Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Trip Home
The journey home was a long one! We got to the Stockholm airport before 4 AM and had a pile of stuff and bodies ready to check in. We all flew to Amsterdam together and then split back into our 2 groups to fly back into the US. The security was something else since the same flight group 1 was on had the incident with the Nigerian bomber wanna be! We were patted down, up and sideways and they looked at everything in all of our carry-ons. Met back up at the Denver airport at baggage claim since our flights were only minutes apart. Said our good byes and headed different directions. The traffic from the mountains was horrible so a few "pick up rides" did not make it or were pretty late. Now it's back to reality...work and school.
FUN times and Great memories...
Here are a few funny things people said on the trip (if you think of more, send them to Carri via email and we will post them):
"Boy, they all drive foreign cars over here." (Aaah, foreign there would be a Ford)
Deb Jordan
After the people on the plane into St. Petersburg cheered when we landed -
"This must be an unusual occurrance" JP Sunderland
"There now is a 2 drink maximum for the adults" Louise Funk
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Final Day in Stockholm
Gustaf Philipson(center), former BMHS player, now our host in Sweden. 
Pizza place for lunch in Old Town Stockholm.
Bowling with the Swedish Hockey team..JPG)
More Old Town ...Eric, our fearless leader..JPG)
Old Town StockholmEric let us all sleep in a little after that "wild & crazy" New Years Eve party. Those who stayed up 'til midnight, got a real treat. We saw fireworks all over the city from the party room that we had at the hotel.
We met in the lobby late in the morning and Elizabeth escorted us on the subway/tram to the Old Town of Stockholm. It is on an island in the middle of the city and it still has a lot of the historic features such as cobblestones and narrow streets. There were quite a few shops open, so it was fun to pick up a few more things to bring home. We had a late lunch at a great Italian place...pizza and lasagna...a refreshing change from meat and potatoes.
Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our bowling party with the Swedish teams that we played against yesterday. It was a short walk to the bowling alley and the other kids and some parents were already there when we arrived. We did a fun version of bowling where we alternated people every throw instead of every frame. It was timed, so the team with the most points at the end of the hour and a half, won. They hosted the dinner right at the bowling alley and we had burgers and fries!
It was a SHORT night. Our wake up call was at 2 AM with a 3 AM departure from the hotel. The double decker bus returned to take us back to the airport.
We met in the lobby late in the morning and Elizabeth escorted us on the subway/tram to the Old Town of Stockholm. It is on an island in the middle of the city and it still has a lot of the historic features such as cobblestones and narrow streets. There were quite a few shops open, so it was fun to pick up a few more things to bring home. We had a late lunch at a great Italian place...pizza and lasagna...a refreshing change from meat and potatoes.
Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our bowling party with the Swedish teams that we played against yesterday. It was a short walk to the bowling alley and the other kids and some parents were already there when we arrived. We did a fun version of bowling where we alternated people every throw instead of every frame. It was timed, so the team with the most points at the end of the hour and a half, won. They hosted the dinner right at the bowling alley and we had burgers and fries!
It was a SHORT night. Our wake up call was at 2 AM with a 3 AM departure from the hotel. The double decker bus returned to take us back to the airport.
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Years Eve in Sweden
The Dad's version of a "Black Light show" ... a bit blurry, but you get the idea.
The Nutty Cracker Performance
12 Days of our Trip by the Juniors
The Eves New Years Eve Carolers
More Winter Wonderland
Snowflake Fairies??
We left the hotel in the dark at 6:15 AM for the airport. It never gets light here until about 9:30 AM, so I guess it did not feel that different. The flight to Stockholm was pretty short…only 1 hour 10 minutes. We were excited to be around smiling friendly people again. That was something that all of us felt was lacking in Russia. We also felt a bit more at home because we could at least recognize the alphabet even though we couldn’t read all the signs in Sweden. The bus that picked us up at the airport was a double decker!! Quite plush compared to the others we have had. And it did not smell like smoke. We can breathe again!
We checked into our hotel right by the rink in Lidingo. Then we went right over to the rink for a lunch that Elizabeth Philipson organized. She is the mother of Gustav, who played on the Battle Mountain team 2 years ago. She organized the hockey and most of our visit here. The younger team played first then the older team. (More to come from the players). Before the games many of us took advantage of the beautiful area and went for a walk. We found a walking path down by the “sea”. It looked like a winter wonderland.
After the games, we went back to the hotel for dinner and our New Years Eve Gong show. The creativity of this group was amazing. We were thoroughly entertained. The winners were the boys from Summit who put together a slide show of themselves modeling some of the souvenir wear they bought on the trip...Abercrombie models may lose their jobs! After the show, we could see fireworks that were happening in about 10 different locations across the city. The room we were in overlooked the entire vista. It was spectacular.
