Twiggy wigs and sampling the atmosphere

You know you’re entering the unique atmosphere of an international tournament your country is actually involved when, as you take your seat on a plane, a middle-aged woman walks down the aisle bedecked in a full Irish kit (yes, shorts and socks too) and a green twiggy wig.

Welcome to Euro 2012.

Quite literally. Due to logistical difficulties in getting from Budapest to Poland, that flight was actually to Gdansk yesterday rather than the site of Ireland’s last friendly, the Hungarian capital. At the very least, though, that offered an early opportunity to sample the atmosphere in one of Poland’s most picturesque cities four days before the tournament actually begins.