Swedish Perks

Hey all! Here is a quick update on last two weekends matches: We lost in 5 to Svedala, got owned by one of their two pros all game (outside hitter), we couldn't figure out how to stop her iron fist from schooling us almost every time she hit the ball. We were almost always to early or to late in the block. But the good thing, now we know. Learning how to succeed and letting go of failure. Anyway, that night was disappointing but we earned ourselves a point regardless. We will beat them at their house, on to the next. RIG, the volleyball high school was next on the list. The first set was frustrating becuase it seemed like we were sleeping. The second set went long, 35-37, which we lost. Unfortunately I hit the last set ball into the net... Third set was a blow out, seemed like anything we did or tried was not enough. Although it looked like the other side was losing not us, but when you looked at us, even when we were doing well, we looked stressed and like we were losing. We need to fix these things now, or we will continue to lose and I know no one on this team wants that. Practices this past week have been intense, focused and tiring but all good. I see the fire starting to come back in the eyes of the girls. Its reassuring and gets my mood up as well.

While at RIG, I got to see my old teammate Nellie! When we played together she was 15, clumsy, tall and adorable. She was what I thought to be a human version of Bambi, so I called her that through out the time I was there. Not so sure she appreciated it, but always humored me with a smile and for that I thank her :) Ok, thats enough talk about volleyball for now.

As some of you may know, I am spending my 4th Christmas here in Sweden. I will be going up to my teammate Maddis' families cabin near a ski resort, the name she keeps telling me but I instantly forget since I can't pronounce it. I believe the name of the resort starts with an S, thats the best I can do right now unfortunately, ha. Of course I would rather be home with my family in warm California but listen to what we are going to do. We will go sledding, snow mobile-ing, building a snow man, cross country skiing, sauna-ing, jacuzzi-ing, going out on the 25th (common for all swedes to party this day) and be in the serene wintery wonderland that is Sweden during Christmas time. Plus Maddis say's that if I enjoy a beer and relaxation time then I would fit right in with her family. Im a shoe in! If I am going to stay in Sweden I would say, this is a pretty awesome way to spend Christmas. Now, I am not saying my two year stint with the Petterssons was not fun at all! I love that family and know they would welcome me into their house any time of the year. Maddis is one of my best friends on the team, so I am sure she and I will have a great time over the holiday break. She has not stopped talking about when we will go out on the 25th, which in turn makes me super pumped. I only hope her family likes me...
I heard from another teammate (who has know Maddis and her family for over 10 years) that her father is intimidating. She said that she just recently got over being scared of him. Hopefully the bottle of Jameson I got him for Christmas will help my chances.

 If you have never been to a place that snows during Christmas, you are seriously missing out. Christmas time and snow go hand in hand and it puts a whole new meaning on the holiday season. In Sweden, this time of year is a whole other world of beauty. People go the extra mile to show how much Christmas means to them. Let me paint a picture for you. Luckily this year we got snow early which makes everything all the more brighter. Riding my bike to practice at night never ceases to amaze me. Swedish people are very much into advent, lit up paper stars, twinkle lights and lots and lots of candles. You could burn down a small wooden house with how many candles I lit the other night. The thing about Sweden, is most everyone likes the cozy atmosphere during the winter. Its hard to get away from anyhow.

In town (Orebro) at the moment, every corner of every street is lit up and decorated. Starting on the North end of town working south, we have a whole street of trees adorned with white lights, there are about 100-150 trees lining the street. In the square with the castle there is a giant ram made out of pine tree branches (side note: last year it was burned to the ground, horrible smell) and the giant clock balcony has lights on the railings. Moving towards the main square with a big church and statue, is an advent calendar lit up on one of the buildings. Each window shows a different number of the month and then is turned into a picture when that day has come. The trees in this square are lit up with 3D stars and spheres. There are also two Christmas trees with white lights in the branches and the fountain also sports a waterfall of lights. In the last big square, where the malls are located, there are lit up cone shapes on the roof of one building, a giant tree in the other building and white lights in icicle form cascading down the front of one of the malls. On the three streets that make up the center of town, hang pine tree branch garlands with a red bell in the middle and two white stars on the outside which light up at night. On the main shopping street there are lights on all the small trees and also icicle lighting down the middle of the street on the lamp posts. The last street, we like to call the "red ball" street. There are giant red balls that light up down the street. In the trees, hang ornaments and icicle lights. PHEW! ok that is the most of it in town. Just trust me when I say people like to decorate with white lights and ever so cute santa gnomes.

