Was in Germany in April. On one outing, we passed an area of private garden spaces (which is an interesting concept, but makes sense in context) and the tour guide mentioned how the German flags we saw flying around in some places were a pretty recent addition; they only really started being accepted again after the World Cup showing.

I thought it was a nice sign that Germans are happy being proud of their country. It made me happy to see; you’ve got a lot to be proud of and it’s a wonderful place to visit.

As an American, it’s interesting to see the distain from other parts of the world. I understand the distain for nationalism, but I do think there’s some nuance there between nationalism and taking pride in your home. Of course, the caveat there is here in the US, flying the flag has been coopted by conservatives in a big way, which is unfortunate. I have seen a counter sentiment to it, though, basically saying “it’s not your flag, it’s our flag, and we can all claim it”.