Hennef and London 4/27 - 4/28

Yesterday was really hectic as it was our last day in Germany. It was another tournament day but I did get to ride in a German ambulance when one of our kids got hurt (he was fine, no worries). That was an experience!
Later that night a group of us went out to eat with some of the Germans. It was really nice down by the river and the restaurant owners were so so nice.
One of the German coaches and I had to work late because after dinner we had to round up the luggage and store it. The end result was a late night for me!
Today had an early start too. I woke up around 5 and finished packing then headed off to the airport with the early group. I had some work to do regarding ticketing but in the end everyone left for home!
Now I am in London in a hostel.

 I spent the afternoon exploring the city! I may take a nap because surprise! One of the Germans decided to tag along on my London trip. We struck up a friendship over the course of the trip and he had some time off and things just kind of worked out :) his plane gets in late tonight and they had an open spot in one of the male dorms so he will just crash at the same hostel I'm at. Tomorrow we will explore!

Tournament Day 1 4/26

Today was the kids' tournament so I spent the day relaxing, enjoying the games and taking lots of pictures and videos. I got to sleep in today which was pretty fabulous I must say :) I even got a ride to the fields so I didn't have to walk. The weather was really nice too and hopefully it will hold up for tomorrow- it is supposed to rain!
After the tournament one of the German coaches helped us find a good place to eat and we had a great time just enjoying the atmosphere of an authentic German restaurant.
Tomorrow is another tournament for the other age group of boys that are traveling with us. I think I may even finagle a ride in the morning - I'm hoping my feet and legs will be rested enough that I won't have any trouble hiking all over London in a couple of days!

Malena

A Day Out In Bonn 4/26

Today we spent all day in Bonn and had a grand old time. We started out by stopping by the local soccer shop for a bit then hopped on the bus and drove to Bonn. Jonas is a local German coach and he came with us, thank goodness. He was a huge help in showing us around.
We went down to the river and did a 4 hour boat tour.
For the first two hours we ate lunch and watched the scenery. Then we went up top. The weather was beautiful! Nice and warm :) I even dozed off for a few minutes on the way home. It was very pretty and I got some nice pictures while relaxing a little bit.
Then we split up and did some shopping. I didn't buy much but I really enjoyed just exploring! I love eating local food and just observing the culture.
Dinner went about as planned but with fewer people. We had a nice German dinner and enjoyed the atmosphere!

This weekend is the tournament for the kids and then we fly out on Monday and I'm off to London!

Malena

Cologne Stadium Tour 4/25

Today was a long day, but I got see some awesome things!

I went early to training to do laundry but the German coaches were really nice. Who knew German laundry machines could be so complex!! I suppose American ones are too.... Add with a foreign language and you have my morning, ha.

I ran back to the hotel for a super fast lunch then we were off to Cologne for the stadium tour!! We had a seriously great guide. He took us around the whole stadium and in the locker rooms etc. I always enjoy stadium tours and this one was personally guided, in English no less!

After we got back I actually had time for a nap!!!! Oh it was a beautiful half hour.

Then we headed to Siegburg for dinner. It was a very authentic brewery and I bought two steins! They were so cheap and such a good memory. We came back to the hotel no hung in the lobby for a bit and now it is bedtime! I am so very excited.

Tomorrow we have a fairly early start - we are headed to Bonn.

Malena

Touring Cologne 4/23

This morning the kids had training like usual then we went downtown for lunch. One of he German coaches was very nice and helped us translate the menu! I (think) I had a chicken kebab- not too be confused with kebob. It was German-Turkish and was served in a pita. It was delicious!

Then we got back and hopped on a bus to Cologne! It was so beautiful!

They even had a lock bridge like they did in Paris.

Lock Bridge in Paris

Lock bridge in Cologne

We toured through the city center and went in the cathedral. It was huge!!! And so so pretty. Because we were with the kids we didn't have as much freedom to explore but I am still so glad we went. Tomorrow is the stadium tour! Woohoo! Nw I will have seen Madrid, Barcelona and Cologne's stadiums :)

                                                   

Anyway, I am very tired - long, but fun, days mean I sleep well at least! I have to get up early to arrange laundry, so goodnight!

Malena

A Beautiful View 4/22

Today we started out with a training session for the kids. I left a little early to handle something at the hotel.  We then decided to go to Aldi (who knew Germany would have the same grocery store as NC!) and  hunt for some regular water that wasnt fizzy! We managed to find some and picked up some food for lunches. I got some salami, bread and strawberries and a few fun authentic German snacks.
My favorite part of the day was by far going to see the Blankenburg Castle! It was so incredibly beautiful! Rolling hills, little towns and a train. We even explored a cute nearby town before heading back to the training grounds.

For dinner our German friends took us to this awesome spot right by the river! It was really hard to find the road and some of the driving tactics were scary! We got there fine and I had the best pork of my life! It was called something-steak but was pork with seasoned garlic butter and fries on the side.  So delicious! I even had apple streudel for dessert! Yum!
Next we went to a local bar and I had my first authentic German beer.
I'm super tired and my Bluetooth key board is on the fritz so sorry for the short post! I'll post pictures when I can.