It makes me think that I need to be taking more night shots, but its been so freezing lately. I need to suck it up one night and just do it. This weekend we have Engelhom, I will get to see Tina my old coach and whoever is still left from the old team. Im excited about that. I hope that we can shake them up and possibly win. If we believe in ourselves and each other it is a very very good possibility. Until then, adios and good day!

Coming up!

Well like I stated in the last blog post, Hylte is a good team and it would be a fight, which it was. Which we lost...unfortunately. They stated in their local newspaper that we were the worst passing team in the league and would be surprised if they didn't walk away with a win. Personally, I thought that was a low blow, but gave us more motivation to kick some ass. The first 4 points of the game were aces...delivered from us on their side of the court. One of their players was struggling a lot in the passing line up that night. I think almost every one of us got at least one ace from the serving line. Our passing was up and down but I definitely don't believe we are the worst passing team in the league.

Hylte put up a good fight and had 3-4 hitters who could crush which eventually took the match from us  in the end. Like usual we had some spectacular and not so spectacular plays. I was also in it with the referee a few times since some of the calls that were a bit ridiculous. But I am not the old Whitney who irrationally argued with the ref's, I have calmed down a lot after being in Sweden for three years. I used to think that hot headed attitude was just part of the game I played but now that I look back on the times when I got yellow cards and so on, I think "what a bone head!". Plus its exhausting arguing or even trying to sway their opinion about a call because you know they won't change. I changed the ref's mind once against Hylte and was surprised. Better to learn from your mistakes then to keep doing them.

Next we played Gislaved for the League Cup. I thought that it was going to be somewhat of an easy win for us since we beat them pretty well before in the Series. However, the line up was different, meaning they were back to their old selves like last season, a lot better then how they started this season. They put their old setter back in the line up so the two main hitters on their team were getting set a lot more. I think they may have released the foreign setter who was there in the beginning. She would tend to put the ball over on two a lot, she never really gave her hitters a chance to get in a rhythm. Her type of play may work in other leagues but not this one and not for Gislaved either. With that, we unfortunately lost and are now out of the running to win the League Cup. Its not a huge loss for us since we have set much higher goals for our team in the Series, but I, like many on the team wish we could still be in it to win it.

This week we are preparing for Svedala. They have two Americans on their team, both of which are good players according to our setter who knows them. One is a good hitter (high on the kills league) and the other has a nasty jump serve. The rest of the team I think are made up of the same girls from last season. I believe we can win this match in 3-4 sets if we pass consistently well, put balls away when we get perfect situations, cover, serve pressure and play calm but intense defense. Of course the other team will make some good plays but I think we will be able to minimize them with a great game plan. I look forward to playing them and hopefully getting another victory which will edge us closer to making the cut for Grand Prix!

In unrelated news, eight members of the team joined in a Thanksgiving feast Sunday night. This was the first year that I prepped the turkey on my own. It was disgusting but kind of liberating knowing that I could do it. Kris did a great job of basting the turkey while I made the stuffing. Everyone else brought things to add to the table. We had sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, dinner rolls and since there is no cranberry sauce here we substituted it with lingonberry sauce instead. We finished the meal with a wonderful desert of apple and pecan pies with vanilla ice cream (made by Elsa). Everything tasted very good and I was proud of the girls for helping put it together. For some this was their first time which was very exciting. When we sat down, we all said what we were thankful for and then did a toast. After all this the girls and I were very happy to get into the food.

