You guys, the German fans are something else. They love sports, they love American stadium songs, (i.e. Sweet Caroline), and they love smoking. Yuck.

Some people go to Europe for art, architecture, and wine.
We went for football.
Specifically, to watch the New England Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany — but naturally, we took the scenic route. Because why fly direct when you can turn a sporting event into a multi-national road trip adventure, a car with suspicious graphics, and a speeding ticket?

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Touchdown: Amsterdam (But Not for Long)

We flew into Amsterdam, bleary-eyed and buzzing with energy. Our first mission? Pick up the rental car. Seems innocent enough — until they handed us a vehicle wrapped in very loud, very promotional advertising. We’re talking “you’ll see this coming from 3 kilometers away” energy. Honestly, we embraced it. We named her and she became part of the crew.

From there, the adventure began:
Belgium ➡️ Germany ➡️ back to Belgium ➡️ Cologne ➡️ Autobahn regrets ➡️ NFL madness.

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Highlights from the Road (a.k.a. The Chaos)

🚙 The Autobahn:
Yes, we went fast. Yes, we almost kissed a Lamborghini, No, there aren’t technically speed limits in places. But don’t worry — we found the spot that did have a camera. Somewhere between Cologne and Frankfurt, we officially became the proud recipients of a German speeding ticket. Memories, right? Fun fact about German speeding tickets, they make it very difficult to pay, I ended up having to pay via bank transfer, sketchy AF. At least some signs along the way made us giggle like 12 year olds.

🍺 The Heineken Experience (Amsterdam):
This is part museum, part immersive ride, part beer-fueled fever dream. We learned about hops, brewed fake beer in a simulator, and ended up dancing with strangers by the end. 10/10 recommend — just don’t go on an empty stomach. So much fun was had, and we definitely stocked up on souvenirs here.

🚗 Autoworld Brussels (Belgium):
If you like cars, this is your Super Bowl. This place walks you through the history of the automobile, from horse-drawn carriages to slick modern racing machines. It made our little ad-wrapped rental car feel very underwhelming. This was actually a really fun experience as well. It was crazy to see the evolution of cars. This is even a fun experience for people only mildly interested in cars (me)

🧻 Manneken Pis (Brussels):
Yes, we saw the infamous peeing boy statue. Yes, it was tiny. Yes, people were still taking it very seriously. Besides the infamous statue, Brussels city center was quite vibrant, full of shops, restaurants and prime people watching.

🕊️ Ypres & The In Flanders Fields Museum (Belgium):
This was unexpectedly powerful. Ypres is quiet, sobering, and deeply moving. The museum dives into the WWI history of the region and had us all standing silently, reflecting. It gave real meaning to the rest of the fun and reminded us why travel matters.

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The Main Event: NFL in Frankfurt

And then — finally — Frankfurt. We rolled into the city in our ridiculous rental, ready for game day. The atmosphere was electric. American football fans from all over Europe (and plenty of Americans who made the trek) were decked out in jerseys, tailgating in German beer gardens, and somehow chanting “Let’s go Patriots!” with bratwursts in hand. We stayed at the hotel walking distance to the stadium, and just our luck, it happened to be where the Patriots Pre-game party was! We were able to grab some tickets and hang out with fellow fans before trekking over to the stadium.

The Patriots vs. Colts game was held at Deutsche Bank Park. Those German fans were definitely into the game, and loved the American sing-alongs.

Even if you’re not a die-hard football fan, there’s something about seeing a little slice of home — halfway across the world — surrounded by thousands of strangers who just get the vibe.

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Final Thoughts

We came for football, but left with:

• A speeding ticket souvenir
• A new appreciation for European beer museums
• A meme-worthy rental car
• And a road trip filled with unexpected laughs, somber lessons, and one very memorable statue.

If you ever get the chance to combine your sports obsession with international travel — do it. Fly in somewhere wild. Rent something weird. Take the long way. Just maybe drive slower on the Autobahn than Darrin did. 😉

~Kel