Off to The Netherlands - New Years 12/31

I woke up at 3 am after very very little sleep and helped get two teams to the airport for their flight. After their flight took off I was so exhausted I actually took a nap on a bench in the airport. I set several alarms on my phone and looped my arms through all of my luggage. I was still exhausted when it came time to board the flight so I managed to sleep through the flight despite an annoying little girl being exceptionally loud.

Coletta and I met up at the airport and we were off to Amsterdam! We took a canal tour and got to see the sights. It was beautiful and I got several really nice pictures. We then found a nice little cafe and had panacooken which are dutch pancakes with a variety of toppings. They were delicious!

Afterwards we decided to go back to Rotterdam. I was still quite tired so I fell asleep a few times on the drive to Coletta's house. oops. We made a quick stop at the grocery to pick up some snacks for our Paris trip (!!!!!) then went to her apartment where I promptly took a nap! It was glorious, I must say. We ate a lovely dinner and are now about to head out to watch some fireworks to bring in the new year! It is rainy and cold, but we are excited anyway! 

In the morning we are off to Paris! I'm excited!

Malena

PS I'm also very excited for the full night's sleep I will be getting tonight!

Last Day in Spain 12/30

Last Day In Spain 12/30

Today was our last full day in Spain and it was fun! We woke up bright and early to go into Bracelona for the final matches. However, first we squeezed in a stadium tour of FC Barcelona and it was incredible! I was very excited that I got to experience that.

The matches lasted most of the day and after the closing ceremonies we went out for an authentic tapas meal. It was so good, oh my gosh. So so good.

We had a couple of work details to handle but basically we hopped on a train to Madrid and went straight to bed because we had a horrendously early wake up call the next morning. 

Malena

12/29 Tournament Day

Today is basically a tournament day. We woke up and had breakfast and headed to the facility for some more matches! We took a break for lunch and went back for evening  matches. We wound up getting back from the games a little late and were starving! I had to handle some itinerary details for tomorrow so I just managed to get some food as they were closing up. Somehow I wound up with something like 4 desserts... oops. But hey I spent literally all day walking around the courts, I must have burned SO many calories - I can afford some dessert. On a side note, my feet are killing me! 

The last part of my day was spent hanging with the Dutch coaches. They bought me a beer and actually sang a dutch drinking song. We had a ball! It gets me that more excited for Amsterdam on the 31st! This time I managed to slip away at midnight. At any rate, I'm excited to sleep tonight, I tell you what.

Tomorrow is a packed day, but we have a nice long bus ride in the morning so hopefully I can squeeze in a nap. ha. Tomorrow? Exploration, Final Matches, Stadium Tour and Madrid! LEHSGO.

Malena

Barcelona 12/28 You Can Sleep When You're Dead

Today was a day for the books. I went to bed past midnight and was up by 6:30 for a meeting before breakfast. We then took everyone over to the tournament facilities where our teams played very well. We came back to the hotel mid day for lunch and then the supporters decided to go on an adventure! A handful of us decided to go to an IceBar in Barcelona. We wound up taking a train into the city and walking around downtown. It was AMAZING. I want to come back here soon! The best way I can think to put it is, it felt very Spanish. 

There were street vendors and tapas restaurants everywhere! We unfortunately had a bit of a schedule so we pressed on to the icebar! A few more trains and we finally had found our destination! 

The Ice Bar in Barcelona is literally on the beach. You head in and there were some drums and a regular bar, but towards the back there was a separate ice room! You put on a big fluffy coat and gloves that they give you and go inside. It comes with a drink so I got a "Sex on the Ice" in a cup that was actually made of ice! We all had a blast! What an experience!

After taking advantage of the free wifi for ten minutes or so (Our hotel's wifi is  a joke), we decided to start making our way back to the hotel which turned out to be an adventure in and of itself.  We took a couple subway trains to get to the main train to take us back to Blanes (near Lloret de Mar) to get to our hotel. We made it to the station but we had a heck of a time figuring out what train to take! They didn't have any maps, just screens showing what the next train was and when it left. We figured it out eventually. Once we were finally on our train back, we met some... interesting characters. I'll skip the details but let's just say it was an experience.

When we got back there was magically a bus waiting for us! We assumed we would have to take a taxi since we were told that the last bus should have left hours ago. Awesome! Then we got tapas to take the edge off since we hadn't eaten in several hours . We had a few funny experiences - they gave me a glass with just one cylindrical ice cube... why just the one? It was amusing. We also ordered a glass of sangria and were given a pitcher. Oh no. We had fun and walked back to the hotel - it was time for bed!

Or so I thought. I ended up getting in a conversation with some dutch coaches wherein they had me say every dutch word or phrase I knew. Unfortunately my dutch vocabulary consists of words that a 5 year old Malena values - Santa and Christmas songs haha. It was a good time, however because of an impromptu meeting I didn't get in bed until almost 3am!! Crazy. But I'm actually doing alright. I feel fine. That will catch up soon, I'm sure.

