Surreal Moment in Prague

I just remembered one of the most surreal moments while in Prague that I'd like to share.

World Cup mania has gripped much of Europe. While in Germany and the Czech Republic it became obvious that the World Cup means a lot to many Europeans. This became especially evident in Prague, where there was giant screen TVs in the major squares of town that came on specifically for the matches.

One evening I was having dinner at an outdoor table near one of these TVs. Featured was the match between England and Ecuador. Midway through the second half, while in the Czech Republic, most of the crowd gathered around the TV (which was at least 300 people) broke out into a chorus of God Save the Queen. I never imagined that while sitting in the Czech Republic that I would hear such a large crowd break out into the royal/national anthem of England. It was a very interesting experience.

Then when England won, the crowd went wild. There was screaming, cheering, and a few streakers too. This is definitely not something that you would see in the United States in response to a soccer (sorry, football) match.