Day 2

Yesterday after an early morning breakfast we found ourselves standing in front of a highly accomplished dutch hockey coach. He was not that fluent in English which added a lot of comic relief to the otherwise unfamiliar practice routine. The lack of stretching and water breaks was definitely new to all of us. Parched and ready for afternoon touring we made our way back to the hotel to freshen up before leaving for Aachen.

All of the girls were ecstatic to make a stop at the Lindt chocolate factory on the way, all of our hands full of amazingly priced sweets for family and friends. After being released for lunch on our own in the historical city,  Rachel and Pappas indulged in some traditional food including Bratwurst with mustard and potato pancakes. The other girls fancied gelato and sandwich shops before we took a tour of Charlemagne's Cathedral. The local farmers market was up and running which in combination with the tour around the cathedral a perfect combination for experiencing the culture of Aachen.

The rainy weather found us excited to get back to the hotel for dinner and a bus ride to our first friendly match against HC Blerick. The whole team experienced a brand new style of hockey complimented by a post game gathering in the hockey club's swanky club house. It was nice to interact with people from completely different backgrounds after being brought together by a sport that we all love and enjoy.  The hour bus ride back to Valkenburg soon put everyone to sleep after two days of traveling, touring, and play.

Pictures compliments of Bits to come!

Best,
Jul

(seniors at the Lindt factory with their colorful rain jackets)

(front of the beautiful Cathedral)