Kaiserslautern

The Games

Mon 12 June (1400): Australia v Japan (Gp F)

Sat 17 June (1700): Italy v USA (Gp E)

Tue 20 June (2000): Paraguay v Trinidad & Tobago (Gp B)

Fri 23 June (1500): Saudi Arabia v Spain (Gp H)

Mon 26 June (1600): 2nd round (1st Gp E v 2nd Gp F)

Only about 100.000 people live in this former residential town. In 'K-Town' the US military is one of the most important employers. The city's stadium is named iafter its most famous son, the soccer plyer Fritz Walter.

What's the vibe? Military-chic-cum-German-footballing-nostalgia. The Americans on the military base - all 40,000 of them - call this place 'K-Town', while the rest of Germany refers to it as 'Soccer Town' because five members of the 1954 World Cup-winning team were selected from here. It's a tiny place, characterised by swaggering Americans who have made English the lingua franca.

Catch the match: The United States play Italy here in the preliminary round, so head to any American-style bar and get behind the 'locals' while tucking into a burger.

Miss the match: Football legend Fritz Walter's home has been turned into a museum. Otherwise, hire bicycles and tour the Pfalz region: it's the largest forested area in the country, and numerous vineyards offer wine-tastings.

Halftime snacks: Margaret Thatcher famously stabbed at her portion of saumagen - pig's stomach filled with potatoes - when dining here with former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Pferdwurst is another delicacy - horsemeat sausages.