Malena

From Madrid to Barcelona I love it all! 12/27

Today was hectic! The supporters (parents/ siblings for who I am responsible) headed out to tour Madrid while the players trained. Unfortunately I was losing a fight with jet lag so I wasn't feeling all that well. I sucked it up and went with the supporters anyway, and I'm glad I did! We had a great time looking at the Palacio Royal and an absolutely beautiful Cathedral! I got some great pictures and it seemed like the parents had a great time too! We explored the area  and had lunch at a market where you got to walk around and pick a little bit of everything. I may or may not have found me some seriously delicious deserts! We then had to hustle over to the train station to meet up with the kids to head to Barcelona!

The train ride was not bad at all - in fact it was kind of relaxing. We took a really fast train so it was only 2 1/2 hours. Then we hopped on a bus to tour Barcelona! It was so beautiful! We got to stop in the 1992 Olympic Stadium and that was pretty cool. I really loved getting to see so much of the city. We even had a walking portion and that was seriously awesome. We went inside of a beautiful cathedral. It was the kind of thing you think of when you think of Spain. I took some pictures on my nice camera and  I think when I get to look at them on a computer I might decide to get one put on a canvas and hang it in my home.

 We then walked around the city and admired the architecture.

We got back on the bus and headed to Lloret de Mar which is where the tournament is being held. This city is so beautiful! It is a beach town resort and there is a beautiful village that is built right on top of a massive hill/ small mountain. Beautiful. 

After we arrived at the hotel we had the official dinner with the tournament officials and that went very well - though I did go to bed pretty late. Oh well! Worth it!

Malena

Adios America!

I am officially writing this post from Madrid! Today has been a non-stop whir of activity.
I boarded the plane Christmas Day in the afternoon and arrived in Spain at 9:30am on December 26th. There was  a lot of stress leading up to the trip, but I'm glad it is finally here! I had  a couple of delayed flights so that kind of stunk, but I got here.

Today I met up with the group and they were finishing up the Real Madrid Stadium Tour. I wasn't too bummed about missing the tour because it was freezing and I wasn't feeling all that well. Yay overnight flights.

Next we went on a bus tour of Madrid! I got to see a lot of awesome monuments and it was a great way to get a feel for the city. We are actually staying in the hotel where the players stay and I must say it is fancy!

We are scheduled to explore Madrid tomorrow morning so I am going to head to bed so I can be up and at it tomorrow!

Malena

PS I am working off of  tablet so there will be limited pictures, but expect a mass of pictures coming your way when I get home!

A Very Special Christmas

Tomorrow is the big day! Christmas and my Eurotrip begins! I am sitting with my family watching a silly Holiday movie next to a big Christmas tree and I am so excited. Although I should note that the past few days have been remarkably stressful as I have been doing a whole lot of last minute things for the work side of my trip. Fingers crossed I've got everything under control now!
My plan is to enjoy Christmas morning with my family, eat a huge yummy breakfast then jet off to Madrid. I'll be sure to post once I've arrived in Madrid. We are going to hit the ground running. I have an overnight flight and we start with tours in the morning first thing!

Best,
Malena

Staving Off Sickness

Today's post is one of sheer determination. A few days ago both Schuyler and I started feeling a little sick - runny nose, cough, sore throat. I immediately decided to start drinking juices with high vitamin C and taking Vitamin C supplements. I also have been drinking water like a pro.

Today Schuyler got worse and stayed home from work. So while I did go to his apartment to help take care of him, I came prepared! I bought us both a Naked Juice (190% Vitamin C per bottle), some vitamin C tablets, and some Zicam. Oh yes. I'm pulling out the big guns. I leave for Spain  in less than a week and I am DETERMINED to not be sick!

Wish me luck. I'm feeling pretty ok today so I have some seriously high hopes!

Malena

Packing Like A Girl

I have a feeling that only a sliver of you will care at all about this particular post, but it is my main packing focus today so I thought I would share!  I am leaving in a week (!!!!) and I have pretty well established what I am bringing clothes-wise, and I'm happy with how little I'm bringing, particularly since I tend to be an over-packer. However, I hadn't really thought too much about makeup.

I do like makeup, but I am not really a full face of makeup every day kind of girl. Most days I slap on some foundation and call it good. The problem I'm running into with this trip is I will have all kinds of occasions! Below is what I decided to go with.

I know it seems like a lot, but I will be gone for two full weeks and in that time I will be:

a) Working in a professional environment
b) Attending nice dinners
c) Heading out for New Years Eve!
d) Having my picture taken in front of awesome
   landmarks
e) Traveling a lot!


I'm taking a lot of Clinique makeup because I recently got an awesome bag of sample products for free when I bought my foundation. The eye shadow palette, pink lip stick, mascara and perfume were all free! They are small and great quality and are nice and neutral, though the eye shadow does have a darker shade too. That way if I was feeling adventurous I could make a smoky eye... ha. I'm also bringing a concealer, powder, eye shadow base, eyeliner, darker lip stain, and blush. They all have been selected because I will not need to bring brushes and they are long lasting! Especially the Revlon just-bitten kissable lip balm stain (what a name!). That thing seriously lasts forever and doesn't smear so I don't have to worry about lip stick on my face when I get my picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower or something.

