Europe 2017

Where to even begin.. 

We have just gotten back from our three week Europe trip and I woke up at 4AM, unable to sleep anymore. The cats are wanting all kinds of attention, particularly Eve, who won't even leave me along when I'm trying to sleep. All night. They are obviously happy we're back.

The Netherlands
Amsterdam is still as lovely a city as I remember it being 12 years ago. Biking along the canals and beautiful old buildings was enjoyable, as were the cafes. The Windmill Windup tournament was amazing. It was incredibly well-organized. They had a giant central circus tent set-up, which served as a main location for info, food, music performances, and chill-out time; then everyone else camps in their smaller tents. There were lots of "extras" too, that you wouldn't see at a normal tournament. There were three big trampolines, a bouldering twister shipping crate, a karaoke shipping crate, swings accompanied with silent disco headphones, and a bonfire every night. It didn't get dark until 11pm. We played against teams from North America, Europe, and Eurasia. We didn't place particularly high in our division, but had a great time playing and enjoying all the festivities.

Ireland
Dublin was similar to how I remembered it. We took the train, touble-decker bus, and bike-shared around the city, learning about the history. We were lucky to stay with a friend's family, and had the lovely Leo the dog who loves to cuddle and maintains no loyalties (or rather, all loyalties). One of the highlights was hiking in Wicklow Mountains National Park, and running into some feral goats along the mountain stream. 

France
Bordeaux has some beautiful old architecture, and we also enjoyed bike-sharing there in order to explore some of the city in the short time we had. From there, we took the train to Royan, which typically seems like a place where retired people go to have a quiet holiday, when it's not being taken over by over a thousand ultimate players from around the world. Just being there for WCBU, the world tournament, was a great experience. All around town we'd run into familiar faces - some from recently in our frisbee careers, and some we hadn't seen in years. I was the cheer squad for Australia, which I was happy to be, considering it was uncomfortably hot for the first two days. Michael's team (mens masters) came in 5th, and the womens masters team came in 3rd, and they won spirit for their pool, which is no small task and also earns a medal. The USA won every pool except the womens team (younger than the masters) lost to Russia in the finals in an epic universe point. Jersey-trading is a tradition, and Mike and I both came home with some trades we are proud of: Mike got apparel from the Phlippines and USA teams, while I got jerseys from Japan, The Netherlands, and Currier Island. The tournament party was one of the best I have been to, despite it being so hot inside that people were literally pressing their faces up against the condensation on the windows. They just had a very energetic band and DJ, and our team knew how to tear up the dance floor.

Overall, it was a great trip. We were able to meet up with friends in every city, and get to know some acquaintances better. It was refreshing to be out of the nanny state that is Australia, just for a little while, and be somewhere that people are still trusted to do the right thing when they are out having fun. Go ahead, just don't hurt anybody else. That being said, I am happy to be back. I will post some pics at some point.