Today the city of Basel turned orange - or perhaps that should be 'Orenje' - as the most dedicated Dutch fans turned up a day early for their quarter final against Russia.

Well, why spend a couple of hours watching football when you can turn it into a whole weekend? I haven't seen any Russian fans yet, but I know they will make themselves felt once they're here. On previous form at this tournament Holland have to be favourites, but thats probably what people thought about Croatia.

As I went for a very early morning walk, I was hoping to hear birds singing, the wind playing carelessly with the grass in my local park, and perhaps a coffee brewing in my favourite cafe.

Barely had I stepped out of the door that the sound of car horns, trumpets and that tinny sound of car stereos turned up to maximum volume filled the normally peaceful suburban Basel air. Let me explain. I dont live in the centre of town, and I dont live next to the stadium. So why would hundreds of football fans have congregated a hundred metres from my house?

It turns out this is where the numerous coaches making their way from the Netherlands to Basel are dropping off their passengers. The Basel-bound fans have been arriving since the middle of the night, and thats why quite a few had brought blankets to sleep in the first available area they found - my local park. An interruption to my morning walk would normally make me grumpy, but these Dutch fans are in such high spirits its really infectious. I still havent seen any Russian fans though."