We thought we would get to Paddy Foley's Pub early on so that we might get a seat. Ha ha! As you see in the lower photo, the Japanese contingent had full occupation of all available space long before we arrived. The arms in the air may well be people signaling their need for oxygen. The toilet in Paddy's is a one-seater for each gender--I wonder how that panned out towards the end of the evening. Matthew pointed out the number of seats was moot, as nobody would be able to make their way back there in the first place.
The Dutch had planted themselves firmly in front of the outdoor screen, and they weren't about to give up their places for love nor money nor even beer. I overheard a Japanese comment that "If they were small like us at least we could see the game." They WERE big, most of them a good few inches taller than Matthew, so we were obliged to watch the game as a reflection in the window. It was hot, it was muggy, it was smelly, and who would have it any other way? (Us, actually. We had been on our feet for a good 6 hours already that day so after having absorbed a goodly amount of ambiance we set off in search of other venues and ended up on kind of a walking tour of the game, finishing up in the comfort of our own home.)
