Day 5

It's hard to believe we are already on Day 5 of our European Tour! But for our bodies... it's very believable. WE ARE ALL SO SORE.

After a tough loss today in our third European match, we hobbled around the city of Valkenburg to get some lunch.  A few of us joked around saying we were all extremely susceptible to robbery due to the fact that if someone grabbed our purses, the odds of our tight muscles being able to push our bodies into a full sprint were slim to none. (Relax Mom I did not actually get pick pocketed. And no I am not wearing that pouch that you suggested I wear under all of my clothes that holds my ID and insurance information. It is highly embarrassing)

We have all been doing really well with branching out and indulging in some true Dutch cuisine. One of the club teams introduced us into some interesting snack called a "bittere bal" that we were all brave enough to try! (Except for our little herbivore, Julie.) Most of you were worried your picky daughters (myself included) would be scoping out the nearest McDonalds while in Europe, desperate for some familiar American cuisine but you will all be proud to know that we have so far enjoyed several little cafes and food stands full of Dutch delicacies!  (Though OK I confess I did buy a pack of Pringles at the local supermarket... but give me a break those things are delicious!)

Today a few of us stopped at a bistro in town to eat lunch.  Julie was satisfied with her vegetarian options, and Rachel had her first bowl of French onion soup! 

Day Five presented us with a tight schedule, so after lunch we raced back to the hotel to pack up our gear and head to our next session with our new favorite trainer, Roel. (pronouced like: ROOL)  His interesting, Dutch approach of warming up had us playing an extreme form of leap frog yesterday and "horseback riding" today.  Let's just say that as soon as he said partner up and hop on your partner's back, I knew it was going to be a disaster. (Our trainer, Vandeburg looked more than a little bit nervous from the sidelines...)

Our game of "horseback riding" claimed one victim, poor Courtney :( But no worries parents, we are in great hands with Michelle! Only Michelle would give us a piggyback ride from the bus to the hotel when we have injured one of our bear paws.

We ended our day with a nice stretch in the hotel pool, and there may have been a little synchronized swimming here and there... Got to nail that choreography for our upcoming music video somehow!


With love from the Netherlands,
Kara