They’re sure to be talking about it in Munich for years to come – the day some of the bars in the Bavarian capital actually ran out of beer.

It really was a sight to behold Marienplatz on Thursday night, bathed in sun, swimming in lager, covered in kilts. It would be journalistic malpractice not to point out that when Team Herald shuffled wearily through the square there was a lot of broken glass being hastily swept up, which you’d have to say might have left less of a positive impression on the locals, but by all accounts things were overwhelmingly friendly if decidedly rowdy.

It’s late when the intrepid Herald journalists meet just off Marienplatz, Manchester United and England legend Rio Ferdinand shuffling past and trying not to catch any Scottish eyes. Josh Barrie leads us to a beer hall – no, not that one – while Jonny McFarlane regales us with historical facts. Yes, those ones.

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After a long day of hard work – no, really – it seems only right to request four of their finest steins, something many in the bar area adjacent to the restaurant portion we find ourselves in have clearly partaken of enthusiastically.

Matthew Lindsay and I opt for a heaping plate of pork knuckle, sauerkraut and mashed potato – which is excellent – while the other two select an even bigger serving of various cold cuts, dips and pickles. This is also deemed excellent although with the slight caveat that Josh doesn’t actually like pickles.

From there it’s a late night train to Augsburg and attendant faffing over sleeping arrangements, the four of us having arrived well after midnight. Everything’s resolved in the end but we’ll agree to try and bone up on how German postcodes work.

The following day starts grey and damp – dreich, in other words – making everyone feel right at home.Fans dance and drink together in streets and parks, Germans and Scots making friends and generally having a lovely time, all dutifully documented by Team Herald.

I’m despatched to the fan zone where the massed ranks of the Tartan Army is making the most of the sun, while the rest head to the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich, for the main event.

The hosts have laid on some gift bags for the esteemed members of the media, which is thoughtful, containing a map of Munich, a travel guide for the city, a pen and a notebook. The pen doesn’t work and while the travel guide looks excellent it’s also entirely in German which may not be ideal for an international tournament. The adapter for my laptop doesn’t fit the sockets on the tables in the media centre so I sit on the stone floor just outside in order to charge it. It’s not all steins and pork knuckles.

And then a football match happened. The less said about that the better.