The Netherlands, Eurocup 2008

Well, if you've read some of my past posts in this blog, you know how very much I love the Dutch. They are a people that are, based on my personal experience with them, who seldom exhibit that fervent national patriotism that we see in some nations.

Unless there's an international football game going on, with their team playing in it......

Then ?

Watch out...... :-)



That's right, the stands are filled with orange colored shirts, pants, faces, hair, and other parts of the human body best left unmentioned in polite company. Some nations wear their hearts on their sleeves, the Dutch dip themselves in orange.

All over the Netherlands, and worldwide, you can count on the Dutch to be glued to a TV screen at home, in a bar, or even (weather permitting) outside their houses on TV's dragged out for the occasion.

After their rather stunning upset of the French, I suppose some Dutch fans are perhaps only sobering up now....and ready to unfurl those orange battle flags again tomorrow - against France.

I'll be there watching them, here in Montreal, and proudly cheering them on.

One highlight not to be missed is the singing of the Netherlands national anthem, before the game. I think it's one of the best moments of the game, win or lose, actually.

When they strike up "Het Wilhelmus", with a few beers under their belts and at a soccer match - you'll never get a better example of how proud of being Dutch they are capable of being. Most of the rest of the year, you'd probably have to waterboard them to get it out of them.

Here's what I mean :



Now there are far better versions of that anthem at places like YouTube, but that's secondary to the issue being discussed here.

The Germans invaded the Netherlands in WW2. The Dutch returned the favor in 2006, at the World Cup in Cologne.



So, I'd like to extend my best wishes to the Netherlands, and to their team, Friday.

"Hup, Holland, Hup,"