Antwerp/Diamond Museum/Sies' Birthday

Final Day in Europe! We began our day by packing a European style lunch and heading out towards the bustling city of Antwerp. As we rolled into the city, we made a short stop at the famous Central Station, one of the most impressive train stations in the world. Next, we took a tour of the diamond museum. Antwerp's diamonds are some of the world's finest, and as they proclaim: "It's every girl's dream to have a diamond cut in Antwerp." Unfortunately, none of us found one on the floor. The museum had a variety of displays, including examples of world-renknowned jewels, as well as descriptions of how the diamonds are found, cut, and produced.

After the museum, we were sent out to explore the streets of Antwerp, and most of us found ourselves on the main road, which was absolutely packed with tourists from all across the globe. We also found Belgium's famous waffles and chocolate, which was more delicious than you could imagine. After a couple hours of shopping and exploring, and with our bellies full of sugary delights, we made our way back to good old Valkenburg by bus.

Finally, this evening, we celebrated our wonderful bus driver Sies' birthday by dining at a quaint little Chinese buffet. We filled up on delicious fried bananas and ice cream, and had a lovely walk back through the cobblestone streets, soaking up the nightlife on our way back to our hotel. A relaxing end to a whirlwind tour of Europe! (Now, hopefully we can all zip up our suitcases!)

Tomorrow's Adventure....An uneventful journey back to the homeland!

-NSU Soccer

We started the day off in Valkenburg with breakfast, packed a sack lunch (sandwiches, chips, candy bars, yogurt, sports drinks, water, you name it we had it) and hit the road to Cologne, Germany. It was only a matter of 20 minutes before we had crossed the border to Germany and found ourselves on the autobahn (German highway with no speed limit) with cars racing past us at over a hundred miles per hour. Within an hour we arrived in downtown Cologne, at our first stop the Gestapo Museum. This museum documented the rise of the Nazi party in Cologne as it grew throughout Germany. One of the most interesting facts was the short amount of time it took the Nazi party to rise to control in Cologne. They did so by eliminating all other political opponents through intimidation, incarceration and persecution. By the time the next election rolled around, it was a mute point as there was only one name on the ballot, Adolph Hitler.

It was a moving experience when we had the opportunity to go into the cells where they tortured and killed all that didn’t fall into their ideology, their primary target being the Jewish people. Inside the cells there were still messages carved into the wall by former prisoners. These inscriptions made the experience much more profound and real.

Then we were off to the Dam, one of the most famous churches in all of Europe. It was breath taking, as it rose majestically towards the heavens. The structure took more than 300 years to build and is such a spectacular structure that during the war the allied forces took special provisions to ensure that no damage would be done to the building during air raids. Once inside the interior was just as impressive as the exterior. From the stained glass windows to the immaculate detail put into each and every piece, including but not limited to the altar, the pews, the vaulted ceilings and the Holy Eucharist. There was an opportunity to climb to the top. It was over 500 feet and consisted of 533 steps. As some of us chose to make the ascent we found ourselves ¾ of the way up when Kip yelled up to coach “my legs are killing me, I don’t know if I can make it. Coach replied with “just keep going, it’s all mental”, and from below we heard Chelvan say “I don’t know about that, this pain is pretty real”. Everyone had a pretty good laugh and we made our way to the top. The view from above was spectacular; it literally took your breath away. From there it was down the steps and off to the shops.

Everyone was lucky enough to help support the German economy. :-) After we had finished gathering all of our goodies we headed out to the FC Koln vs. Hannover match. The atmosphere was amazing. The stadium was packed with 47,000 raucous Germans who were proudly supporting their home team in a sold out venue. It was a very intense match as Koln was facing relegation and desperately needed a win. After their first goal the stadium erupted in a contagious sing-a-long that had everyone involved. As the game went on it was clear that Koln would be victorious upsetting Hannover. Despite the language barrier we found ourselves involved in all of the chants, cheers, dances and songs. It was an awesome experience and was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Please see attached video! :-)

Tomorrow we are off to Belgium….

