Where did İ end last time...

The Friday afternoon was luckily spent on looking the project pictures. After the pictures we decided where to go as a group on the weekend. After a long discussion we had finally decided to go on Saturday morning to a blind football match and after that who wanted went to zoo Wilhelma and others had free time for shopping. And for Sunday we decided to take part to a picnic and a trip to Fernsehturm. After all this a part of our group went to the Wasen on Sunday evening.

Blind football is really young sport. But in Germany they have already a league for it. The basic idea of the game is as in football - two teams agains each other and the one with more goals wins. The difference is that the players don't see anything. Some of them are blind and same only partially blind. But to get the play fair, the players wear an eyemask that they don't see any lights and visions.

On the fıeld is four players and the goal keeper. The goal keeper is normally sighted and can guide the players with voice. İn the middle of the field are the coaches of both teams. Also they can give instructions. And behind the opponent's goal is one sighted person giving information. Otherwise the players are moving in the field without seeing. So how to find the ball? İt has special shells in it that makes noise when the ball moves. The players don't crash into each other because when they hear that someone is coming towards them with the ball, the player must warn by shouting 'Voi'. İf the player doesn't shout the referee gives a warning and after enough warnings you get a penalty.

We were all really interested to see the blind football match. This is something we could also benefit in our profession. İt was amazing to see the players running in the field and unbelievable to know that they actually didn't see anything. Occasionally the situations looked like from 'normal' football game. We also wondered how is it possible to get the ball into the goal when the goal keeper is sighted and the player doesn't see at all. But we saw it five times when MTV Stuttgart made goals. The girls comments after the match was that they have never before watched football so intenced.

After the game our group divided into smaller ones. Few went to visit Wilhelma with some of the German group members. Others headed to the city and shopped until they had no money left :) Late in the evening we met again and had dinner together.

Thank God we didn't have to wake up early even on Sunday morning. At least not some of us. Half of our group went to visit a chocolate factory Ritter Sport in the morning and noon. At 1.30 am we met at Fernsehturm and went for a picnic near by it. İn the picnic area it was possible to barbecue or play in the playground but we settled only to eat our food. After finished there we walked to the Fernsehturm and took a lift to the platform which was in 150 meters. The view was quite nice and now we could see how far Stuttgart was spread. İn was funny that up there the center of Stuttgart didn't look like a valley. We could see so far that small hills didn't look any special.

The afternoon and evening was free time and we spread around - some back to Nikolauspflege and others to the Schlossgarten. After the dinner quite a few of us headed to Wasen. The spring festival or carneval is famous and an occasion in Germany. Every town has its own way to celebrate it and in Bad Canstatt it is celebrated by a huge Wasen. İn the area you can find all sort of shops selling cloths, stuff for animals, jewellery and accessories - you name it. The area is crowded with different kind of amusement park equipment. Incredible roller coasters and haunted hauses. And of course food and drinks.

İf we go back to the origin of these spring festivals, the idea is to banish all the cold spirits of winter and welcome the summer. At least today we welcomed the summer when it was over 20 degrees and the sun was shining the whole day!

// Elina