Friday morning I rolled into the Czech Republic. 

I arrived at 7am and while I had a sleeper on the train, first class no less,  I didn't sleep too well.  

Rolled into the Old Town square and wandered taking pictures.  Finally rolled to the hostel I wanted - but what I really wanted was a nap!  

They were full and wouldn't be able to let me know 'till 10am, so off for Breakfast.  A little food and coffee and I was ready to go!  Roll back to the dorm, I'm in they tell me, but checking is between 1-6pm.  After 6, I'm SOL.  So off I go!

I wander the streets and call up my friend Pavel that I came to visit.  We planned to meet up later.

So I wander and get lost among the hordes of tourists and the twisty winding little streets.  I'm looking for a bar I went to the last two times I was here, the Marquis de Sade, a not at all sadistic place.   Couldn't find it - appears it is kaput!

The square is hopping tho!  People everywhere, and all of a sudden I hear bagpipes and look around and sure enough, the Northeast corner is just PACKED with guys wearing Kilts!  I remember seeing some bars were going to show the football game tonight, Scotland v Czech Republic, and it looks like they came for the game.  Guys in kilts, drinking beer on the town square!  I'm in!

So I go buy a beer and figure I can mingle my way into their little party.

I take some pics too.  They're half in the can, so don't mind being photographed.  Check out this guy - I managed to get him digging in his nose!

The Scots are quite a sight - this lassie wants a picture with them.

There's an empty seat next to this guy, so I sit down, and we get to chatting.  Turns out he's here with his wife, and she's off getting him more beer!  Genius!  

So they insist I sit and tell them all about "American Tailgating."  "

"So I don't get it, you just pull up in your car, and pull out food from your, what do call the boot?  The trunk?"

So I explain in great detail the tradition of college football on Saturdays and tailgating.  

The Tartan Army is what these guys are called.  The "Army" invades a town when they have a "friendly" or even a real game.  The Scots aren't too good at football tho.  

They took me around to their friends.  You get a pin for each game you attend, just like the players get one for playing.  The guy on my right here had a huge bottle of Johnny Walker that he was working on.  Been to a few games he has, although I couldn't understand half of what he said, the Scottish accent being a pretty rough one.  

Well, by this point, I was their new best friend, and it was decided for me that I was being captured and taken to the game.  

I even got to wear the hat!  

The Scots were quite a scene in the town square.  Must have been a thousand of them.  They were singing, and like I said, bagpipes were piping off, and everyone was having a great time.  The Scots remind me of Wisconsin fans - friendly, happy, just here for a good time.  They are everything the English aren't when it comes to being fans.  They even picked up their trash!  

These are two of my favorite pix from the day:  Check out the guy with the blue arm-band.  Hey, what's he doing!?  Well, it sure looks like he's taking an up-kilt picture.  And true to form, just like the song Donald Where's Your Trousers.  The Scots were quite up front, telling me that the men of the Tartan army aren't wearing any trousers.  Hm, I thought that a myth.  Alas, my friends, it is not.  And best to avoid the conversation of disbelief, as they are eager to demonstrate by showing you a full Scottish moon, as I learned the hard way!

So that was the scene.

It was 90 in Prague yesterday - insane hot!  So the guys were topless a lot.

The police rolled in, but the Scots were just having a loving peaceful time.  I ran back to my hostel to check in real quick, then back for a last beer before we began the "March".  We all start walking, the cops close the streets off and off we go, singing songs.  Well, songs is a stretch.  They have one song:  Doe a Deer.

Yup so there we are,  people waving flags, loving life, Scotland this and Scotland that, and singing their one song.  It goes like this:

Doe a Deer a Female Deer

Ray a tropic golden sun

Me the name I call myself

Far, a long long way to run

So something something

La something something

And that (and it gets really loud when they get to this part) BRINGS US BACK TO DOE!

I tried teaching them the beer song (Ya know, "Dough the stuff that buys me beer, Ray the guy that sells me beer.   Me, the guy, who drinks the beer.  Far, a long run to get beer.  Soooo...I need another beer...."

Ah yes good fun.  I had a riot at the game, learning soccer chants, singing, talking about football, drinking cheap Czech beer, and learning all about International Soccer.  The fans are separated by walls!  We had the entire corner of the stadium, the rest of the stadium sparely filled with Czechs.  They weren't as much fun as We were!  

The Scots got their ass handed to them - but they did score a really lucky goal, and that made everything OK.  Lots of singing and chanting, and after 90 minutes, it was a great time.

Then off to meet Pavel and his friends, for a night on the town with the Czechs!  Ah wonderful Prague!