We checked into our hotel right by the rink in Lidingo. Then we went right over to the rink for a lunch that Elizabeth Philipson organized. She is the mother of Gustav, who played on the Battle Mountain team 2 years ago. She organized the hockey and most of our visit here. The younger team played first then the older team. (More to come from the players). Before the games many of us took advantage of the beautiful area and went for a walk. We found a walking path down by the “sea”. It looked like a winter wonderland.
After the games, we went back to the hotel for dinner and our New Years Eve Gong show. The creativity of this group was amazing. We were thoroughly entertained. The winners were the boys from Summit who put together a slide show of themselves modeling some of the souvenir wear they bought on the trip...Abercrombie models may lose their jobs! After the show, we could see fireworks that were happening in about 10 different locations across the city. The room we were in overlooked the entire vista. It was spectacular.
Our last Day in St. Petersburg
Church of Spilled Blood Interior -- All Mosaics
Connor and Carri in front of the Church of Spilled Blood
St. Isaac's Cathedral Interior
The boys in front of the Doors at St. Isaac's Cathedral
Waiting to get in the Hermitage MuseumToday was a day of touring St. Petersburg. We started off at the Hermitage museum. Our guides Elena and Dimitri lead the 2 groups through the many elaborate and ornate rooms of what used to be the Winter Palace. Besides looking at the architecture and decor, there was an extensive art collection. The guides told us that to look at every piece of art or artifact in the Hermitage for 30 seconds each would take 10 years and you would have to walk 24 miles. 1,100 rooms and 3 million works of art! Whoa! In our 3 hours we barely scratched the surface. We saw works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Picasso, Cezanne and many, many others.
Following a great lunch in downtown St. Petersburg, we went to St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Another beautiful church that is very ornate and opulent. This church has pillars that surround the entire building that are solid granite, about 20 meters tall and that weigh 60 tons. There is a display in the church that shows how they raised these monstrosities upright. They still have scars from the shells of WWII.
The next stop was The Church of Spilled Blood. This church is exactly what you would picture in Russia. It has the onion shaped domes that are really colorful. The inside was even more impressive. The entire interior is covered with glass mosaics depicting different biblical scenes. I think all of us were in awe.
The highlight of the day was the open air market across the street. The boys had a great time bargaining for fur hats and hockey jerseys, while the parents bought Christmas decorations, trinkets, jewelry, and STUFF! We got back on the bus, cold and happy shoppers. It took us a long time to get back to the hotel. The streets are still full of snow and buried cars making the passages narrow and slippery. Moving the coach buses through this was quite a feat.
Following a great lunch in downtown St. Petersburg, we went to St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Another beautiful church that is very ornate and opulent. This church has pillars that surround the entire building that are solid granite, about 20 meters tall and that weigh 60 tons. There is a display in the church that shows how they raised these monstrosities upright. They still have scars from the shells of WWII.
The next stop was The Church of Spilled Blood. This church is exactly what you would picture in Russia. It has the onion shaped domes that are really colorful. The inside was even more impressive. The entire interior is covered with glass mosaics depicting different biblical scenes. I think all of us were in awe.
The highlight of the day was the open air market across the street. The boys had a great time bargaining for fur hats and hockey jerseys, while the parents bought Christmas decorations, trinkets, jewelry, and STUFF! We got back on the bus, cold and happy shoppers. It took us a long time to get back to the hotel. The streets are still full of snow and buried cars making the passages narrow and slippery. Moving the coach buses through this was quite a feat.
Mary's Castle
Old Fashioned Sleigh Ride
Melanie and Amy in Winter Wonderland
Leslie, Carri and Melanie in front of the palace...lots of snow!While the kids were visiting with the Russian players, the parents took a side trip to Mary's Castle. It was a magical place with all the snow.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Visit with Russian Hockey Players
by George Lowery
(All the players spent time with the players from the Kolpino teams right after the games. Some went to the players home and some went out to a restaurant and played pool or went bowling.)
Josh Wolf, Bjorn Bredeson and I were invited to the home of a Russian family after our hockey game in Kopino, an hour from St. Petersburg. We took a taxi a with the family to their apartment in a rather dodgy area. The apartment building looked really run down on the outside but was small and nice on the inside. Sasha and Oleg, who had played against us on the younger team, spoke no English so we communicated using the computer translator. We also played darts and FIFA 2000. The Russian family was very friendly and we exchanged small gifts. We ate a ton of food and I tried fish eggs (caviar?) that were disgusting because they squirt fish juice in your mouth. But I ate them all anyway and chased them down with apple juice.
