Hup! Hup! Holland!!

"Soccer is a magical game." ~ David Beckham

Every couple of years the world comes together to celebrate a sport - soccer.  Or football as it is known more commonly known outside of North America.

My first experience with soccer was not a pleasant one.  It was in the gym at Mohawk Public School while I was in Grade 2.  Someone kicked the ball hard and it hit me square on in the face.  Since that time I have avoided soccer like the plague.  Except every two years when big events happen, like the FIFA World Cup then my inner orange comes out and I suddenly get excited about the sport.

I travelling through Germany and Holland when Euro 2012 was going on and it was a hoot.  In our house we cheer for Germany and Holland, which is our heritage, so travelling there when this event was going on was awesome...well, until Holland lost!

Despite my not attending games, never playing the game, or watching games during the normal season, I like to stay informed when these events are on. I bought my Hup! Hup! Holland! scarf while in Germany that year we visited.  The vendor kept saying I was buying the wrong one.  Too funny.  So now I wear it with pride when I see that a big event is happening and I love that everyone else does as well.  There are huge Italian flags hanging from windows, people driving by with England and Germany flags waving from their car windows and the other day I saw a girl draped in a flag walking down the street.

I respect that there are a lot of folks out there who are very involved in the sport and love it for more than just a few games every two years.  But as a once in a while spectator I must say I love how every one comes together to celebrate the sport.  Indeed, soccer must be a magical game as Mr. Beckham says...

Peace out my lovelies!