Thanksgiving thursday I was lucky to get to talk to some of my family. As corny as it may sound we did a group internet hug (I hugged my laptop) and when I leaned back to see them all again, we were teary eyed. I miss them so much but was so happy I got to see them.

Until next week, preparation for this sundays game started yesterday! Lets get it, wooop!

Tough Loss

After a three match winning streak we have hit the end....for the time being ;) We met Lindesberg Wednesday night (Halloween), the Swedish Champs from last season. Our coach prepared us with smart tactics and a plan on how to infiltrate their strong attack and three person block. However, when we got on the court, at times, it seemed that we were lost on what to do. Our blocking was weak and they continued to burn us on hard angle swings. Our passing was 50/50, too many missed serves and our defense failed at times due to our blocking mistakes. That being said, there were times when we played brilliantly and actually took a set from them to make it a 4 set match. Our assistant coach said after the match, she felt like there was anxiety on the court and that is something she hasn't felt ever with this team. I guess I am to caught up with whats going on at the moment on the court, that I don't notice the anxiety. I didn't feel like people were anxious, maybe more nervous to make errors and quiet occasionally. These things we will come away from the match with and continue to improve upon.

We met them again a week after for the League Cup. We played a lot better however our serve misses were over the top and our passing was lacking. Our blocking and defense was stronger. Also our attacking was better as well. In the end we lost but we took them to 4 when we could have easily gone to 5 sets, however the last set didn't feel like all of us were fighting for it. I could see that some were tired (including me) and maybe a little discouraged about how they were playing. I was jump serving this time, for the first time so I was missing quite a lot which was no good, but I tried not to worry to much about it since it was out of the ordinary for me. Next time my serving will be better and more consistent. Im more worried about hitting the backs of my teammates heads! In the end the match was well played but of course we could have pushed them further. We are bound to beat them this season I am certain.

This weekend we have Hylte/Halmstad. They are a good team so I think it will be a good fight that I hope we will win. If we focus on what we have to do on our side of the court then we will for sure win. Its all about the strategy that our coach gives us and our skills as a team that will help us succeed. Go Orebro Volley!

Better Late Then Never.

So, its been a long time since I have written an update and I must admit a lot has happened. I will try to keep it short and sweet, so please hang in there if I begin to ramble. Where to start....ok, I've got it! Our first match after a rough pre season. Every team in the league participates in the Ligga Cuppen (League Cup). Our first opponents were Sollentuna who we beat in 3 sets to none! The match went well with a few glitches here and there, but its always nice to have something to improve on, no one is perfect. This win has ensured our spot in the next round of the Cup, awesome!

Our first series match was against Solletuna again. They had two of their starters back in the starting rotation and were able to rattle our passing line up a bit in order to take the win 3 sets to 1. It was a disappointing loss for us since we were clearly the better team. Our passing was ultimately our downfall in this match. The week following this match we practiced hard on passing and attacking in transition.

Our next game was at home against Gislaved. They were equipped with the same two outside hitters as the season before, a new setter and a good defensive plan. Their new setter was the kind who sets/tips the ball over if she is front row or back row 85 percent of the time. In other words the infuriating type for many. Our tactics were simple, shut down the outsides and NEVER let the setter win with her way of getting points. Well, we did it! There was one ball that the setter threw over which fell but other then that, we got EVERYTHING else. It was a great feeling to be able to rattle another team who we had trouble with last season. We beat them 3 sets to 1.

A home match against Ljungby was next. This match could have been a 3-0 win but the 3rd set felt a little to laid back and we weren't able to rally in time until the last couple points. This gave us momentum for the 4th set which we won however it was a little to close for comfort. A win is a win though and we took it yet again 3 sets to 1! The match was one of my favorites because it was the first I did not have any mistakes!! Something I would like to try and continue through out the season. I know it won't happen all the time, however keeping my mistakes low or having none at all will help the team firstly and also my confidence for the rest of the season.