The boys and their parents joined us for a banquet that night at our hotel. The Russian teams parents brought us all a box of chocolates for gifts. It was sort of awkward to communicate, but we managed and everyone had a great time.
We were told by our guides that many Russians live in the old communist buildings (see the photo) in small apartments. They have the option to buy them (or Privatize) but they are very expensive to buy, so most people just rent them which is very cheap. They look run down on the outside, but many people make their own apartments very nice.
(All the players spent time with the players from the Kolpino teams right after the games. Some went to the players home and some went out to a restaurant and played pool or went bowling.)
Josh Wolf, Bjorn Bredeson and I were invited to the home of a Russian family after our hockey game in Kopino, an hour from St. Petersburg. We took a taxi a with the family to their apartment in a rather dodgy area. The apartment building looked really run down on the outside but was small and nice on the inside. Sasha and Oleg, who had played against us on the younger team, spoke no English so we communicated using the computer translator. We also played darts and FIFA 2000. The Russian family was very friendly and we exchanged small gifts. We ate a ton of food and I tried fish eggs (caviar?) that were disgusting because they squirt fish juice in your mouth. But I ate them all anyway and chased them down with apple juice.
The boys and their parents joined us for a banquet that night at our hotel. The Russian teams parents brought us all a box of chocolates for gifts. It was sort of awkward to communicate, but we managed and everyone had a great time.
We were told by our guides that many Russians live in the old communist buildings (see the photo) in small apartments. They have the option to buy them (or Privatize) but they are very expensive to buy, so most people just rent them which is very cheap. They look run down on the outside, but many people make their own apartments very nice.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Day of Two Palaces - Ice & Imperial
By Nick Voessler and Brendan Dalbow
To begin this crusade , the group arose to a clouded sky. Once more, ‘twas rather blustery with blizzard-like conditions. It would be foolish to say “ ‘twas sunny”. We had a normal banquet-style breakfast to begin the day, before the sun had risen. The moms of the group had already left to go see the eloquent Peter and Paul’s Fortress, while we departed to the ICE PALACE where the group was given a grand display of Russian professional hockey. We watched the team known as CKA St. Petersburg with stars such as Alexei Yashin and Sergei Brezlin while other stars like Robert Esche and Darins Kasparaitis were not able to attend. Kasparaitis left us with a fantastic gift -- autographed hockey jerseys. The group had a merry jubilance to receiving such great sweaters. Afterwards, we hopped on the bus and went to McDonalds…a true Russian meal.
After that, we went to the summer palace of Tsar Peter the Great and his wife Catherine, from whom the establishment got its name. It was an elaborately decorated estate lined with eccentric colors, predominantly gold. Many of the rooms had similar appearance, white lined walls with gold and more gold. Yet there were a few rooms that were not as white and gold. Such rooms include the Green room, the Blue room and the famous
Amber room. This room had over 6 tons of amber embedded in its walls. This had been take by the Nazis during WWII and had just been restored and rebuilt in 2003. The group left the Castle and bought some Russian hats that were sick, nasty AWESOME. What a day indeed. ‘Twas a memorable one that will be followed by more here in the mother of all motherlands: Russia
To begin this crusade , the group arose to a clouded sky. Once more, ‘twas rather blustery with blizzard-like conditions. It would be foolish to say “ ‘twas sunny”. We had a normal banquet-style breakfast to begin the day, before the sun had risen. The moms of the group had already left to go see the eloquent Peter and Paul’s Fortress, while we departed to the ICE PALACE where the group was given a grand display of Russian professional hockey. We watched the team known as CKA St. Petersburg with stars such as Alexei Yashin and Sergei Brezlin while other stars like Robert Esche and Darins Kasparaitis were not able to attend. Kasparaitis left us with a fantastic gift -- autographed hockey jerseys. The group had a merry jubilance to receiving such great sweaters. Afterwards, we hopped on the bus and went to McDonalds…a true Russian meal.
