Victoire

Brazil: ELIMINATED.

Oh my God the euphoria! Oh my God!

We really were freaking out. This is huge. HUGE!

The boys and I watched the game, absolutely riveted. The French earned their victory -- they weren't just playing soccer, they were DANCING on that field. Well-orchestrated, masterful moves, and an all-out stellar performance from Zidane. They owned that stadium, no question about it.

After the game, we descended into the streets, where people were honking, clapping, and smiling stupidly. It was exciting to be a part of such collective happiness, and we decided to work our way to the Champs.

I read today that 500,000 people were on the Champs-Elys�es last night, and the crowd had the whole spectrum: little kids sitting on their dads' shoulders, 100% football fans wearing jerseys, old, young, in-between. Near the Arc de Triomph, the crowd was a little bit violent -- something I will never understand about the French is why EVERY large gathering of people always has to result in teargas. But otherwise, the rest of the avenue was peaceful and simply swarming with fans.

I tried to take pictures but they just don't do the party justice.

We got home at 4-something in the morning. I'll admit to having a hard time walking by the end, after almost eight hours on my feet at work, followed by two hours of sitting in front of the television tearing my hair out, and then five hours of walking around town, I was absolutely exhausted. It was a thrilling evening, but I've got blisters to prove that we covered some serious ground.

I think I'm going to take it easy today and save up my energy for the SEMIFINALS.

Because yeah... the French are in them. Because they eliminated BRAZIL.

Side note: my neighbors are Portugese and have hung a Portugese flag out their window. Last night, right after the end of the match, I opened my window to watch everyone spill into the street. My neighbor was standing on her balcony, so I said hello and we chatted about the game. Then I said, "I see you've got a Portugese flag out," and she winked and said, "May the best team win..." My response was, "Are you kidding? This is war!" Wednesday is going to be intense.