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.

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

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

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!

Dec 26th

Next Day—Dec. 26th
Before we left Budapest, we made a stop at the Castle on the Buda side of the river. Budapset is actually 2 ancient cities, Buda and Pest, separated by a river. It was a cool, but sunny day and the sites were beautiful. We spent most of the day on the bus traveling back to Prague from Budapest. We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant that had a toy train that went by the tables and delivered the beer and soft drinks. It was a clear, sunny day so the scenery was gorgeous.

Arrived in Prague at the same hotel we stayed in before at about 8 PM. Many of us took advantage of shopping in what then felt like a familiar neighborhood.

Thermal Baths at the Hotel Gellert

by Ben Hymes
I think that my favorite part of Budapest was the thermal baths that were part of our hotel. We had to take an old style elevator down to the pools which was operated by an old woman. There were three different areas; mens, womens and co-ed. The mens area had two hot pools ,a steam room, a cold plunge and a massage area. The hot pools were amazing, they had mosaic tiles everywhere and statues on the edge of the pools shooting out hot water. The steam room was extremely hot. We would go into the steam room for as long as we could stand and then go in the cold plunge. They also had a great massage area. I got a twenty-minute massage for only twelve dollars and so did some other people. It felt great! The co-ed area had the main big pool which was spectacular. There were pillars all around it and dragon statues shooting out water similar to the hot pool. In the co-ed area there was also a hot pool so that couples could sit together, but it wasn’t as amazing as the segregated hot pool. So far my favorite part of the trip has been the thermal hot baths in Budapest.

Skype Time Dec 27th

We will try to have skype up and running after dinner in St. Petersburg...can't be certain of a time, but we are 10 hours ahead there. If we have it on about 9 to 10 PM, that will be sometime around noon MST.

Christmas Dinner at the Cave

By Sonny Magrino
We topped off Christmas day with a very lovely dinner in Budapest. We went to a wine cellar that was like a cave. We enjoyed wonderful folk music and dancing throughout the night while the parents had their share of wine tasting. Everyone enjoyed Houli's and Amy's dance moves. Leslie was singled out to help stir the pot...we're not sure what she was making. All 53 of us sat at one long table and it was quite a sight. The food was the best on the trip so far. It was a pleasure spending Christmas night with such a fun and exciting group. It is very memorable and all the Summit kids really appreciate being allowed to come along on this trip. Everyone can feel the tension slowly fading. It was a wonderful Christmas and everyone is looking forward to heading to Russia to play some hockey. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day in Budapest

Basilica of St. Stephens
Hungarian State Opera House interior galleries

Opera House Exterior

Christmas Day was amazing. It was a dreary day with a slight drizzle, but we left the hotel late morning and headed to the Hungarian State Opera House for the Nutcracker Ballet. The opera house was a spectacular old (as usual) building, that was incredibly ornate. We felt like we were in the setting of the Phantom of the Opera. The ballet was really a treat…even for hockey players. The sets were incredibly realistic and the costumes were colorful. The orchestra was in the pit and played Tchaikovsky’s musical score. We learned that the The Nutcracker has undergone many changes over the years and not all performances are the same. Even the names of the characters may be different. In this version, Clara is called Mary and there are no sugar plum fairies or flower fairies. This show was broken into 3 acts with 2 intermissions, something that most of us were unfamiliar with. Maybe this was beneficial for hockey players that are used to 3 periods of play with 2 breaks! In any case we forced a little culture on the group and you may notice your boy is a bit more refined upon his return. Maybe season tickets to Bravo will be on his wish list next Christmas.

We then drove to a few historical sights around the city including Hero’s Square and St. Stephens Basilica. There we saw the mummified hand of St. Stephen which was a big draw for all the boys. Ok, so maybe they aren’t that refined! The building was massive and of course beautifully ornate like most churches we have seen.