After that, we went to the summer palace of Tsar Peter the Great and his wife Catherine, from whom the establishment got its name. It was an elaborately decorated estate lined with eccentric colors, predominantly gold. Many of the rooms had similar appearance, white lined walls with gold and more gold. Yet there were a few rooms that were not as white and gold. Such rooms include the Green room, the Blue room and the famous
Amber room. This room had over 6 tons of amber embedded in its walls. This had been take by the Nazis during WWII and had just been restored and rebuilt in 2003. The group left the Castle and bought some Russian hats that were sick, nasty AWESOME. What a day indeed. ‘Twas a memorable one that will be followed by more here in the mother of all motherlands: Russia
Monday, December 28, 2009
Hockey Day In Kolpino
Greetings all:
Left the hotel this morning at 8:30 am and arrived in the town of Kolpino around 9:15 am. It was still dark outside as expected (and freezing cold....my fingers and toes actually just got feeling back). This time of year one can expect to see the sun (or a glimpse of it anyway) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Kolpino rink reminded me of the old Kipling rink in Littleton, only colder. The majors played first and kept it close through the first period (down 2-1). Then the Russians turned it on in the second period and went ahead 6-1. Our boys made a little comback in the third with three quick goals but the Russians scored late and the game ended with a 7-4 final. The minors were ready to play some hockey and scored first and never looked back and beat the Russian minor team convincingly 9-3. Afterwards the boys went to the player's homes for some lunch and some Russian hospitality. As I write this, Aaron and Cujo have just arrived back to the hotel as the last players to come back. They had an exciting and scary trip as they drove an hour and a half away from the ice rink after the game. They were taken to McDonalds for lunch and did a tour of the city......museum, park, ice cream shop, etc. finally ending up at the home of the two players in St. Petersburg. At their home they got schooled in a game of floor hockey and played a little NHL 2009. Meanwhile, the parents enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon visiting the Pavlovsk Palace. This was the summer home of Catherine the Great's son Paul and his wife Mary. The day ended with a banquet back at the hotel with players and parents of both the Russian and American players. Lastly, we were lucky enough to have Barry Smith, former NHL coach and current coach of the St. Petersburg Russian elite league team join us as the guest of honor. Great day!
http://www.alexanderpalace.org/pavlovsk/
Alan Lewis
Left the hotel this morning at 8:30 am and arrived in the town of Kolpino around 9:15 am. It was still dark outside as expected (and freezing cold....my fingers and toes actually just got feeling back). This time of year one can expect to see the sun (or a glimpse of it anyway) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Kolpino rink reminded me of the old Kipling rink in Littleton, only colder. The majors played first and kept it close through the first period (down 2-1). Then the Russians turned it on in the second period and went ahead 6-1. Our boys made a little comback in the third with three quick goals but the Russians scored late and the game ended with a 7-4 final. The minors were ready to play some hockey and scored first and never looked back and beat the Russian minor team convincingly 9-3. Afterwards the boys went to the player's homes for some lunch and some Russian hospitality. As I write this, Aaron and Cujo have just arrived back to the hotel as the last players to come back. They had an exciting and scary trip as they drove an hour and a half away from the ice rink after the game. They were taken to McDonalds for lunch and did a tour of the city......museum, park, ice cream shop, etc. finally ending up at the home of the two players in St. Petersburg. At their home they got schooled in a game of floor hockey and played a little NHL 2009. Meanwhile, the parents enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon visiting the Pavlovsk Palace. This was the summer home of Catherine the Great's son Paul and his wife Mary. The day ended with a banquet back at the hotel with players and parents of both the Russian and American players. Lastly, we were lucky enough to have Barry Smith, former NHL coach and current coach of the St. Petersburg Russian elite league team join us as the guest of honor. Great day!
http://www.alexanderpalace.org/pavlovsk/
Alan Lewis
Dec 27th Traveling to Russia
We were on the bus again early Sunday morning to go to the airport and catch our flight to St. Petersburg. It was much warmer in Prague then when we were last there. As the flight landed in Russia, the entire plane burst into applause and JP commented that “this must be an unusual occurrence.” The landscape outside was bleak and snowy…quite a contrast to what we just left in the Czech Republic. And they do like to smoke here also. The terminal was filled with cigarette smoke. It was kind of refreshing to get out in the cold for a reprieve. There is about 2 feet of snow on the ground here in St. Petersburg. This is the most snow they have had for about 4 years. We are lucky to even be able to get around. They haven’t cleared the streets very well and cars are buried on the sides of the roads. We stopped at the hotel to check in and then the buses (we have 2 here) took us to dinner. It was about a half hour to the restaurant and we passed many beautiful buildings and famous sites. Almost all the buildings are huge here in comparison to the other cities we have been in. The transformation away from Communism in the past 20 years must have been mind blowing. Everything seems pretty modern. But, we have been told that St. Petersburg is a very European city compared to the rest of Russia. Our guide, Galina, told us that Peter the Great designed this city after Amsterdam, which he admired very much. He moved the capital from Moscow to here, because he did not like Moscow. Then when Lenin came in to power, he moved it back to Moscow where it still remains. We had a wonderful dinner at the Chaikovsky restaurant and enjoyed traditional Russian food….cabbage and pork. BUT for the first time in recent memory (according to Alan Lewis) we got to have ice cream instead of apple strudel!
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