Hockey Season is Over

Yesterday was the end of the tournament.  I can't believe how quickly it went!  We all got up late after losing an hour of sleep and had breakfast.  After breakfast, everyone headed to their rooms to start to pack.  Repacking is always tough, I forget what order I put things in my suitcase!  I did try to keep a small section at the top with my clothes for the Zurich portion of the trip so I don't have to unpack everything once I get there.  After packing, we all headed to the rink for the games.  The bronze medal game was really good.  Unfortunately, the gold medal game was not as good.  While I can't really talk specifics, lets just say I owe my Canadian friends a beer after that one.  One awkward moment - we were sitting in the stands near the Russian team.  All of a sudden, they started chanting USA USA.  Given the current political climate, it was very strange.  I guess you could say that sports help bridge political gaps.

Following the game, we all headed back to the hotel for dinner and a wrap up meeting.  The tournament director came in to thank us and presented us with our medals.  Of course it was gold - the refs always win. :-)  After some thank you speeches from both the supervisors and us, it was time to celebrate a job well done.  A few of the girls had gone to a local market to pick up some beers and wine for us.  Apparently they don't sell beer by the case here in Hungry so we had to carry about 40 individual bottles from Maria's car inside.  It was funny, typically everything is smaller in Europe - the food portions, hotel rooms, etc.  Well, everything but beer.  These were not quite as big as a 40's we used to drink in college but pretty darn close.  Let's just say it was a late night with a lot of laughs.  It was a great way to wrap up the tournament.

Many people had early morning departures today.  My flight to Zurich isn't until 2:45 so I was able to sleep in and take my time getting ready.  I'm about to head down to lunch before my ride takes me to the airport.  I'm off to Zurich for a few days to visit my friend Anna.  These tournaments are a lot of fun but I definitely consider it a business trip so it will be nice to go on a mini vacation before heading home.  Goodbye from Hungry!  Next time I blog I'll be in Zurich!