Back at the Hotel Gellert, the boys took advantage of a couple of free hours to hit the thermal baths (more on that from Ben Hymes). Then we loaded up the bus and went to dinner at a restaurant called The Cave. It was a traditional Hungarian spot with great food and some customary music and dancing. More on this from Sonny Magrino

Skype Time

We will have Skype open and ready for conversations at about 1:00 PM to 10 PM Mountain time. Hope to talk to you then. Not sure the camera is working but we may be able to see you.
Talk to you soon. Have a AV's update? And don't hesitate to comment on the blog. We'd love to hear from you.

Christmas Eve hike in Budapest

A group of us hiked up the hill/bluff overlooking the river right next to our hotel. We started right before dark, so by the time we got to the top (about 15 minutes) it was dark. The days are really short here. The sun comes up around 7 or 7:30 and goes down around 4:30. They say we can expect about 6 hours of daylight in St. Petersburg...9:00 AM to 3:00PM.

Anyway, the view from the top of the bluff was spectacular. We could see the whole city lit up. The city of Budapest is known for its 8 bridges and we could see 4 of them. There is a huge statue and a fort on top also. I am not positive about who the statue is (we have see so many) but I think it is Maria Theresa, who was an important ruler during the Hapsburgs reign.

Shopping Extravaganza

Musical quartet at the Christmas Market on Christmas Eve

Connor, Sonny and Sam at the Christmas market

Several of the mothers opted out of the banquet with the young Budapest team to go shopping at the open-air Christmas Market...we have felt a little deprived from the shopping opportunities, but this place made up for it. It was much like a craft show but this was of handmade traditional Hungarian items. Linen, wool hats, felt household creations, scarves, jewelry, potpourri, pottery, woodwork, costumes, toys, steins...maybe you will be seeing many of these items when your player return home. We also ate traditional Hungarian food items. Cinnamon funnel breads, sausages, rolled cabbage...Louise's favorite was the hot spiced wine...Stephanie loved the funnel bread. The custom here in Hungary is to purchase your Christmas tree just a few days before Christmas Eve. Budapest closes down today at 2:00 pm and stays closed until the day after Christmas. Several got up early this morning to take adventage of the hot spring baths and massages for 20 minutes for $12.00. We hope to have another opportunity to enjoy the spa on Christmas day. The boys are out hiking up a hill to a statue and a birds-eye view of Budapest.
Tonight is the Christmas Eve party...Santa is coming...but dinner is not being served until 8:00 pm. We are planning to set up Carri's computer with Skype around 9:30 pm which is about 1:30 Vail time, so don't be surprise if you get a call.

Photos from the Rink in Budapest

The bus tows a trailer with the hockey bags! Whew!


Both teams after the game.

The handshake after the game.

Gift exchange before the game.

We're ahead 3 to 0 (older team)

Budapest Parliament and Hockey Games

We spent the morning at the Hungarian Parliament. It was a huge building, in fact our guide told us that the only Parliament buildings that are larger are the one in Argentina and the one in London. It was a beautifully ornate building. They have the crown jewels of Hungary on display and the guards came and stood right next to the case while we were there. Guess we are not trustworthy! We were also told not to stand within 4 meters of the guards. A couple of players got shooed away because they got to close while getting a photo with the men in uniform. Maybe the metric system is a bit foggy and they do not remember how far 4 meters is.

Then we were off to the rink for hockey! Our first game was scheduled against an under 12 team so we had to get them replace them with an older team. These guys beat us by a lot. I do not have the game stats, so I will leave that up to the boys.

The older team faired much better and we tied 3 to 3! During the first period, we scored 1st! So the parents took photos of the score board while we were ahead. Surprisingly, we then score 2 more unanswered goals in the first period for the lead of 3 to 0. The next 2 periods proved to be a bit more challenging and we never scored again, but they gained on us and scored 1 in the 2nd and 2 more in the 3rd. It was exciting!

After the game, the team and some parents had a banquet. They met the U 12 players that thought they were playing the "Americans" and had been invited to the banquet at a nearby restaurant. Turns out they were quite a bit younger than our kids, but had fun talking to them.

