France 98 - A postcard from Paris

Dear Mum,

I'm loving life exploring France 98.  Paris, where I am based, has been the perfect host, and the locals here are ecstatic about the competition.  Footix, the World Cup mascot, is everywhere, and the French population have really taken the little cockerel to their hearts.  Of course, it doesn't hurt the mood that the national team is doing so well, despite being taken to extra time by Paraguay in the second round, and all the way to penalties by a plucky Italy team in the quarter-finals.  There's a feeling here that it's France's year, and they're all looking forward to the semi-final showdown against Croatia, the conquerors of Germany.

Naturally, you can't walk down a single road in Paris without some reminder of the tournament, and this is the same in all the other host cities, for this is a tournament that spans the length and breadth of the country - although sitting in my little Montmartre apartment, it's funny to think that 400 miles away on the balmy French Riviera, the people of Marseille have been enjoying the same spectacle.

So what next?  Well we're moving into the semi-final stage now, and whilst the competition hots up, it's also tinged with the sadness that soon, this fabulous occasion will be at an end. Never mind, there are still four big matches to go: Marseille will see the mighty Brazil take on the Dutch on 7 July, whilst here in Paris the French take on Croatia on the 8th.  We'll then see the last two matches on my doorstep - the third place play-off at Parc des Princes, and the final itself at the magnificent Stade de France.

It's funny now that I sit and write this, to imagine the festival of humanity that we've seen in the last few weeks.  The sounds and colours of the whole world have been brought straight to us, and it has been a privilege and honour to celebrate football with so many others.  In many ways, I feel like this particular World Cup will be so fondly remembered over the coming years - it may even be the best tournament of them all.