This week we only have practice after practice and lifting. Our next game is at Lindesberg. It will be a fun match since I know their crowd will be there and hopefully peppered with a few Orebro supporters. A lot of energy to work with I am sure. I will be facing a setter who played to the same University and under the same head coach as I did. We did not play together but I was able to see her play in a few matches while I was still in school. I must admit she is a force to watch out for. I hope that the Orebro volley girls and myself will be able to come in the match prepared and ready to take on this strong team.  We have the skill and the support from with in to beat them. We just need to be consistent and focused through out the match. Its about time it was our turn to show this league what we are made of!

Until next time, some of us are going to carve pumpkins tonight. Will be fun to do something that reminds me of home. Also some of the girls have never participated in something like this, so it will be fun to see what they think about it all. After the carving is done, I will be attempting to roast the seeds. Wish me luck! Next time I write I hope to have a few more wins to report :) Bye for now!

A couple pictures are below from the fall weather here in Sweden :) Enjoy!

Team Bonding

From where I left off on the last post, we had just arrived to the camp in the woods near a huge lake. The camp was called Vettra. We settled in to our rooms, with three teammates per room. There was plenty to do at the camp, for example we were given a tour of the entire campus which included a game room, disco room, arts and crafts, sports room, boats, canoes, sauna, etc. While there, we practiced some team building activities, some included being blind folded which helped us to listen to one another while performing the task. It was almost like we were on the show Survivor :) We were split into groups and were given a meal to prepare over the weekend. My group prepared dinner on saturday night which we decided would be tacos. Sondra, our strength coach made a visit to talk to us about what we need to do to stay in shape through out the season and also to whip our butts for about an hour. I hadn't run all summer so what do you think was one of the things we did? Yes, you guessed it, we ran around the woods for about 20 minutes. Needless to say, I was dying by the time we got back to camp. The last night at camp we treated ourselves to some sauna time and some of the girls made the 10 minute trek down to the lake for a dip. I appreciated the time spent with the team without phones or computers. It was a good way to really connect with and get to know the girls a lot better.

As some of you may know I am living in another apartment this year that I absolutely love. I am on the top floor of a three story walk up. There is a beautiful garden in the back courtyard equipped with a small fountain, apple tree, rose bush and sitting area. I pictured my grandparents sitting back there in the middle of summer sipping coffee and eating cake like a real pair of swedes. I love this apartment so much that I am actually buying things to contribute to it to make it seem more like home.The neighborhood is fairly quiet. However, if someone comes home, you can hear them every step of the way in the building. I guess that is what happens with old buildings, the doors and walls are thin. There is a park across the street for kids and often times I also see dogs and their owners visiting the area as well. There is a giant tree in front of my window which is starting to turn with the first signs of fall and winter close behind. There are patches of yellow and red leaves that are beginning to cover the trees in the park. That being said, if you were to sit in direct sunlight with out wind (like my kitchen), you will feel the summer lingering for a moment.

This week we had a friendly match against a division 1 team from Karlstad. It was a good match and nice to kick some butt. We lost one set but figured out quickly what the problems were. Even though it seemed a bit up and down here and there, I felt good about the direction our team is heading in. What we have this year that we lacked last year is height and hitters. This upcoming weekend we will be involved with a tournament in Lindesberg and play against some other teams in the league and possible some from Norway and Denmark. I hope that we will have a good turn out so that we will be ready for the season which starts in the beginning of October. Until then, wish us luck this weekend and have a good one yourself, take care all.