We're in Budapest

We are now in Budapest at the famous Hotel Gellert! We had dinner on a stationary boat on the river. It was a great night but we were all tired from the day. Spent a few hours on the bus and then stopped in Vienna for lunch and a short walking tour. It is a stunning city and many of us want to come back...in the summer. It was actually quite warm and sunny while we were walking around and we did not even need hats or gloves. The buildings are fantastic and all look like palaces. They had amazing Christmas decorations up and it would have been nice to see them at night. A few more hours on the bus and we are now here in Budapest...another beautiful city. Our guide Katya lived in Vail several years ago!
Carri Tedstrom

More on Prague from Aaron and Matt

On the last day in Prague, the team got our cultural fix of the city by visiting a few historic and meaningful places. We started off the day with a visit to a famous cathedral and crypt where five paratroopers hid from the Nazi military after assassinating a prominent SS general in 1942. The paratroopers were called on a special mission to assassinate Hitler’s second man, /Reinhart Hydrick who helped organize the Holocaust and lead the SS during WWII. After killing this idol of Nazi terror the assassins hid in a small crypt under a downtown cathedral where they successfully remained under the radar for a month. This assassination prompted a period of “selective terror” where Nazi’s would call names and kill at random to instill fear and civilian loyalty in the Czech people. The paratroopers were eventually turned in by a fellow member who was promised a pardon from punishment, and the Nazi military raided the crypt and church. The paratroopers resisted the Nazi attack for hours until the military decided to flood the crypt and drown the solders. These brave men saved the last bullets for themselves, promising to never surrender to the ruthless and oppressive fascist regime. The crypt is still riddled with bullet holes to this day, leaving every visitor in awe and appreciation of these soldiers effort.
By Aaron Lewis


As our last night in Prague, we visited the Charles Bridge and attended a Black light show. The Charles Bridge is the most famous bridge in Prague and holds much history. It was built to last and constructed on a dyke that would allow it to do so, in 1351. We then ventured to the Black light Theatre to see a show. It was very abstract and interpretive. However the show was very interesting utilizing black lights and harnesses to lift the actors. All in all it was a great night and how bout them ta-tas!
By Matt Granzow

Day 4 The First Games

So it all began with the wake-up call that we were supposed to get. It turns out that the front desk thought that they could call us even though there were no phones in the rooms. But thanks to Merv we got up. Then off to the rink it was for a little good old hockey.

Once at the rink the younger kids started the game off with a few additions from the older team. The first game started off with a 1-0 period by the Czech. But they weren’t done there with three more quick ones at the beginning of the second. The Americans would have none of that nonsense though. After going short handed, Jack Sunderland got a couple good feeds from Daniel Westerberg, and Michael Jones and finished the job with two goals. Then the Czechs would have no part of that and came back to get two goals. But as the dinosaur he is Connor wanted a couple of goals and decided to fire some lasers past the Czech goalie. So after a hard fought game the Americans fell 6-4.

Unfortunately the major game was not as pretty. Daniel Westerberg had himself a nice garbage goal off a rebound from Sam Dudick. But after that it was all the Czech Republic. Tough guy 26 thought it would be a good idea to go after the dinosaur. It wasn’t… After this part in the game it turned into who was the tougher team, which we proved we were. All in all the Czech proved superior winning 9-1 but it was a valiant effort from the small town boys of Vail and Summit. With a few team pictures with each other it was off to lunch.

At lunch Bergen, Greg, Jack, and Curtis “Cujo,” had a delightful feast with a Czech boy named Mike Jachym. He was probably the nicest kid on their team and could speak some broken English. But that was more than the other tables could say with other kids speaking about as much English as we do Czech (answer = none.) A good lunch later it was on the bus to Ceske Budejovice (or something like that.) Once in this place we got off the bus checked into the rooms and walked the street. The parents are having a great time(and that’s a big understatement) and all in all the women are still beautiful.