Malena

Germany Bound! 4/20 - 4/21

I left for Germany by way of Chicago. I met up with the team I am traveling with in the airport. They seem very nice and all is well. I had an amazing plane for that leg of the trip! Pretty empty and international quality - ie free tv and charging stations!
I lucked out again seat wise to Germany! No seat buddy for an overnight flight! I stretched out! I didn't sleep all that well, but thanks to new medication I wasn't even too sick in the morning :) I managed to get through it and we had no problem meeting the host team in the airport. We made it to Hennef!
We had a bar-b-que with the host team which was lovely, then watched the kids scrimmage. I then took the supporters to check in with the hotel. Just a few minor hiccups (two beds pushed together does not really count as a double room haha) and we were good to go!
I had a meeting with the supporters then we headed out to dinner.
 We took a cab there after struggling to find the walking route, but we mastered it on the way back! It is nice that we can walk into town. Tomorrow I am going to look into buying a SIM card for my phone so I can make international calls for work when I need to.
We had dinner in a nice German restaurant and a lot of people stayed to watch a big soccer game on TV. I had some work to do and was (am) SUPER tired so me and two others headed out early. We walked home and had a grand time! We stopped in a gas station and I bought an ICECREAM KITKAT CONE! The glory.
We made a few errors, but we learned more about the city! I feel pretty confident I can find my way around at least fairly well now.
Tomorrow I think we are going to go see some cool old castles after the kids train in the morning!
What fun!

Malena

PS Tablet is being weird so pictures are coming soon!

Packing for Germany/London

Hello everyone!

I am only days away from embarking on my next adventure! I will be flying from DC to Chicago to Dusseldorf, Germany. From there we go to Hennef. I am taking a mini vacation after the work portion of the trip to head to London, England!

Right now I am in the final packing phase and I am trying to learn from my last trip. Namely, I need a new day pack. I used these bag for my trip to Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

The green bag is my main pack and I will be using that again this time, however the black bag, while super cute, was much too inconvenient. One of the straps is partially torn and it didn't have great strap support so by the end of the trip my shoulders HURT.

I was shopping around for a small day pack when I came across this beauty in the sale section!

(Sorry for the low quality selfie)

I know it is a little big for a traditional "day pack" BUT it has AMAZING support! Everything I need will obviously fit really easily inside and I will have plenty of room to put my jacket and scarf inside it as well. I typically carry my iPad mini, DSLR + Lens, Med Kit (I work with kids who play soccer), miscellaneous pouch, and my purse (with important documents such as my passport inside). This pack was actually cheaper than any small versions that I found (apparently its last years model... like I care! Ha!) AND as a bonus it has lime green detailing - always a plus in my book!

Now I know what you're thinking - isn't that too big to carry on along with your green pack? You might be right. I'm not sure if I would be able to get away with this being my "purse like item." So instead (mainly to avoid the hassle of airlines and for carrying convenience) I will actually be traveling with this bag INSIDE of my green pack. It fits inside just fine - even when my pack is "Full." I never actually pack my pack full in case I want to buy some awesome souvenirs and decide to stuff my bag and check it on the way home rather than carry it on.

Now, the only problem I run into is that larger items that go in my "day pack" won't fit in my green pack and keep it in an airlines carry-on friendly size. Instead I will carry my Purse, iPad mini and camera in a little sling backpack. That way when I arrive in Germany I can simply roll the sling bag up and slide it in my day pack and re pack my day pack with my med kit etc. I know that seems confusing but I think it will work for me! I will get a nice comfy day pack with plenty of room to spare AND I can still carry everything on! No problemo.

I'm so excited! Expect a lot more posts as my adventure kicks off!

Malena

Iowa Recap

I got back from my Iowa trip and hit the ground running so this post is a bit delayed.

Iowa was fantastic. I really miss just hanging out with my sister. I know we've been separated by college for several years now (8 years! Holy cow...) but I still miss having her down the hall from me. Growing up my family moved a lot so I've always been really close with my family members. Malora and I did fight quite a bit growing up, but (for the most part) we've grown out of that.

She picked me up on Saturday and we pretty much headed right out on the town! I had to work Saturday morning so I took an evening flight and didn't land in Iowa until around 9pm. We had a great time just hanging out and Lora showed me all her favorite spots down town.

The next day we just took it easy. Lora and I and some friends had a terrific brunch at a place just called The Cafe. It was pretty fancy, but still a decent price! The place was packed and I totally see why. I shamelessly ate a GIANT bowl of mac and cheese. SO GOOD. We then had a lovely afternoon shopping for some things for Malora's wedding! It was nice to just catch up. Oh and I may or may not have bought some new books... no shame.

Monday was fairly mundane. I am lucky enough to work from home - or anywhere. I spent Monday working from Malora's couch while she was at school.  We made a pit stop for some delicious cupcakes and then went out to eat at Jethro's which was so good! Except I had a bit of an allergic reaction (possibly to cat fur left on my jacket) and had to get some allergy meds from a pharmacy on the way home. Oh well, I survived ;)

Tuesday we got up SUPER early to catch my flight - it turns out Malora's roommate was actually on the same flight! How funny. I had to deal with some airline fun, but I got home eventually! I always seem to have rotten luck with flight delays.

All in all, a very successful trip!