Oranje- World Cup Fever

World Cup is here!!! The round of 16 begins today- Sweden v. Germany!!!

For those who are not aware of this world-wide phennemon, (happens every 4 years), Germany is host this year. I was lucky enough to be in Germany for a few of the games. Alas, no tix, but it was exciting enough to be in the same city, same country as the games. In Stuttgart, where I was visiting friends, Holland played Ivory Coast. As both countries use orange for their national color, the city was an oasis of orange. (See pix). The Dutch came down from Holland for the game. They are jovial bunch; they played music, sang, and danced about- this was all before the game, mind you! The last time the Dutch played in the finals was in 1974- they lost against the germans, so you see, they are determined to make a comeback. (Side note: the reason I, who usually do not follow sports, know so much, is I have been reading The Thinking Person’s Guide to the World Cup- great book that it became the bible for me and my Stuttgart friends). My friends and I, who all studied in Holland, were in orange, supporting the Dutch. We were in the minority, we realized when the Ivory Coast looked like they were going to score, everyone around us cheered. But that it don’t stop us, when Holland made a goal, the three of us made enough noise to compete.

On to other topics, summer has arrived in BP. Outdoor cafes and festivals are abundant along with the mosquitos. I have been watching the games in the outdoor part near my house- public viewing. Pres Bush visited town this week, a big to do and nightmare traffic jams. My next visitors will be in August and September. Until then…go Oranje and Deutschland!!