 Another thing to note is that all of that makeup fits in this little make up pouch! The only exceptions are the liquid products which will go in my clear zip lock bag for traveling on planes.
As I'm sure you all have picked up on by now I like the color lime green. And yes, my boyfriend and I hand painted my vanity - we found it by a dumpster and cleaned it, sanded it, painted it and added some hardware. Below is a picture of the pouch next to my hand to give you a better idea of the size.


I leave for Maryland on Saturday and leave for Madrid on Wednesday! I can't wait!

I'll post again soon,

Malena

PS Sorry for the weird lighting - my main light in my room burned out so I had to use a lamp.

The Packing Begins!

We are now less than two weeks away!
And because I love to plan, I have already started to pack. Packing for this trip is going to be a little tricky just because of the nature of it. I have to pack for work and for fun - and I'm going to try to do it in carry ons only!

I'm bringing a green pack and a black leather back pack (the blue suitcase is leftover from my trip home for Thanksgiving.)

As of now I will be bringing two nice black pants, one pair of regular jeans, and one pair of work sweats (yay working for a soccer company!). For tops I'm brining 3 work polos, 5 undershirts/ tank tops for layering, a work pullover, a work heavy winter coat, a work long sleeve shirt, 2 or 3 sweaters, a sweater dress and a party dress for New Years/ nice dinner.  I'm also bringing a thick scarf, glove/mitten things, and an ear warmer head band. I'll be able to do laundry so I'm trying hard not to overpack since I will be going on 5 planes, 6 trains, and at least 1 bus.

As for shoes I am going pretty minimal - sperrys (Comfortable and good for walking) and combat boots (water proof and warm!). Unfortunately I just don't have room for running shoes soooo exercise will have to be gained via walking all over the place. I also decided to throw in a bikini (the lime green blob at the top of the pile of socks) - it takes up almost no room and who knows if a hotel will have a hot tub or something!

Toiletries are pretty minimal too. I've even gone for a shampoo bar instead of carrying liquid shampoo.

The reason why I am bringing the black bag is because it will be my "day pack." I have a little first aide kit in there, I'll keep my camera, sunscreen, water, ipad, and maybe my work laptop in there too. That way I can pull up anything I may need at any time. I also have downloaded some pretty cool apps for exploring Paris on my iPad so I'm excited to try those out!

PS sorry for the sub-par pictures. Photographing empty bags is not easy.

Only the Beginning

So here we are. Less than a month away from the adventure of a lifetime! I leave for Madrid on Christmas Day. From there I will be going to Barcelona, back to Madrid, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Paris! I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about getting this chance to travel the world!

I am so incredibly blessed to have the opportunities that I do, but this past summer was probably one of the worst summers of my life. However, I wouldn't change a second of it because it led me to where I am today! I was let go from my first job because they didn't have a need for my position. This was incredibly hard because I am the kind of person who really pushes herself to excel in everything. I worked as hard as I knew how, but in the end it didn't matter. I had to learn how to pick myself up off the ground and keep going. I thought I wouldn't have to job hunt again for at least a few years. I also thought it would be on my terms.

As I said, I'm incredibly blessed. Getting laid off was the best thing that could have happened to me. Within a month I found the perfect job for me! I get to organize international soccer tournaments and travel the globe! I've been playing soccer my entire life and I grew up traveling so this was PERFECT. Unfortunately during my trial period with the company my beloved car Layla got totaled. I was an hour and a half away from home and had two Brazilians in the car. The lady T-boned me on a green left turn arrow. This was incredibly traumatic for so many reasons. I am a very safe driver and could not believe this was happening. BUT as I said, I don't have regrets. God knows what he's doing :) It was because of the fact that I had to deal with my car getting totaled and fighting to get a rental car (I'm under 25 so therefore I am classified as a high risk... UGH) and still managed to get the games broadcast on our website etc. that I got the job! My boss said he was very impressed with my dedication.

Anyway, back to my trip. I leave on Christmas, as I said. I'm sad about missing time with my family, but I have been looking forward to this trip for so long I don't really mind. We will be in Madrid the 26th - 27th, Barcelona 27th - 30th, then back to Madrid. I am so excited! We will be doing tours of the soccer stadiums and of the cities in general. Then I fly to Amsterdam on the 31st to meet up with an old family friend! I am so excited about this! We are going to have a grand ole time. I will be going to their house for New Years Eve. On the first, Coletta and I are off to Paris!!!! I am so excited about so many aspects of the trip, but Paris is up there...

As I was writing this post, I kid you not, my backpack arrived! I have decided to think of this trip as a mini backpacking trip. Anyway, I think this post is long enough for now - I will post more about packing and preparing.

3 weeks to go!!!

Lots of love,
Malena