By Jack Sunderland, with help from Bergen Tjossem and Mike Jones

Practice at the Rink

Tonight we had our first practice as a team. We had an hour and a half of ice time at the Pisek rink. 5 players from the Pisek team joined us in the practice. Ice hockey is the main sport in the Czech Republic and they only remain on the teams from the Bantam level on up if they have potential to play at higher levels. So wish us luck!

The Prague Castle by Otto Jordan

So today was our first day in Prague. It was very cold and we saw many once in a lifetime sights. One of them was the Prague Castle, which was truly amazing. The first thing that you can see over the walls was the steep Gothic age spires. This was the St. Wenceslas Cathedral. The walls and spires were covered with gargoyles and other animals and saint sculptures. We then went inside and toured the inside. There was one story that was truly interesting. A priest was hearing the confession of the queen of Prague and he started to cry during it. The king found this out and ordered the priest be arrested, and brought before the king. The king asked him what his wife had told him and he said that he could not tell for the laws of confession holds him to silence. The king tortured him himself but weak as he was the priest died. So the king put his body in a sack and had his soldiers threw him off of the bridge. At this the priest was considered a martyr and the he was condoned as a saint. This really was an interesting story; his body is buried in the cathedral in an all silver over 1-ton casket. After this we ate and the went to the market square. All in all it was a good day. –OTTO JORDAN

Dinner at Pragues First Brewery

Day 2 Prague

After group 2 arrived last night, we all walked to dinner and then went on a quick walking tour around the Old Town Square and the nearby area.

This morning we met in the lobby early and got on the tram to Prague Castle. This complex of buildings has been the site of the Czech governing entities since the 800's! Even today, the Czech President still lives in a Villa on the grounds and his office is in the buildings that we walked by. In fact, we stood outside in the court yard right below the presidents office. It is on the second floor and we were right below the balcony. We were about 50 feet away from presumably where his desk is. This is amazing given this is the equivalent of the Oval Office and in the US there is so much more security. When we commented on this to our guide Hanna, she said "The Czechs are not as important and nobody really cares as much". That gives you an idea of the power and influence that our country has versus others in the world.

We spent the morning touring the historic sites of the grounds and learning about the history of the country in context of what was happening at the Castle (actually a huge complex of buildings- not just one structure). There is a beautiful Cathedral that took 600 years plus to complete, so it was a great example of many architectural styles. We saw great halls, torture chambers, windows that people were thrown out of, incredible stained glass windows, a replica of the Czech Crown jewels and heard stories that bring history to life!

Lunch was in a restaurant right on the castle grounds and it was a welcome relief to warm up. It is SO COLD. Many of the buildings we were in, including the Cathedral do not have heat. Many of us commented that it would be hard to get people to come to church when it is so cold. JP says that would have been part of his remodel plans.

After lunch we went back to Old Town and shopped the markets. Several boys went to the big Sports Store and bought things to take home.

Our dinner this evening was at Pragues first brewery. Then we walked along the river and over the Charles Bridge. There is a spot on the bridge that you put your hands on and can make ONE wish. This is where a religious martyr was thrown from the bridge. Because he was actually a good guy, it is believed that it is good luck to stand where he was thrown from. The water looks COLD.

Our walk ended at the Black Light Theater...more to come from one of the boys on that.

Mozart's Concert Hall

First Day in Prague

We’re in Prague!! After 3 flights and a couple of layovers, Group 1 arrived in the Czech Republic at about 11 AM. We were picked up at the airport by a coach bus and met our guide, Vaclav Lojka who will show us around Prague. First stop was the hotel Clarion in Old Town. Here, we unloaded the bags, checked in our rooms and took showers. We met in the lobby and took a short, but cold walk over to the Old Town Square for lunch and to walk around the Christmas Market. Everyone was on their own for lunch, so people went to various eateries around the square.

