yesssss!!!!! i LOVE bagpipes and they sure look like a fun bunch of people!

I was just about to read an article on how much the bars are loving having the Scots around!! lopl

Im enjoying the videos of the Scots and also the Dutch wearing orange and dancing. Philadelphia turned yellow by all the fans from Ecuador, who unfortunately lost to Ivory Coast.

The Argentinian fans have taken over KC and might just now be taking a nap after Messi's hat trick last night.

The Netherlands play in KC on Saturday and I hear they are a very exuberant fan base too.

These sports enthsiasts are seeing our wonderful country and are in awe! Hopefully our citizens will see with new eyes the great country we are! I am so over the whining and negativity.

@murraysmom back in the day, we went every year for years to the triangle X working ranch in wyoming. met a wonderful man from scotland and he ended up coming back every year for 7 years to go on a 10-day pack trip into the tetons with us. we had the BEST time with him, he was a hoot and oh boy, did he love his scotch!! he was a wealthy guy, owned several homes and invited us to scotland many times. i regret we never found the time to go. i only recently learned he passed away last year.

This just popped up for me...they are having so much fun! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14gTv48XuDM/

I want to love this 1,000 times!!! The Scots are just fabulous. I would have followed the bagpipers anywhere!! What a fun group of people.

Ninapearl, how special to get to know someone like that. And the pack trip sounds thrilling. I love the Tetons.

Wait until the Aussie fans come to your town - if they do. Tell the barkeeps to double their beer supply. They were here and the pubs were shocked at how much they drank but also how they loved to party in a very fun way.

LoneJack - I've been reading about Algeria and Lawrence and how they have each embraced the other. Seems that they have really created something special. They, of course, lost to Argentina but still had a welcoming place to return to after the game.

I just read an article about Scotland drinking Boston dry so Vancouver was at the mercy of the Aussie while Boston had the Scots. Fun times.

ETA - Seattle - you guys have Australia on Friday. Hope you're ready.

And then there are the Dutch! OMG!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DCC9WNbrf/

So fun to watch the fans from other countries. No fights, no trouble, just happy. So far. I love the interviews with fans telling about eating something here, or the size of things here.

I suspect we (North America) are only getting a small taste of what football (we should probably use the "correct" term while they're all here) means to the rest of the world.

I was in NYC last week, and walking downtown, I passed a family. Mom, Dad, 3 boy teenagers, all with the reddest hair I have ever seen. The boys were wearing kilts and Scotland team jerseys. I bet that they were spending some time down here before traveling to Gillette (excuse me, Boston) stadium fpr the first game. Lovely to see.

Have you seen the Viking Invasion from Norway? https://www.facebook.com/reel/27136953562581852

The Norwegians are a hoot!

Gotta love ’em! Remember their Olympic curling uniforms from a few Games ago?

I am not a fan of sports myself, but I really like seeing the enthusiasm and joy they share!

Fans of all teams (whether pro, college, amateur, national) and in any sport like to group with others with whom they share an affiliated and whoop it up. The thing about the World Cup is that you have far more many allegiances and fans than for an simple championship game or competition involving just a few teams at a time.

Soccer ("football" abroad) is the one international sport that is #1 in most every country with just a few exceptions. The World Cup, held just once every 4 years, is the Super Bowl X 48X4. (48 is the number of countries competing this time, up from 32 the last time, and fans have to wait 4 years until the next time). Part of fan rivalries involve wearing clothing and items allowing obvious ID of allegiance as a way to taunt and tease one another.

I went to a World Cup match that was played at Stanford Stadium for the '94 finals. Brazil was one of the teams playing and besides the obvious and expected enthusiam of its fans, I think there were another dozen or more contingents of supporters of other countries having a friendly go at one another. We went several hours earlier than normal, before the game started, to enjoy the festivities. It was all well underway before we arrived, and happening outside the gates before they were opened.

I was in Amsterdam for Kings Day this spring. Those people know how to party!!!

We were in Boston last Saturday to see 'Les Mis' and saw lots of kilts walking around. Loved it- so many different tartans! No bagpipes, sadly (I love them, too).... =)

I am absolutely loving all of it! And the fact the games are spread in cities all over the US hs made it even better, for the fans and for the US. I have laughed so hard at the foods and other things that make the visitors happy, and their comments about them are so fun…BBQ, ranch dressing, free refills, ice dispensers, Wal-Mart, Buckees, and the list goes on. Things most of us take for granted. Happy people like the Scots make it even more fun.

We don’t have Texas Roadhouse here, but I loved this https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Jqqh2t5ze/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Article in the paper today that the NYC restaurants and bars are going nuts because the European tourists are not leaving tips. Other countries have the service charge built into the meal price. And of course, our tip traditions are based on the sad fact that the servers aren't paid a living wage.

Awww that is sad. The owners should do something for them while this is going on. I'm sure they are making tons of money from these visitors.

If I order online to pick up, the app wants a tip. For what the hell for, for whatever!

EtA: I give one so they do not spit in my food, but not for service I have not received.