Sweden x3

Hey all! Its that time again, volleyball season! I arrived in Sweden last Tuesday morning, groggy and with very few hours of sleep to run on. I was even more distracted then I usually am on a regular basis, if you can imagine. The flights were pretty smooth and I must say that I wasn't as scared or nervous as I have been in the past. Go me! I was picked up at the airport by the manager of the club, Olle, then driven to the train station in Stockholm to take the train to Orebro. There I met Maddis at the station and then driven to my new apartment. I met our new setter and back up setter at the apartment. Hopefully I was not to out of it to make a good first impression. That night we had a practice, however I sat out this time since I was nervous of hurting myself or anyone else on the team in the condition I was in. Getting zero sleep doesn't exactly make things easier on your motor functions.

The next morning we had the entire day off, which would have been great if I hadn't woken up at 6am wide awake again. I took my time through out the day and was able to go grocery shopping (carrying 4 full bags does a number on your neck and shoulders). My new place is situated in a perfect location. I am around the corner from an ICA (grocery store), a very cute and cozy cafe, a bike shop and on the corner is the second best pizza place in Orebro. I have three teammates in the area as well, Angie, Hanna and Elsa. All with in walking or biking distance.

Thursday we had morning practice at 8am, which was easy for me since I was awake at 6am again anyway. After morning practice Angie, Kris, Maddis and I decided to try out the cafe around the corner from me. We spent a good 2 hours there during lunch and found that the place was in fact cozy and the food was great. I will definitely be making visits occasionally through out the season. That night we had a scrimmage match against Lindesberg (the team who won the championship last season). There I also finally got to talk to/see Brittany Brown. She played at Northeastern University as well. We never played together but I had seen her play a couple times in my 5th year. The scrimmage was a good time for our team to get it together somewhat and also find a rhythm with one another. It was a good time for me to shake off the jetlag and get in a few swings. It was a good learning experience for us all and showed us that we still have things to work on individually and as a team.

Friday we had a practice and then set off to a summer camp that our coach works during the summer. Although, we did not know this getting in the bus for the trip right away. When we got there, everything was revealed.

(To be continued...)

Copenhagen, Berlin and Amsterdam in a FLASH

After the finalization of the season in Sweden, Jake and I decided to take a much needed vacation. We had our sites set on 3 cities in particular. Copenhagen, (Denmark) Berlin, (Germany) and Amsterdam (Holland/Netherlands). These 3 because A.) both of us have never been to any of them, B.) They all have wonderfully interesting histories and C.) because we thought they would be cool places to visit. It was easy picking places to venture to since we could hop on a train and virtually go anywhere in a matter of a day. However, sitting on a train for 6 hours is not everyones paradise, but we managed with card games, reading, sleeping and maybe a beer or two. Plus we knew what laid ahead which in turn made our minds think about something way more exciting instead of the, "are we there yet" factor.

We began our trip in an unexpected yet beautiful place, Lidkoping, Sweden. Jake's family friends had just moved to Sweden due to their jobs and were stationed in Kalby near Lidkoping, a small town to the mid western coast of Sweden. We were picked up at a train station in Falkoping where they told us we were to drive to Lake Hornborga which is a resting/mating place for thousands of Cranes each year. While we were there, the count was 22,000 cranes. The way they kept track of all the birds was from counting them individually. Sounds simple but I wonder how simple it really is if they are constantly moving, flying in and flying out. Must be frustrating. When we arrived, you could hear the cranes before you saw them. We had to walk up to the top of a hill to see them and once we got to the top the site was overwhelming, the noise they made was awesome. There were birds flying over our heads and flying out constantly, one or two or more at a time. You almost didn't want to speak just to listen to them squawk to one another. We stood there for a while just staring out into the vastness that was the lake. I told Jake that I felt like we could be in Africa, minus how cold it was. Once we had seen enough, we moved on to the Läckö Castle in Lidkoping. The castle was once occupied shortly by King Gustav Vasa and was established in 1297. The location of the castle was beautiful but remote. It stood on the edge of a small hill that sloped down to the lake below. There was water all around it except for the entry way which was smart if the inhabitants wanted to fend off invaders. Unfortunately the castle was not open at the time, it was not the right season yet. We were a week early. However, we walked the outer limits of the castle anyway and I was able to snap a couple shots of the castle grounds and its surroundings. Jakes family friend, Sebastian, owned a nice Nikon camera as well and was able to take a couple shots of us. They turned out to be very nice pictures, I was quite impressed. That night we had dinner in town and then spent the night at their cute apartment in Kalby, a couple kilometers outside Lidkoping. There I learned how to play Mind Kraft and I could have sworn I saw a tear in Jakes eye because of how proud of me he was (wink). 