Jack, Connor, Bergen , Carri and JP went to a cafeteria style restaurant that said they had traditional Czech food. It was a bit intimidating not knowing what we were getting or how much we were paying! We all had some sort of chicken dish and rice or potatoes. Luckily most people here know, or at least understand, English. We had some anxiety thinking that the codes they had written down on our food orders were the prices. Turns out the lunch was actually quite reasonably priced and the potatoes were not over $10 and the sodas were not $5 like we thought! The Czech Crown is their currency and it is roughly 20 Crowns to the dollar…taking 2000 crowns out of the ATM (about $100) is a bit disconcerting. It seems like a lot more than it is.

The Christmas market has flea market or fair type booths all around the square. The vendors were selling Christmas ornaments, art work, jewelry, food items, beer, and beer trinkets, and hot wine…a big seller. It was VERY COLD. Much colder than we are used to in Colorado. While we were watching the Astronomical Cl,ock go off at 4 PM a life size nativity scene caught on fire. At first the group thought the smoke was part of the clock show but it turned out that someone lit the nativity on fire and it spread to nearby trees. And according to Jack Sunderland, the rumors are true Czech women are beautiful.

We are waiting for Group 2 (the second half of our group that left on a later flight) to arrive sometime right before we walk over to dinner.
Carri Tedstrom

Look Familiar? ...It will!

ITINERARY

DECEMBER 17 – Depart Denver AM and PM
GROUP 1: Arrive in Prague in 2:10pm
GROUP 2: Arrive in Prague 8:40am

DECEMBER 18 - Czech Republic
GROUP 1: Arrive at 10:15am (KL135). There will be 24 people in your group including guide Hana Pachovská

11am check into hotel

3pm walk to the Prague Castle and 6pm meet the group at hotel for walk to dinner at Lvidur.

GROUP 2: Arrive at 4:00pm (KL1355). There will be 27 people in your group including guide Václav Lojka

4pm arrive in Prague. Dinner. Walking tour of Charles Bridge, Astronomical Clock.

DECEMBER 19
9:00am – 1:00pm: Prague Castle, explore Old town.

Lunch and free time to explore the Christmas Market.

Dinner at Novoměstský pivovar (New Town Brewery)

9:30am – 11:00pm: Black Light Theatre “TA FANTASTICA”

DECEMBER 20
8:00am: Bags in the lobby

9:00am: WWII historical tour and walking tour of Jewish Ghetto

4:00pm: Travel to Pisek. Dinner. Evening practice.

Spend night in Pisek (http://www.ihcpisek.cz/)

DECEMBER 21
9:00am – 2:00pm: HC Pisek, hockey game with local team. After games spend afternoon with local players. Banquet with local players.

Spend the night in Ceske Budejovic

DECEMBER 22 - Budapest
9:00am: Meet in the lobby

1:00pm – 3:00pm: Vienna with tour and lunch

6:00pm: Check in and shower

7:00pm: Meet in the lobby to walk to dinner at Venhajo Boat

DECEMBER 23
8:00am: Meet in the lobby

9:30am – 10:30am: Visit Parliament

11:00am – 7:00pm: Hockey game w/ local exchange and banquet

DECEMBER 24
10:00am: Meet in the lobby. Visegrad Tour

Lunch- TBD

Afternoon at the Baths

8:00pm: Dinner at hotel and Christmas program

DECEMBER 25
8:30am: Meet in the lobby

9:00am: Budapest Tour, Matthias Church

10:30am – 2:00pm: Nutcracker at National Opera house

6:00pm: Dinner at Borkatakomba Cave

DECEMBER 26
All day drive Budapest to Prague. Night in Prague.

Lunch- restaurant Vytopna, http://www.vytopna.cz/

Dinner-OLD TOWN SQUARE

Spend night at Clarion old town.

