Finally in Prague

Well after three flights, 20 hours and four countries later I finally made it to Prague. My flights were fairly uneventful with a bit of turbulence on each one. You would think that being a seasoned flyer turbulence would not faze me but for some reason as I get older I get more nervous flying...go figure. I flew from Minneapolis to Amsterdam and upon arriving in Amsterdam I knew I was back in Europe for two reasons...first off I could smell smoke as soon as I got off the plane, as smoking in public is still acceptable there, two I drank coffee. European coffee is about ten times as strong as Tim's or any coffee back home. For some reason I forgot that and order a large. Three sugar's later I still could not drink it...I sure will be missing my Tim's. Arriving in Prague was an interesting experience for me. Upon walking off the flight I saw a lady holding a sign with my name on it. I was pretty delirious by this time I had to say to myself..."Hey that's me!" Oh wait, I actually said it out loud. She said "follow me" and at this point I did whatever she said. Following her through the side door and onto a shuttle bus I started to question my decision. But upon arriving at the VIP airport room I knew it was a good decision. I guess my manager has good connections and hates to wait in airports so I got treated fairly well, relaxing in the leather couches while the lady took care of my bags. I must say this was the best arrival to any destination I have ever had.

Chelsea and Sara joined me soon after in the VIP room. For those of you who do not know, they are my Canadian teammates and friends from home. It was great to see some familiar faces. After discussing details for awhile, my passport was returned to me...did I mention that I didn't even have to go through customs. Now that is sure is different than Canadian standards. From here we drove to my manager's summer home. Our flat will not be ready until Monday so until then I am staying at his country home. Not too bad as it is huge with a a pool and a high gated fence all the way around. He doesn't speak English but his daughter does so I am very thankful for that as the awkward moments are cut down a little bit. After eating there it was off to practice...a quick welcome into the country and then a reality check as to why I am really here. Practice was less than stellar as I had flying legs but it was good to get on the ice. From the rink it was back to the summer house and off to bed for my much needed 12 hours of sleep. Unfortunately it was not enough and I am still tired so I am signing off and heading to bed.