COPENHAGEN:
The next morning we left for Copenhagen, a 4 hour train ride via Falkoping. I could tell we were both very excited. We reached copenhagen around 3pm and went straight to the hotel to check in and get settled. The day was gloomy but the next day promised better weather. Therefore we made what we could with what was left of the day by walking around town and seeing some of the sites. Unfortunately we walked a little to much with out food in our bellies forcing us to find whatever cafe may have still been open for some dinner. We stumbled upon a great place that was across the street from a market where we picked up a snack of cheese, crackers, fruit and a six pack of Danish beer. By the time we got back to our place we were exhausted from walking all over. We settled into bed fairly early knowing we had a long day ahead of us. 

The next morning we rose, ate a great breakfast of croisants and mussli, got our stuff in order and headed out to meet up with our guide for the FREE tour being put on by Sandemans New Europe tour group. The company puts on free tours of the cities it sponsors and then has alternate tours you can sign up to attend for a fee. The guides who work on the free tours work for tips and let me tell you they do a damn good job of being a good tour guide. On our first stop, Copenhagen, we encountered a 20 something named Gareth, hailing from Dublin. His energetic spirit and amazing amount of information was a great way to start our stay in Copenhagen. He took us all over the city, showing us the royal palace, Nyhavn harbor, museums to see, the oldest street in Denmark, Tivoli, etc. His tour ended with a story about how Denmark is such an amazing place not just the sites but the people as well. He talked about how Danes tend to pay it forward and that we all could learn from them and use their way of living as our own some day. Jake and I decided that his tour was well worth it and gave him a good tip. We also signed up for a harbor tour that was going to be given later on that day by the same tour guide, perfect. The Harbor tour cost about 20 USD but ended up being totally worth it. We saw the Litttle Mermaid statue (something to see yet something you can easily dismiss if you don't have time), the Church of our Savior (if you have seen the Amazing Race where they stop over in Copenhagen you will catch them scaling the tower of this church in search of their next clue), the military base that posed as the defense for the city in the olden days as well and Christiania (a place that is not part of Denmark or the EU, they dont pay taxes or have a jail. Its a place where people are free to be self responsible and basically live a peaceful and hippy lifestyle.) Interesting place to live if you don't mind the drug dealers selling "soft drugs" on what they named Pushers Street. That was what we saw first going in there and I was not that fond of the place, but we were repeatedly told that they were peaceful people and tourists where their main source of income. If anything happened to the tourists who came in then their businesses would fail. Also we were not allowed to take pictures because of facebook and any other social network out there that could hurt the reputation of the people who lived there, fair enough. 


The next day we decided to check out early but have the hotel watch our bags while we ventured out for a little more site seeing. We took some pictures at the Hans Christian Anderson statue (also on Amazing Race). Walked past Tivoli, the second oldest amusement park in the world. Took a look at the Denmark Resistance museum and also the National History museum as well for some really old decomposed bodies still in their burial caskets. From the resistance museum and our tour guide we learned that Denmark has the lowest percentage of Jews who were murdered or died at the camps, then any other country during the occupation of the German Nazi party, due to the actions of their government. Pretty incredible what a small country dared to stand up to. After hitting the museums we planned to take the "free" bikes for a spin. They are located all over the city and all you have to do is put 20 krona in the bike to unlock it and when you lock it back up again you get the money back. Or so we thought. I put the money in and when we got to our next destination and locked them back up, the 20 krona was gone, it had fallen out on our trip over! Jake and I decided to go look for it and retrace our path. Luckily it wasn't that far to walk but unfortunately we never found the 20 krona. However, we got lucky with the changing of the guards ceremony at the summer homes of the royal family. It was not as spectacular as the one in London but you could say it was a mini version. Our guide told us an interesting fact about the guards, who dress in blue uniforms with high bushy top hats. He said that if you get to close to them (one meter to be exact), they are allowed to yell at you to back off. The same goes for if you stand next to them or if you decided to take a picture in one of their resting posts. They are allowed to yell, nicely push you away, run at you yelling, or even throw you to the ground. Jake and I made it a point to stand as far away as we could as to not provoke them. 


