I’m feeling rather patriotic this weekend. I know every other nation was probably completely baffled by the Olympic opening ceremony, but I absolutely loved it – and am also quite relieved that as an expat, I still ‘got it’. Surreal, madcap, moving and full of humour, it was truly a rock-and-roll ceremony and that now-legendary royal opening, “Good evening, Mr Bond,” – with the Queen’s corgis in attendance – was simply genius.

I hope you enjoy these photos and reactions from around the world as much as I did… (I must admit, I did laugh that in China, the state TV narrators did a commendable job of galloping through potted histories of everything from the industrial revolution to Mary Poppins, but were apparently stunned into near-silence by the parachuting Monarch!)

Piers Morgan
“This is truly, madly, deeply British” #London2012

Michael Moran
“There are some sheep on the pitch….they think it’s all clover. It is now!” #olympics

An estimated global television audience of one billion tuned in to watch

Rachel Wilkinson
“I think they could have got some Tellytubbies on those yonder hills”

Queen_UK
“Are those things actually there or has one had a gin too many?” #olympicceremony

Sense of humour – still one of our greatest assets

Tylerbaldwin
“Mr Bean = the strangest and yet best thing I have ever seen during an opening ceremony for the Olympics”

duguzzle
“In true British style, the queue of athletes is ridiculous” #olympicceremony

Gary Lineker
“Are we really only on M? Can they start jogging? They’re athletes after all…”

Spectacular, thoughtful and touching – the ceremony competed with Beijing on a different level

Pam Mcllroy
“I want Danny Boyle to light the Olympic Flame. He’s done more for the morale of GB in a couple of hours than anyone has in years…”

Sir Redgrave? The Queen? Pippa Middleton? Speculation was rife as to who would light the cauldron

Piers Morgan
“You watching, Mitt?”

Who says Britain can’t put on a show?

“If the opening ceremonies of the London Games sometimes seemed like the world’s biggest inside joke, the message from Britain resonated loud and clear: We may not always be your cup of tea, but you know – and so often love – our culture nonetheless”
Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post