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.
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