DECEMBER 27 - Russia
11:30am – 3:55pm:Flight from Prague to St. Petersburg

Transfer to Park Inn Pulkovskaya

6:00pm: Transfer to the restaurant around Nevsky Prospekt

7:00pm: Dinner at the restaurant “Chaikovsky”

9:00pm: Transfer to Hotel

DECEMBER 28
8:30am: Transfer to Kolpino

10:00am – 1:00pm: Hockey Games

2:00pm – 5:30pm: Free time with players

6:00pm: Back to the hotel

7:00pm: Banquet with local players at the hotel

DECEMBER 29
9:00am: Departure from the hotel

10:00am: Visit Peter and Paul Fortress

11:30am: Tour the Church of Our Savior on Blood

12:30pm: Lunch at local restaurant – “Saint-Petersburg”

2:00pm: Depart restaurant for Catherine’s palace in Pushkin

3:00pm: Tour Catherine’s Palace in Pushkin

6:00pm: Back to the hotel

7:00pm: Dinner at the hotel

DECEMBER 30
9:00am: Departure from the hotel

10:00am: Tour of the Hermitage

1:30pm: Lunch at the hotel

2:30pm: Depart for the city tour

4:30pm: Free time on the Nevsky Prospect with guides and buses

7:00pm: Back to the hotel

7:30pm: Dinner at the hotel

DECEMBER 31 - Sweden
6:00am: Departure from the hotel

9:00am – 8:40am: Flight from St. Petersburg to Stockholm

Lunch at the ice rink

2:00pm – 8:00pm: Games with Lidingö hockey club. Spend afternoon with local players.

8:00pm – 12:00am: New Year’s Dinner, GONG SHOW and Fireworks at the Hotel

JANUARY 1
10:00am: Travel to Skansen

11:00am – 1:30pm: Boat from Skansen to Gamla Stan “old town”

2:00pm: Lunch at Restaurant Michelangelo

3:00pm – 5:00pm: Free time in old town

PM: Dinner banquet with local players at bowling ally

JANUARY 2
4:00AM – Depart for Flight home. Check out and load night before

GROUP 1: Arrive in Denver at 3:16pm
GROUP 2: Arrive in Denver 8:22pm

Check out the HOTELS!

1. http://www.clarionhotel.com/hotel-prague-czech_republic-CS004

2. http://www.hotelbilaruze.cz/

3. http://www.abaka.com/Czech/Gomel/

4. http://www.danubiushotels.com/en/our_hotels/hungary/budapest/danubius_hotel_gellert

5. http://www.rezidorparkinn.com/cs/Satellite?c=Page&language=en&pagename=ParkInn%2Fintegration%2FhotelInfo&hotelCode=LEDPD

6. http://www.scandichotels.com/Hotels/Countries/Sweden/Stockholm/Hotels/Scandic-Foresta/

Room Assignments

1 Brian Beaudin
Denis Beaudin
Pamela Beaudin

2 Steve Para
Richard Vossler
Nick Vossler

3 Amelia Black
Samuel Dudick

4 Leslie Davis
Christopher Davis

5 Eric Eves
Greg Eves
Jeff Eves

6 Louise Funk
Garrett Funk

7 Brian Houlihan
Daniel Westerberg
Mike Jones

8 David Hymes
Benjamin Hymes

9 Debra Jordan
Otto Jordan

10 Merv Lapin

11 Alan Lewis
Aaron Lewis

12 Miguel Rodriguez
Eric Lickteig
Philip Contos

13 Jan Lowrey
Jonathan Gutierrez

14 Melanie Lowrey
George Lowrey

15 Susan Magrino
Garret Magrino

16 David Peel
Matthew Granzow

17 Kimberly Peel
Carter Peel

18 Stephanie Ratkowski
Brian Ratkowski

19 Bergen Tjossem
Jack Sunderland
John Paul Sunderland

20 Holly Roof
Ben Roof

21 Bjorn Bredenson
Brendan Dalbow

22 Curtis Hart
Joshua Wolf

23 Carri Tedstrom
Connor Tedstrom

24 Aaron Borne
Tom Marcin

PACKING CHECKLIST

TEAM VAIL - to - Eastern Europe
PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING AS A CHECK-OFF LIST FOR CLOTHES:

