It's been a few days since the tournament ended so it seems like a good time to look back at the World Cup, now that we can look at it with a bit more perspective. Granted, five days of perspective is not a large amount, but it's more than I had yesterday...

First off, who knew that the feel-good story of the World Cup would be Germany? Unlike Italy, Germany actually followed through on their promises of playing an attack-minded game. Their players raced up and down the field with zeal, taking the game to their opponents with enthusiasm. They scored four in the curtain raiser and a pair in the first 15 minutes against a shocked Sweden in the Round of 16. Their tournament was summed up by the play of Bastian Schweinsteiger in the third place game, who pounded the Portugal net with two brilliant long-range goals, displaying the kind of carefree confidence that the whole country enjoyed by the time the final rolled around. (Yes, the Rising Pig lived up to his name... by rising to the occasion)

Off the field, Germany amazed as well. While the phrase "German hospitality" must sound like an oxymoron to most people, it will recall fond memories for those of us who were lucky enough to be there. Our favorite city was Frankfurt, which is ironic because we received some odd looks from natives of Köln when we explained that Frankfurt was our next stop. The impression we got was that they felt Frankfurt was too modern and not "German" enough for their tastes. Maybe we were lucky to stay in the beautiful Sachsenhausen district, just across the river from the central city, but Frankfurt (or at least that part of it) felt very contemporary and friendly, even by California standards. It didn't hurt that we had some outstanding meals there, either, at Lokalbahnhof (where the salads were a joy, particularly after a week of pork saturation, and don't miss their delicious home-made noodles), the India Palace (thanks again for the mango liqueur—the Madras curry was mind-blowingly spicy but fabulous), and Erdapfel (we never would have guessed that a potato-themed restaurant could offer such culinary joy). There was also a West African restaurant in the noisy, old-style section of the Sachsenhausen that offered a great meal. Oh, and if anyone is listening and interested, we would highly recommend the Hotel Maingau—it's not fancy but it was everything we asked for, quiet and comfortable.

I've complained about the gamesmanship at this Cup but there were also some amazing moments. Germany provided a bunch, as mentioned above. The 24-pass goal engineered by Argentina against Serbia & Montenegro was breathtaking and is probably my favorite goal of the tournament. (Here's a version with Spanish commentary as well.) Maxi Rodriguez's stunning extra-time volley that pushed Argentina past Mexico is also amazing, and check out this version with commentary from Radio Argentina. As for great goals that weren't scored by Argentina, Thierry Henry's volley against Brazil comes to mind, and as a USA fan, Clint Dempsey's emphatic goal against Ghana was an overdue thrill.

When we were still in Germany, a friend of mine asked how I was enjoying my first World Cup on foreign soil. My answer surprised me a bit—I told him that I was having a good time but that in many ways, it's easier to watch the games at home. You don't have to endure long, sometimes hot train rides or, if you're not going to a game in person, trek down to the public viewing area or find a friendly bar; you just head for the TV and voila, 64 games in uncrowded comfort. Plus, it's a strange thing to travel thousands of miles to get somewhere and then spend four hours a day (or more...) watching TV. For someone like me who typically travels off-season to avoid crowds and high prices, I concluded, it doesn't make a lot of sense to do this. Besides, as someone who has hit his forties (or perhaps I should say my forties have hit me), the whole beer, soccer, and endless parties thing gets old surprisingly quickly. (Especially if it's taking place outside your hotel window at 3 am, as we experienced a bit in Köln.)

There's another side to it, though. We struck up more conversations with strangers in Germany in 10 days than we do at home in a year, and the general conviviality of the event meant that they were usually happy to talk to us, too. (Sometimes too happy, but you learn quickly to avoid the packs of English fans if you can see they've been drinking. It's pretty easy—if they've been awake for more than an hour, chances are they've had a beer.)

So, if you go to a World Cup, have your beers and party like the trophy is destined to be yours. But make sure you take the opportunity to say hello to the other people who've come from all around the Earth to be there. That's where the real magic of the World Cup lies.