Is this the way to Amarillo?

Nuremberg is one giant party right now. There are an estimated 70,000 English fans here in this city of 495,000, and it appears as if every single one of them was issued a national flag when they left the country. St. George's Cross is everywhere you look; they've managed to hang it from windows, railings, fountains, body parts... The preferred way to wear it seems to be as a David Beckham-style sarong.

Naturally, there are police officers everywhere in the downtown area and out near the stadium. I saw three English bobbys on one of the crowded pedestrian malls, but their role seems to be purely decorative; all I saw them do was pose for pictures with fans. (The heavily armed German polizei did not get similar requests.)

The party is concentrated in the Hauptmarkt, which is a large square in the center of the walled old town.

A "Kick-and-Groove Park" has been erected in the center of the square; it's essentially an open-air beer garden with long tables and an entertainment stage, and it's surrounded by stands selling all sorts of grilled meats (including Nuremberg's famous tasty little sausages) and sweets. The English have completely taken over the KaGP. They stand on the tables and sing along to the cheesy pop and dance tunes that are blasted over the speakers.

Around 1 p.m. today, all the attention in the Hauptmarkt centered on the periphery of the square, where the Trinidad and Tobago supporters had a Carnival parade. At the head of the parade was a woman in an elaborate gold dress with a magnificent headdress that looked as if a large golden peacock was sitting on her head. Two enormous multi-colored butterfly wings extended behind her, rising up and sideways several feet.

Men and women wearing white Soca Warrior jerseys, their faces painted in red, white and black, played steel drums, as other fans in red shirts blew whistles and waved flags. Women wearing skimpy spangled bikinis danced, as did a man painted entirely in blue, including his devil horns, wings, and pitchfork. It was so colorful and festive, and just so happy.

Once the parade left the square, the music resumed in the KaGP. The first song was "(Is this the way to) Amarillo," a tune co-written by Neil Sedaka about a town in Texas that for some reason has become a popular football song in England. Everyone sang the chorus at the top of their lungs--"Sha la la lala lala ENG-LAND!" (That last part isn't in the original version, of course.) A shirtless man with a shaved head and a potbelly led some of the fans in a conga line--England's answer to the scantily-clad Carnival women.

The conga line continued through the next song, a dance version of "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Once again, everyone knew the words and sang along. I'm always amazed at the worldwide popularity of that song (it was sung at every karaoke party I attended in the two years I lived in Japan). But this sing-a-long version--the peppy female vocals notwithstanding--is now, without a doubt, my favorite.