The plane touched down this afternoon and surprisingly, it turned out, all of our luggage was on board as well!! What a great way to start a World Championship event...all of the lifters and their luggage right where they were supposed to be.
We went through the typical currency exchange with very minimal disruption and everyone made it through the customs check with absolutely no issues. This trip so far has been beyond expectation...anytime you try to herd 21 teenagers through a new environment where no one understands the language or the signage, you always expect some hiccups. Today there were none. Very surprising when you consider only 3 of the young lifters have experience going through this process.
Caught our bus and had a very nice 50 minute drive to our hotel in Pilsen which surprisingly look very similar to the website photos we have been reviewing for the past couple of months. The hotels never actually end up being what is posted online, they always have a few things that are just a little, well let's just say not as they appear or are described. Not this year! Very nice accomodations and the restaurant food is excellent.
The 70 kilometer drive reminded me very much of my drive this year from Madison, WI to the Wisconsin Dells for High School Nationals. A lot of rolling pine filled hills bordered by hay fields scattered with rolled bales of hay. Every so often a small valley half filled with a small but what seems to be a thriving little community.
A lot of road construction in the town of Pilsen which might create a little challenge when we try to venture out later in the week and of course the route the driver took seemed to meander around the town like a lazy small river through the flat land. Hopefully the kids will be able to experience the city during the week and we have tried to arrange for a trip back into Prague for an afternoon just to let the kids get a site seeing tour of the city. A tremendous amount of history here!
Day one in the books...the coaches are dragging a little and the lifters are all still pretty wired about being somewhere other than home. Quote of the day, "I can't believe we are already really here."
Tomorrow we will get a liitle more acclimated to the area and try to get some nice pics of the area outside of the motel...
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