Our train time to Berlin was quickly approaching so we needed to get our stuff from the hotel and head to Copenhagen central station for one last visit from a volleyball friend who was playing in Copenhagen, Erin. Jake and I found a small open faced sandwich shop (famous in Denmark) for our feast on the train later. we met up with Erin for a short catch up session and coffee, then we headed to our train for the journey to Berlin, Germany. 


BERLIN:

The trip to Berlin was interesting. We had the chance to take a ferry across the "pond" to Germany. The train we were on actually drove onto the ferry and locked itself there, letting us all off to roam around the deck of the boat until we reached our destination. Our first stop was Hamburg where we had a little over an hour to relax and eat something before our next trip taking us to Berlin. I was so excited about how everything was a bit cheaper then scandinavia. The Euro is a little weaker and the Krona a bit stronger so that meant good things for Jake and I in terms of currency exchange. We arrived in Berlin around 11:30pm and realized the city never sleeps. There were people everywhere in the metro station. Jake quickly found our destination on the map and we were on our way to the Marriot. The next morning we went up stairs for a quick breakfast and then walked to Pariser Platz to get tickets for the tour of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. This camp was mainly for POW's and political prisoners and not so much of an extermination camp although there was a fair amount of that going on there anyway. Like all the concentration and extermination camps during WWII, the soldiers running this camp made sure to humiliate and make life hell for all those who were imprisoned there. Many people died at this camp through starvation, disease and execution.  I was nervous walking into the camp knowing what I knew about them. I got emotional when we were taken over to the place where they would execute people and burn their bodies. Jake did not say to much on the tour but looked at me every once in a while confirming that he was upset about what he was seeing, as was I. Our guide finished the tour by saying that he hoped that we didn't enjoy the tour but learned from it instead. Jake and I later clarified that it was true, the tour wasn't fun but definitely a day to remember and think back upon. That night we felt the need to go out so we bought tickets for the same companies Pub Crawl. Needless to say, the night was extremely fun and the last club we went to was unbelievable. We also experienced how artsy the city was when we encountered an alternative rock band playing in a tunnel that goes under one of the many train stations in Berlin. We both went home satisfied and danced out. 


The next morning we headed back to Pariser Platz for the free tour of the city. Our guide was English and very animated, probably one of the best guides we had on the entire trip and with tons of information. We proceeded to see the Pariser Platz, The Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Site of Hitler’s Former Bunker, Luftwaffe HQ, The 17. June Memorial, The Berlin Wall, The Former SS Headquarters, Checkpoint Charlie, The 1920s Cabaret Mile, Gendarmenmarkt, Bebelplatz, The Old Royal Boulevard, Neue Wache, The TV Tower and Museum Island. The most moving site on the tour was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Our guide asked us to take about 5 to 10 minutes to walk around it ourselves to feel how the memorial makes us feel and then come out for a discussion on the other side. It was extraordinary and uncomfortable walking through the memorial. High cement blocks towered above our heads in the thick of it and the ground was uneven, sloping and wavering every so often. If you look at the memorial from the street it looks to be all one level but when you walk down into it there is so much more then you think. We saw some of the wall and the famous, Check Point Charlie. He ended the tour with the fall of the wall story (which I never really knew of). I will attach the video below. After the tour Jake and I went to the east side of Berlin to take a look at a long stretch of wall that still stood. On each concrete slab, art replaced the ugliness of the east side of the wall. It was beautiful and strong, a picture in my mind that I will never let go of. Back at the hotel we gathered our stuff and rushed to the train station and headed to our next and final destination, Amsterdam. 