American Cemetery / The Caves of Valkenburg / Game #2
Our day started in Nuland, where we set out to the American Cemetery in Southern Holland. Exiting the bus, we weren’t sure exactly what we were in for, however after a guided tour of the site we were profoundly moved. We started with a summary of how the war unfolded and how we were ultimately victorious. From there, we were taken to a wall commemorating the fallen soldiers who were unable to be identified. Then, as a sea of white crosses sprawled out before us, our guide took us to one particular grave marker. His account of just one of the 8301 soldiers bravery was almost overwhelming, as it gave us a personal insight into the incredible courage and commitment these men displayed for their country. Having the opportunity to roam through the vast field of crosses, read the names of the fallen, and feel the cold marble with our own hands took us far beyond any lesson learned in a textbook. One of the most interesting facts we learned was that 100% of the graves have been adopted by local citizens, who have committed to care for each and every one of the soldiers who lay in rest at the American Cemetery in Margraten, Holland.
While walking around Valkenburg, we stumbled upon an outdoor church that had an altar set inside a naturally occurring opening in the side of a mountain. Picture of this church is at the top of this blog.
Next, we found ourselves in the heart of Valkenburg, and headed towards the caves. Upon entering, the history lesson began, as we descended by the light of a sole lantern into a small portion of a series of caves that were more than 40 miles long. They had been used by everyone from the Romans to the students of Northern State University. Amidst the caves were sculptures and paintings done by students, professionals, local residents, depicting everything from saints to dinosaurs, as well as fossils that have proved the presence of dinosaurs. Roughly a mile into our descent into the earth, we were relieved to discover that our Dutch guide had a back up flashlight in case of emergency. We were surprised to learn that we had entered a series of caves that were over 2000 years old and had been used by the Romans. It was awesome to see that they had preserved it to this day and the town still uses it for practical purposes such as their Christmas Carnival and concert on a stage cut out of the soft stone of the earth. Our guide mentioned that the Queen of Holland herself attended last year’s concert, carrying on the tradition set forth by her predecessor of attending the annual show.

We capped off the night with a match against VV Venlo from Holland’s top professional league. They were as good as advertised and they smashed us 14-0. Despite the shellacking we learned a lot and worked hard from start to finish; as hard as it may seem to believe we actually learned and as a result became a better team. We made some adjustments at half-time and as a result played a significantly better second half, limiting them to only a few goals against their starting 11. With no goalie, both Tia and Fedor gave a valiant effort in the net. We are back at the hotel now, having a late dessert. Tomorrow, we’re off to Germany….

We had the opportunity this morning to train at a local club’s facility. The grounds were very impressive. They included five grass fields, three turf fields and an awesome stadium. (See picture attached) After training it was back to the hotel for a quick shower, and then we hit the road for Amsterdam. On the way we stopped at the Rembrandt Windmill, took some pictures, and then headed for an authentic Dutch Cheese/Wooden Shoe Factory (not to be confused with the Cheese Cake Factory in Denver- Renee). The proprietor was a very entertaining gentleman. He taught us the process of making cheese and then took us into his shoe factory, where he manufactures wooden shoes. As hard as it may seem to believe he is one of only five people in Holland to make them. After the tour we continued our bus ride into Amsterdam, where we started the day with a canal cruise. The seventeenth century architecture that exists throughout the whole city is most easily viewed from the canals. Unlike the homes we are familiar with in Aberdeen, all of the homes in Amsterdam homes are connected together for what seems like miles. Of these homes, the smallest house was actually only two yards wide. From the cruise we walked a couple of miles across the city to the Van Gogh museum. Along the way we encountered literally thousands of bicycle riders that have the right away on roadways. There were a variety of shops, some of which sold things illegal in the US. Once we arrived at the museum we had the opportunity to view some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. The museum was an awesome experience and set the tone for what would be a great evening of shopping. The uniqueness and wide variety of boutiques and bodegas were an awesome site as well as an experience.
We returned to the Hotel for a late and the culmination what would be Theresa Peterson’s 50th Birthday party. All in all another great day/experience! Tomorrow we are off to the American Cemetery and the Caves of Valeknburg.

