Football Stops Traffic.

[baratron]

Greetings from Brussels, where the world is going crazy following the Italian team winning their World Cup match. We made the mistake of going into an Italian restaurant for dinner, completely unaware that Italy were playing tonight. We finished eating at 9.05pm, but the football match started at 9.00pm - and it took until 9.38pm before we got the bill & could leave. Argh.

This country is nuts. I'm not sure if it's full of Italians, or if it's just that most Belgians support Italy in preference to other European countries - but in response to them winning a quarter final, the fans stopped the traffic for over an hour. Look at the crazy people hanging out of their cars, and even standing on the roofs. Imagine a major intersection in the capital city of your country blocked for over an hour by people hooting their horns, blowing whistles and cheering.

Thank God we'll be home before the final's played!

Comments

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

I used to live in the Little Italy neighbourhood in Toronto. I know of what you speak.

[rhialto.livejournal.com]

I always tell people (note that I have never actually tried it ;-) to just get up and leave if getting the bill takes too long. That should get an instant reaction (or else a free meal).

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Yeah, usually what I do if it's taking too long is to stand up and start putting on my coat, getting my stuff together - making very clear preparations of leaving. This has unfailingly caused the bill to appear very quickly in my experience! However, it was so damn hot on Friday night that neither of us had coats (I'd been carrying a long-sleeved t-shirt round my waist all day ready to put on if it got colder in the evening, but it didn't), and Richard was too hot and bothered to try body language like very deliberately getting his wallet and credit card out.

[inkyann.livejournal.com]

You should have been there in ?1990? when England beat Belgium in the quarter or semi-finals. Walking up the Chaussée De Waterloo telling the Belgians precisely how good we were at football ;) I'm not sure we were very popular, but it was damn good fun!