1899 Hoffenheim

Chinese New Year and nothing to do, so what to do? First I went with my daughter to Tianmashan where we walked around for 2 hours up all the mountain and back. Tianmashan is the quietest of the small hills in Shanghai, but it is the best place in Shanghai to take a walk in the forest. Sheshan was packed with people and there we didn’t meet anybody in the first half hour and maybe 10 people all afternoon. Actually quiet interesting there: Small trails to walk and all covered with bamboo and other trees There is even a leaning tower (not sure if it can be called a pagoda) that has a bigger angle than the Tower of Pisa. I would not be surprised if one day it would top over, though. Very mystically.

On my way back home I passed the construction area of the new famous 5Star Songjiang Hotel. I wanted to go there a couple of times before but never went inside. This time I stopped and walked inside, but after a half hour I went back, because I took my little princess with me. So I came back the next day, dressed in black and with “Springerstiefel”. Actually no big think to open the door of the fence of the area. The security guards didn’t see me, they were very busy talking. No any worker on the construction side due to CNY.

So I went through the entrance building into the huge park which looked nearly finished. Very nice beautiful garden.

I guessed that the hotel is in the quarry below the hill with the pagoda on top which you can see from far away. So I walked there but encountered a problem that the only bridge to go there, was guarded by a smoking Baoan. I walked along the river which was quiet soon finished, so no river anymore. Than found a quarry on the right side of the hill with a beautiful botanic garden but no buildings there.

As it was the last mountain in Sheshan area on which I haven’t been on top I climbed up to the pagoda. No big thing, again a fence but easy to pass. Nice few on the quarry filled with turquoise water. But no hotel. Walked all the way down on the side of the quarry until the bottom but there were only some small buildings, no hotel. I walked around a bit more than decided to go back to the car. Had to fool two other Baoan, but none saw me.

After studying the model picture of the hotel in the internet, I found out that the hotel is actually in another quarry about 1 km away from the hill.

http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=529

I had seen some construction there but couldn’t see such a big hole from the top of the hill. This means I have to go there again soon. Though the view from the hill onto the quarry was nice.

Chinese New year Holiday ended on Friday so we have to go back to work on Saturday. After all the poor performances of Hoffe in the last weeks I decided not to watch the match 3:30 in the morning and instead went to bed. But I watched a report in the news and again Hoffe was betrayed by the blind referees.  Hoffe was the stronger team in the beginning. A couple of chances and a handball by Daems which actually was a penalty for Hoffe. But as always blind referee.

1^st goal of Gladbach: Nilsson played hand but outside the box and the referee gives a penalty.  Hoffe couldn’t manage to make a goal in the first half and after the break again goal for Gladbach and again with the help of the Blindsman. Clear offside goal.

But Hoffe stood up again and so Ibesivic made the 1:2 in the 69 minute. And than again no penalty for Hoffe after Dante played with the hand.

But… than a strange thing happened: In the 89^th minute the ref took off his tomatoes and gave a penalty for Hoffenheim. (!!) Eduardo made the equalizer. So Hoffe with a lucky point and hopefully with a better performance next week against Hertha. Remember the decisive victory last year. If they don’t win against them, then …..

After the victory against Hannover which I didn’t see again another loss against Bochum. We were watching Leverkusen-Wolfsburg which was a funny match.

But finally 12 o’clock the year of the tiger started with a huge firework everywhere. This year luckily without any damaged bridge or damaged bar sign caused by fire. Pissed of by the firecrackers in Germany at Sylvester I bought material for 1000 RMB. And it was a lot of fun even without any damage.

Last weekend no match of the Krauts and the week before we lost unlucky against Suzhou Allstars. Lucking forward to the next match on next Saturday against Vodoo.

Other stories: Well Mat and I went to Anting on Sunday to check some strange bars. After driving around with a stupid taxi driver who didn’t know the way as well as we didn’t know the way we finally made it to a small bar, but found out quickly that it was actually a secret meeting point of former IMs. So we moved to the next place where the owner was totally pissed sleeping on the bar. After a couple of beers we moved to the next place. Same story here, owner sleeping on some chairs. No girls in any of the bars but again drunk and again a funny evening.

Monday started slowly but ended hard. IM Sparwasser was here as well as a Belgian outlaw. Already pissed we went to downtown where Sparwasser totally got crazy and danced with some Ladyboy and finally disappeared. Maybe the Stasi took him back to the secret meeting.

Oh, we had snow on Thursday afternoon and Saturday night after 21 degree last Tuesday afternoon. Seems like everything is going to get crazy.

And let’s see what’s going on with Hoffenheim on Friday? Unfortunately back to work on Saturday morning.

No points for Hoffenheim this year? Looks like they can’t manage to score anymore. How this will end? Hopefully they can win against Hanover this

Watched Bayern against Mainz in Spot Bar then went to new opened Judys Saturday night. After a lot of beers drink a lot of whiskey together with a man from the north, a man from the south and a man from the biggest mountain in Kraichgau!! We had a lot of fun that night and I didn’t know the result of Hoffenheim until the next day.

Luckily the Sauerkrauts could manage another draw against the much stronger british Anzacs team. We took the lead by Sparwasser after 10 minutes. But than after we played too offensive and tried to play offside we got the equalizer after 30 minutes. With big help of the tomato referee, because it was offside.

The rest of the match was so called “Einbahnstrassenfussball”. Except of some few “Konter” the Anzacs played 70 minutes on our goal. But due to our strong defense and a strong goal keeper they couldn’t manage to score. One phase we had 8 corners against us in one row. A real battle! Luckily we could hold the draw and so we are still in range to 2^nd place although looks like everything comes closer together.

Have a look at the standings: http://www.eteamz.com/SIFL/standings/index.cfm?season=565279&division=3908867

Next Saturday no league match but we will play with the Krauts against Suzhou Allstars. This was a hard match in September in Suzhou when it was something like 40 degrees on the pitch. We lost the match because we were all pissed from the night before in red Lion.

So hopefully we will have a victory on Saturday and afterwards a great night as always.

And let’s see what’s going on with Hoffenheim on Saturday? Druff unn dewedda!!!