COLOGNE - This city is a 70,000 strong throng of England fans, but two friendly faces caught my eye in the England fans area today - Mark Perry and Ted Burke.
Last time I saw these two, they were preparing their to drive round Germany in Vanessa the Camper Van, spreading fan friendship.
BERLIN - The next subject of our popular Q&A sessions will be with ex-Celtic manager and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ pundit, Martin O’Neill. Please feel free to post your questions below.
I'm sure you will want to quiz him about the football, but if you’re interested in what films, literature and music Martin’s into, this is also your chance to find out!
A CAR/CAMPER VAN PARK, ULM - Being on the road quite a lot has meant we've missed out on watching a lot of the footie, but with the games getting more interesting at the end of the group stage we're determined to halt that trend.
So, at four this afternoon we pulled off the motorway and wandered into the services in the hope of seeing Germany take on Ecuador.
COLOGNE - What a set of guests we've had on in the last 24 hours.
Tony Blair co-presented 606 last night with Adrian Chiles (well worth a download if you haven't heard it), Sir Geoff Hurst was on Breakfast, Paul Jewell on Victoria's phone-in, swiftly followed by Craig Brown, and then Frank Skinner and David Baddiel came along to entertain us all for half an hour before lunch.
I must admit it was rather weird to see Victoria Derbyshire signing autographs - for Frank Skinner!
IBC, MUNICH – The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s director of sport Roger Mosey popped into the International Broadcast Centre on Sunday night to see Match of the Day’s Munich operation in full flow. I took the opportunity to get his for our office World Cup sweep.
BUHLERHOHE SCHLOSSHOTEL, BADEN-BADEN - Lots has already been said, filmed and written about the official in the mountains outside Baden Baden.
But with the England team away in Cologne, Ricco and I thought we would pop along to see if we could get any interesting chat off the staff there.
Joe is a student who has travelled to Cologne for the World Cup and is on one of the blogs we've been linking to. He was caught up in last night. Here's an extract:
The riot police ran 20 yards towards the English and were relentless in their clubbing. As I ran out of the way the cover to my phone fell off. After only perhaps 30 seconds of chasing that wave finished. I was recording the events on my phone alongside a Croation news team. Then the police came back in a wave and a riot policeman knocked my to the floor as I searched for my mobile phone cover.
There I am sitting in the press box reporting on the Brazil v Australia game and who goes and strolls past me and takes up a pew a few rows down from me - just the great Diego Maradona.
Naturally, he came up to me and asked about how I was doing and asked after my family before arranging to hook up so we could trade stories and football tricks. I WISH!!
The big man (or not so big anymore) was puffing on a cigar and had been given a seat in amongst the crowd. What a shocker.
I thought this was asking for trouble - and indeed suddenly cameras and people popped out from nowhere to get a glimpse or shot of him.
ENGLAND CAMP, ACHERN - Compared to the rest of our journey through Germany our life in got off to the most unusual start.
After days of melting in the hot sun our arrival was greeted by a thunderstorm of biblical proportions. The fencing blew over, the bar area flooded, the big screen went off and the visitors chanted "It's just like being at home".
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
