There was a still expectancy in the air over the last weeks, as the Netherlands team prepared for the world cup - the supermarkets were giving away flags with every 10 euro of shopping, and you could buy orange trumpets on every street corner.
The first match was on a monday, in the afternoon. Schools rearranged their timetables so children were out early to get home and watch; big screens were set up in offices, bars stocked up with beer, people took the day off work! Around half an hour before kick off there was a mass movement of orange clad and painted people throughout the netherlands, all homing in on TV screens.
And then the hush descended.
If you were not interested in football, you enjoyed a serene and traffic free afternoon, if you were engrossed in the match, you were treated to two goals and a display of Dutch football skills which has put them at the top of their group.
Today there is a feeling of quiet confidence, and arrangements for the next match on the 19th against Japan are in full swing. I love how the Dutch embrace this competition!
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