^^^if you order online, someone has to prepare what you've ordered. Tips are usually shared with the wait staff/ cook. So while you're not tipping wait staff, you're tip is going to the person who prepared your food. You have received service - your order doesn't magically happen.

I tip real people! I do not like tipping someone I never see. They should be paid for what they do!

This is why I almost never order online. I would buy more food if things were different.

I read an article the first day or so about a waitress who is amazed she's picking up $1,000 a shift in tips! I didn't pay any attention to the particilars like city or countries involved.

"They should be paid for what they do!"

That's an unbelievable statement. A cook or chef prepares your order. Your tip is for that service. A cook or chef IS a real person 🤦‍♀️

You and I think differently about most everything. I think tipping the cook or chef is appropriate. That person performed a service for me whether I lay eyes on them or not. My order doesn't prepare itself on its own. Someone does something to make it happen for you.

I tip generously and tip even fast food drive thru - talk about under paid! Tipping is part of the tradition and built in wage structure for restaurant food in our country. I would prefer better wages, but until that happens, I consider the tip part of the cost of the meal. If people were paid a living wage and tips eliminated, the cost of the meal would be increased by at least the amount of the tips. So the bottom line would be the same for the customers, except for the most stingy who don't tip or under tip.

I don't like the whole expansion of tipping culture to every single kind of business. I seldom leave tips in the jars of counters that have popped up everywhere. I ordered something online the other day and got a pop-up asking if I wanted to leave a tip for their hard working employees!

The waite staff tip the kitchen staff. A percent is designated for each person from Chef to dishwasher. I was the dishwasher for 2 years in a high end white tablecloth restaurant where my son was the chef and his wife my DIL Front of the house. Every well run restaurant does this , the staff all know how everything is dependent on everyone top to bottom.

So when you tip your server you are tipping the kitchen. c

^^^ Exactly. Even if you order online, drive to some establishment, and go pick it up yourself, some labor went into the order. Saying you don't like tipping someone you don't see, is, um, just ignorant. Especially if you're being cheap just because the chef or cook didn't come out from the kitchen to personally greet you.

I had to post one last video, the hometown (Seattle) win for USA https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18dV5cS2Tg/

"The owners should do something for them while this is going on." How about paying their staff properly all the time? Tipping is one of the customs which is very difficult for foreign visitors to the US. As is the tax on top of the stated price. You never know how much you'll have to spend on things. The only place we tip is at a sit-down restaurant and then only if service is particularly good. Usually I never tip and that's not a problem. The football fans are just doing what they'd do at home. Also most of them are likely to be on very tight budgets given the costs of travel and accommodation to get to and around the Americas.

Soccer, absolute athleticism and beautiful to watch.

I wonder why we call American football "football" when feet are involved with the ball only during kickoffs, punts, and field goals. The rest of the world has it right calling our soccer "football" when only feet and the ball are involved! We need a new name.

Good luck with that

I'm not a sports fan either although Seattle as a whole and members of my family are BIG soccer/football enthusiasts so lots of celebrating happening lately. And one of the activities out-of-town visitors to the Seattle games enjoy is a ferry ride and visit to my little island community. And little is a key word here - most ride the ferry as walk-ons and then stroll the street and visit the shops and restaurants in the alread congested downtown area. One has to plan one's excursions into town - necessary for grocery shopping, etc. - for very early in the day or during an important game. Otherwise the streets, shops and restaurants are packed and it is hard to get around.

DB lives in Pioneer Square only blocks from the stadium and he is even more restricted by the FIFA hosting. Streets are closed to vehicular traffic throughout his neigborhood and it is very noisy.

I will be glad when this is all over although summer visitors to the island remain an issue. It is a bit of a scenic tourist trap. 😆

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) I LOVE visiting your little island, but I know what you mean. I am SO glad the Seattle portion of this is over because I will be living out of a hotel for 2 weeks with my teen grandson while he attends a summer program in South Seattle. I'm already dreading the Oly to Seattle and back commute on Sunday eves and Friday afternoons. Would be even worse if the games were still happening. I avoid our wonderful farmer's market on weekends, if possible, because the tourists jam it to overflowing on Sat/Sun. Good business for the farmers, bad for the locals who just want to buy our stuff and get home, lol.

I am SO glad the Seattle portion of this is over

Is it? I see matches scheduled in Seattle until July 6th

oh geez, I just assumed, lol! Yikes!! No wonder it was so hard to find hotel accomodations!

Gardengal and Oly, did you catch this on KOMO news last Friday? It was people arriving on the ferry to watch the US vs Australia game. Not sure from where, maybe Bremerton. I love seeing everyone having so much fun. Hate all the congestion but thankfully it doesn't last forever.

Source: YouTube

https://share.google/Ble2GIQGgI6KSfTWG

I love that!!! And I loved the man saving the cow that was straddling a guardrail. There really are still good people in this world.

Loved this. Exactly how I feel.

^^^ And the Dutch!! And Australia! I love their US ditty!

No Scotland no party! They start them young! https://www.facebook.com/reel/1334057878921677