HOTELS CAN WASH OUR CLOTHES BUT THE COST IS EXPENSIVE.
ON THE PLANE WEAR JEANS/PANTS, SWEATSHIRT, TEAM PARKA. (GET IT…AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!)
CARRY ON THE PLANE: BOOKS, MUSIC, MAGAZINES - NO LUGGAGE

PLAYERS--TAKE NO MORE THAN 1 LARGE HOCKEY BAG ONLY FOR EQUIPMENT AND 1 SUITCASE. 44 POUNDS EACH.

ADULTS ARE ALLOWED ONLY 1 CHECKED BAG AS WE HAVE NO ROOM ON THE BUSES. YOU ARE ALLOWED A TOTAL OF 44 POUNDS OF LUGGAGE. WEIGH YOUR LUGGAGE BEFORE GOING TO THE AIRPORT.

GOALIES ARE ALLOWED EXTRA EQUIPMENT BAG WITH ONLY GOALIE EQUIPMENT. OVERWEIGHT COSTS ABOUT $2 PER POUND AT EVERY AIRPORT. YOU WILL BE WEIGHED IN DENVER. TALK TO ERIC ABOUT SPECIFICS.

-BRING ITEMS FOR GIFTS FOR THE FAMILIES YOU WILL BE VISITING. SUGGESTIONS ARE: CD'S, FRAGRANT SOAPS, BOOK ON COLORADO OR ABOUT VAIL.

TOOTHBRUSH-TOOTHPASTE-SOAP-SHAMPOO-SHAVING GEAR-COMB-SMALL
HAND TOWEL-PUT SHOWER TOWEL IN HOCKEY BAG.
4 PAIR UNDERWEAR, UNDERSHIRTS, SOCKS. WASH THEM IN THE HOTEL ROOM.
1 BROWN BELT
1 DRESS TEAM SHIRT - LONG SLEEVE (WILL BE GIVEN OUT)
1 PAIR CARHART PANTS
2 WARM LONG SLEEVED SHIRTS - WASHABLE
1 TEAM SWEATSHIRT (WILL BE GIVEN OUT)
2 PAIR OF PANTS/JEANS
1 HEAVY PARKA (WILL BE GIVEN OUT)
GLOVES (WILL BE GIVEN OUT)
1 HEAVY SWEATER
1 PAIR LOW CUT OUTDOOR WATERPROOF BOOTS/SORELS, COLUMBIA
1 PAIR LOAFERS OR CASUAL DRESS SHOES FOR USE IN HOTEL.
1 HAT AND 1 TIE (WILL BE GIVEN OUT)
1 PAIR LONG UNDERWEAR- EXPEDITION WEIGHT ARE GREAT
1 SWIMSUIT
HOCKEY GEAR (YOU ARE DEAD IF ANYONE FORGETS)
MOUTHGUARD
DIGITAL CAMERA OR CAMERA WITH 10 TO 15 ROLLS OF FILM

DO NOT BRING ANY LIQUIDS OR TOILETRIES ON THE PLANE. THEY WILL BE CONFISCATED AT SECURITY.

YOU ARE EACH RESPONSIBLE FOR 4 CDS OF YOUR CHOICE. AT EACH GAME YOU WILL GIVE ONE (1)CD TO THE OPPOSING TEAMS PLAYERS.

I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU BRING AT LEAST $300 IN CASH FOR GIFTS TO BRING BACK (TRAVELLERS' CHECKS OK.) IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT CARRYING TOO MUCH CASH, PLEASE GIVE TO YOUR CHAPERONE.

I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST A COUPLE OF OVER THE COUNTER SLEEPING PILLS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU GO TO SLEEP AT 6 PM ON THE TWO DAYS PRECEDING THE FLIGHT IN ORDER TO ACCLIMATE YOURSELF TO THE 15 HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE.