Go Dutch??

First I'd like to thank the comments - posted here and via email - to my last post.  All very interesting and a dialogue that should and will continue.  Now to soccer....

I've never been to Holland.  I don't speak Dutch.  Despite all the rave reviews, I've never felt compelled to fly to Amsterdam.  But there's something contagious in the air.  it's orange.  partially because there are many people with Dutch ancestry (remember apartheid?  oh yeah, soccer...), but also because they were playing Uruguay, the team that embarassed Bafana (South Africa) early on 3-nil, and also eliminated the last standing African nation, Ghana, with an intentional handball in the dying minutes of the quarterfinal match.  Whatever their reason, everyone in South Africa is rooting the the Flying Dutchmen. and it's exciting. 

I put on my new orange sweatshirt and participated in a "fan walk" from downtown to the stadium, with tens of thousands along for the walk.  There was music, dancing, singing, costumes.  Some people compared it to Carnaval.  Let's not get carried away now.  After wandering for awhile and testing the scalpers market, I found two police officers confiscating two $600 tickets from a scalper.  I told them a sob story about my ticket being stolen, how I just came to Cape Town for the game, and could they please give me one of the tickets.  No dice.  My story wasn't convincing.  Eiher way, I managed to find a ticket for about $80 just after kickoff from a local who had dated a girl from Minnesota. 

If you saw the game, I need say no more.  If you didn't, you need to.  I was 2nd level, right behing the first goal that was scored.  best goal of the tournament.  i cheered after goals for each team.  i wanted to root for uruguay - i did - because I always root for latin america over europe.  but i couldn't help myself. the better team won and i was happy.  and south africa is happy.  like the semi-final, the netherlands will have home field advantage in the final, despite being 5000 miles away from home.

Oh, i went to a penguin colony yesterday.  and i climbed Table Mountain today.  beautiful.  truly.  off to hermanus tomorrow.  shark diving soon. go spain.