to your city to watch the Aston Villa Vs Freiburg Europa Final game....will any Besiktas fans be in the stadium and do you get an allocation?

& Of course Tammy returns....

A plea from an Aston Villa fan. I will be travelling to your city to watch the Aston Villa Vs Freiburg Europa Final game....will any Besiktas fans be in the stadium?

Just for background, I recently received a Deutsche Bahn fine for not having a correct ticket. Please reserve judgement until the end.

As I was about to board a train in Lower Saxony, I bought a ticket from the platform machine and included that I also had a bicycle. I paid with my card, the machine whirred for a while and spat out the ticket which I duly collected and proceeded to board my train.

The inspector came and I presented my ticket at which point he in an aggressive tone asked where my ticket for the cycle was. I was a little confused as I was sure that I had paid for myself and my cycle. I showed him my banking app which clearly showed that 10 minutes prior, I had paid at the said DB station a sum which was inclusive of the bike. He nevertheless proceeded to take my details and the €60 fine was duly issued.

What I was unaware of was that in Lower Saxony, , these ticket are issued in 2 parts. Firstly for the person and then a second ticket for the cycle. This was different to another state where I had taken my bike and only 1 ticket was issued for both.

I would value your thoughts on whether it is a fruitless exercise to appeal this fine or I should just take it as 'a lesson learnt'....?

Edit and an update; firstly thank you to everyone who gave me advice which ranged from 'your fault so take it on the chin', to others saying proceed with an appeal giving an explanation and bank statement as proof of payment for both myself and bike. Result? A partial success in that the fine was reduced to €30.....

Just an observation but why are there so many questions regarding booze on this forum?

Every few days there is a query on the lines of recommendation of alcohol in Goa, how much you can carry in your luggage etc.

Being from Germany, I appreciate I may be missing a point here so please enlighten me as you please...

Being a keen cyclist, I enjoy my workouts on my road racing bike regularly. The bike is carbon fiber and made for speed.

Often the routes I take also have a parallel cycle path to the road. Mostly, these are not well maintained but are also used by pedestrians and e scooters making it cumbersome and dangerous for me to cycle on.

However, If I opt to stay in the road, I often get horned by irritated motorists wanting to overtake me, & some often shouting that there is a cycle lane.

My question is, is it mandatory for cyclists to use a cycle lane when one is present and am I breaking any laws by opting to stay on the road?

For clarity, I love the beautiful game although long retired from playing the sport myself. In the UK, I recall ugly scenes at football matches in the 70's and 80's. However, stringent measures by the authorities have managed to clamp down on the hooligan element & now it feels safe there to go to games regardless of your ethnicity.

I follow a 2 Bundersliga team and over the last few years noticed more of the right wing thug element creeping in, giving me food for thought as to whether it is safe for me to attend games. A lot of the times, these people wear masks & dress identically making recognition difficult.

My question is, why are the clubs not doing more to promote inclusivity within their fan base and should Football Banning Orders (Stadionverbot) be more strongly enforced for trouble makers?

I would hate for German football to replicate the extremely hostile atmosphere of UK Football of the past.

This is just based on recent personal experiences whilst using Deutsche Bahn.

Having travelled extensively using both regional and ICE trains over the last few weeks, my previous despair has turned into a pleasant surprise as nearly all the trains departed and arrived punctually at my destinations.

Is this a time for cautious optimism or is it a case of 'one swallow doesn't make a summer...'?

My apologies to anyone who is currently on a delayed train....

This is just based on recent personal experiences whilst using Deutsche Bahn.

Having travelled extensively using both regional and ICE trains over the last few weeks, my previous despair has turned into a pleasant surprise as nearly all the trains departed and arrived punctually at my destinations.

Is this a time for cautious optimism or is it a case of 'one swallow doesn't make a summer...'?

My apologies to anyone who is currently on a delayed train....

I live in a village in Niedersachsen but am right on the border with Lippe (NRW). In fact, NRW starts literally at the end of my street.

Our Landkreis has banned 'brenntag' where we were allowed to burn garden cuttings twice a year and I miss them. However, beyond the end of my street, Brenntag is is still allowed. When I walk my dog, she is allowed to be off the leash...until the end of the road where Lippe rules state that dogs must be on a leash at all times.

It is good that each Landkreis are allowed some autonomy to make their own laws but it also equally bemusing at times.

Which laws do your neighbour States have which you would also like to adopt?