Stay tuned…….

By Bus and Boat

We started our day at 5:30am when we boarded the bus to get to the English Coast so we could board our cruise ship and set sail to Holland. We arrived an hour early so we had more than ample time to say goodbye to our guide Brian Wakefield. It was bittersweet as we had an amazing time in England but we were excited to move on to the next part of our tour. After passing through the ship yard gate and seeing the ship we found ourselves awestruck at the massiveness of the ship. The check in process went surprising quick and it seemed to be very slow which we assumed could be attributed to our early arrival. However after the ship set sail we we were informed that the ship was operating at less than 2% capacity, our LUCKY day! It was like having our own private cruise line as we had ample space to do what we wanted and we had the computer lab, video games, coffer bar and restaurant virtually to ourselves. The boat ride was just under seven hours but it went quick due to everyone having the space they needed to nap, relax, play spoons etc.
After docking we smoothly went through customs and grabbed our luggage and jumped on our charter bus in Rotterdam, Holland and headed to Nuland, Holland where we will spend the next two nights. The hotel is very cool and the rooms are extremely oversized by European standards. We enjoyed a fopur course dinner and now we are off to bed. It was a great day to catch up on sleep and gear up for the rest of our trip. Tomorrow we off to see Amsterdam and while there we will go to the Van Gough Museum and take a canal cruise to learn about the elaborate defense system the Dutch created to protect them from intruders in earlier centuries.
So far so good……..

London Tower,Wembley Stadium and The Match

We started the in downtown London having the opportunity to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Parliament, and West Minster Abbey. All of them were awesome sites but perhaps the coolest moment was when we stood on the grounds of the future 2012 Olympic sand volleyball courts. From there we moved onto the London Tower. The castle, the moat surrounding it, and all the buildings within the complex were magnificent. Some of the original construction dates back to as far as 1280. Being in a place where you can experience the aura of 900 years ago is incredible, but probably more impressive than that was the attention to detail in the construction of all the buildings. All in all, it was a sight to see and a great learning experience.

Next we toured Wembley Stadium. Wembley is the largest retractable roof stadium in all of Europe. It is also home to the English National Team. Having the opportunity to have an all-access tour of the stadium including but not limited to the dressing room, the players' dugout, the royal box of the Queen, and coming out of the players' tunnel it was mind-boggling. We wrapped up the tour, jumped on the bus, headed back to the hotel for dinner and to change for our game.

We finished dinner and headed off to our game. Arriving at the field we realized it was extremely cold. However, our adrenaline was rushing which kept us warm. We played an intense game with Tia in goal! We had lots of opportunities to score but did not capitalize. We ended the game tied at 0-0. We shook the girls hands and gave them Northern State Soccer shirts as a token of our appreciation. Exhausted, we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel to rest for tomorrow as we head to Amsterdam.

Hampton Court Palace, Shopping, and the Theatre

This morning we had to get up early to go to our first training session, someone should tell coach we are on vacation :) However, having the opportunity to train in London was phenomenal. After that we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the day. We had very little turnaround time since we had so much to do in one day. Our day began at Hampton Court Palace the living quarters of Henry The VIII. The castle was enormous and had all the infrastructure of a small city. The complexity of the design and attention to detail on everything from the front door to the painted ceilings and tailored gardens were impeccable.

From there we went downtown to Picadilly Circus (similar to Time Square but larger) and had the opportunity to shop. We split up into four different groups and all had different agendas. Some chose to spend their time shopping in London stores, while others went site seeing.

We ended the day by going to a play at the Duke of Windsor Theatre in London's fabled West End. The play was titled "Ghost Stories" and it was a horror/comedy. Thankfully the humor was added because after seeing the trailer that coach presented to all of us, it made us pretty nervous. The decor of the theatre presented a great atmosphere for the production. It was a day well spent covering everything from former kings, to 15th century architecture and of course the shopping.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Tower of London, Wembley Stadium, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and we will play our first match. We play against Denham United the largest Women's Soccer Club in all of England. Wish us luck!

More later.....