AMSTERDAM: 
We arrived late that night at central station. Luckily our hotel was right next store so it was a short walk to our bed. Walking out of the train station I looked up and realized it resembled the ride at Disneyland, "Its a small world". I am not a 100 percent sure if Walt Disney took his idea from that station but it definitely looks oddly familiar. The next morning we headed to the National Monument located at the center of the city, were the free tour from Sandemans started. Our guide this time around was a beach guy, straight from the heart land! He was a man in his 50s hailing from Palace Verdes, CA. Couldn't believe it. He had a very lax feel about him and was very smart. He took us around to the Old Church, The Red Light District, the Jewish Quarter, Royal Palace, the Jordaan District, the Anne Frank House, the Dutch East India Company, the Begijnhof Convent, Masterpieces of Dutch Art and the Widest Bridge and Narrowest House in Amsterdam. The most interesting to me was actually hearing about the Red light District and how prostitution was a profession in Amsterdam. Later that night we planned to take the Red Light District tour which was just as amusing as it was informational, with a guide (hailing from Australia with a goofy walk) as hilarious as he could be about the history of the famous area. You would think the Red Light area would be seedy with trash everywhere, you would be surprised to see, thats not the case. People are walking around at all hours of the day and the place is fairly clean. That night we found a place that served traditional Dutch meals. We ate saur kraut, mashed potatoes and sausage with brown sauce. 


The next morning we planned to take a trip to Keukenhof, a garden for certain types of bulbs such as Tulips, Narcissus, Hyacinths and much more, that bloom only 2 months out of the year. We just happened to be there at the right time (and Jake just happened to notice a flyer for it, go Jake!). The garden was immense and there were millions of flowers everywhere. The most popular one in the garden was the tulip in every color and combination you could think of. Beautiful colors reached out in every direction and we couldn't get enough of the scents the flowers gave off, breathing in as much as we could constantly. I dont think I stopped taking pictures on that trip and neither did Jake. Sometimes I would look over and catch him bent over taking a close up shot of a red tulip. We were reluctant to leave but once back in the center of Amsterdam we made our way over to the house of Anne Frank. There was a really long line but it went by quickly. It was only 9 Euros for a ticket as well. Viewing the house and the original writings of her journal and other writings she did took us about 45 to 50 minutes.  The house was quiet and held no furniture but was set up the way it would have been if the black out curtains had been drawn. I felt very odd going through her house, I wondered what she would think of all of us in there looking at her old room or reading her stories. It was interesting to watch the interviews of her friends and father. At the end of her fathers interview he says that "as parents, we really never know our children." I believe that can be very true in some instances, definitely. The remainder of the trip we spent walking the canals and wandering into souvenier shops. The next morning we made our way to the Amsterdam international airport for our flight to Copenhagen. Once we got to Copenhagen airport, we had a 4 hour wait until our train back to Orebro for the night. 
Overall, our trip was filled with many sites and adventures that won't be forgotten. If anyone is going to Europe soon, I would highly recommend the Sandemans tours. They are extremely informational and the people who run them are energetic and never monotoned. Its a new and cost effective way to see/learn about a city your visiting. I was sad to be at the end of our trip but luckily we had a breakfast date with some of the girls from my team and a half day in Stockholm to look forward to before heading back to USA. Hopefully Jake and I will have another opportunity to see some more of Europe after next season, until then we will enjoy our time in California and be gearing up for whats to come. 


NOTE: My blog page is having some difficulties so my pictures look weird when I upload them. Hopefully I will figure it out soon. Hope you enjoy the writing for the time being. Thanks!