I hope everyone is doing well back in the US or wherever you are reading this blog. Kevin and I want to start off by telling everyone that we are safe in a beach town called Lloret de Mar, away from all of the riots and violence sweeping the major cities of espana.
Yesterday, Wednesday the 28th, we woke up early in Madrid. The team felt great after a good win against Atletico Madrid and a fun night watching Real Madrid destroy APOEL. The bus was scheduled to depart at 730 however we didn't leave until 745 because Jack Kuntz thought it would be a good idea to take his hotel key as a souvenir. The bus ride was 7 hours with many people sleeping but a select few "crazies" using it as a time to bond, view the sites, and try to keep others awake. Can't say I wasn't one of those people...Upon arrival in Barca, we had a 30 second turn around before we found ourselves at a training facility nestled in the suburbs of Barca. After an hour session, we were once again showering quickly so we could make dinner at Las Ramblas, a long strip of shops and restaurants downtown.
We ate dinner as a team at a local buffet, consuming the best soft serve ice cream known to man. After being excused from the buffet, we split up in different directions to shop, eat tapas, watch Barcelona on TV, and enjoy the smells and culture of Spain. After a quick three hours of this, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. 8 hours later, we were up and at em' again...
The next day, Thursday the 29th, we ate yet another fabulous breakfast full of meats, cheeses, bread, pastries, and peach juice. At 10am we departed for the beautiful beach town of Lloret de Mar as mentioned earlier. For all of you California folks, Austin 'raaandy' Mandel likened the last part of the bus ride to driving through the canyons of Los Angeles. Once at the beach, we ate lunch and Jack Kuntz(he seems to be mentioned a lot in this blog) ordered the grandest paella dish filled with live shrimp, crab, and scallops. He ate for about two hours and after we all waited for him to finish, we departed for our match against a physical team from Sweden.
The pitch was small but the game was a lot like those hard fought battles we all remember at Stevenson Field. After going behind twice, 1-0 and 2-1, Tom Mac dribbled their entire midfield and back line to bang home a nice lefty shot from just inside the 18. The little man from Westchester, NY also scored the first goal on a penalty drawn by big Ben Maurey, who played fantastically all day. Coach praised our effort but we all knew we should have won the game...
That night we were able to explore the small but lively beach town, but many people turned in early to get some shut eye before an early morning of laying on the beach and shopping. More from Friday and the rest of our trip to come...Can't believe it's almost over!
Until next time,
SKS and KPG
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