Cypress-Fairbanks Water Polo Club travels to Hungary

Hungary 2007!

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drawn by Caroline Chojnacki

Water polo in Eger

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The TURBO shop

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A lot of the kids spent money in Eger on McDonald's, ice cream, and swim suits! This is the TURBO shop which saw a lot of business from our team.

Girls in the hot tub!

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The girls watching the boys' game from the thermal bath beside the pool. It was raining and chilly outside.

The pool in Eger

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The outdoor water polo pool is drained on Sundays. Then chlorine is sprinkled on the rock bottom and brushed. It is refilled with natural spring water. This is a picture of the pool empty, a rock from the bottom in Whitney's hand, and filled with water!

Meals at the Hotel Aqua

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Everyone loves Eger! The town is quaint and easy to get around. The athletes are enjoying buying souvenirs, snacks, and people watching. Monday and Tuesday we had scrimmages in the morning and the afternoon. Monday was very hot and sunny, while Tuesday was chilly and raining. Rine or shine, we played!! A lot of the kids have exchanged tshirts and swimsuits with the Hungarian athletes, which has been fun to watch. This tshirt is one of the Hungarian shirts someone got on a trade.

Walking around the cobblestone streets

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Sunday

We left Budapest on the bus at 11:00. The views were beautiful through the countryside. Fields of sunflowers, corn, vineyards, and a solo deer running through the field. We arrived in Eger about 1:00. We checked into our hotel, which is beautiful, new, and on the top of the hill overlooking the city. We had lunch around 2:00 and then walked around. The town is quaint with lots of little shops and cafes. There was a wine festival in the center which we all enjoyed walking around listening to the music, people watching, and smelling and tasting the various foods.

Hotel Citadella

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Sunday, 11 a.m. on the road to Eger

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Sunday, 8 a.m. Budapest BVSC pool one last time!

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A billboard that we've seen several times on the road

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Coach Sharar left our CFWPC pin on the bus drapery along with many others!

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These kids are so creative and so much fun!!!

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St. Stephen's Basilica

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More photos at the palace

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Coach Bean, Coach Sarah, and Coach Sharar

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Photos at the Royal Palace

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Hungarian flag

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The hole in the middle of the flag symbolizes Hungarian indepence.

Sightseeing in Budapest!

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Saturday, 9 p.m.

After a fabulous Friday night on the River Danube, we all woke up early this morning (7:00 a.m.) for breakfast. We jumped on the bus about 8:00 a.m. with Mickey at the helm. After passing by Parliament, the first stop was the Royal Palace. We then stopped by St. Stephen's Basilica, driving by other famous Hungarian landmarks along the way. We arrived back at our hotels for lunch and naps (for some). Practice was from from 4:00-6:30 p.m. for both the boys and girls. Tonight some of the athletes went into the city with the adults, while others stayed back for a little R&R.

River cruise on the Danube

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Coach Sharar and Lori

Friday, midnight

Today, the athletes had a morning practice, followed by lunch, and then a scrimmage with the Hungarians. Everyone is learning a lot ... from our coaches, Mickey, and the Hungarians! We all came back to our hotels for an early dinner and shower and then jumped on buses. We had a late dinner cruise on the River Danube. It was awesome!!!

The Romantik Hotel

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The Szonyi Hotel

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The BVSC Center or otherwise known as THE POOL!!!!

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Gathering the squad to walk to morning practice

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Breakfast at the Szonyi

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In the pool!

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The girls watching the CF boys play.

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More breakfast!

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Breakfast at the Romantik

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Everyone had a good night's sleep last night! After a big breakfast (Ken Gould came and joined us), the boys and girls had a morning workout followed by lunch. This afternoon they each scrimmaged the Hungarians again. While the score was still very lopsided, today's play looked much better than yesterday! This is a very, very physical game over here!!! They play in a larger pool (25m for girls and 30m for boys) and for a longer period of time. Our kids are getting lots of coaching from Sharar, Bean, and Mickey "Hungarian coach/tour director". They are also watching and learning a lot from the Hungarian players!!! After dinner tonight, they all went back to the pool to watch the Hungarians play Brazil. They saw some of the game last night and knew they definitely wanted to return tonight for the whole thing!!! I'm sure they will have lots of stories to tell when they return. (I am working on the computer, which is a bit tricky in this country, not to mention the internet connection is poor!) Our meals are very well-rounded. Some of the kids are doing a very good job of trying new things! You would all be proud of your kids. They are doing great!!!

Breakfast at the Szonyi

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A view of parliament across the Danube

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Wednesday, 10 p.m.

This morning the kids had a practice, followed by lunch, and for some naps. It was warm and cloudy most of the day. This afternoon they played against the Hungarians. They were very, very good! Luckily there wasn't a scoreboard for either game. Late this afternoon a light rain fell, and the temperature dropped. I'm sure everyone will sleep good tonight!

Karen Sharpe and I have taken lots of pictures. We will put then on a CD for everyone when we return. More tomorrow!

Dinner at the Romantik Hotel tonight

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At the airport before the flight ... 34 athletes!

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Arrived at the pool!

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At the pool and waiting to jump in!

Budapest from the airplane

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Here is a photo of Budapest from the plane.

Bus from airport to hotel

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This is the kids on the bus from the airport to the hotel.

First day

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Tuesday night 9 p.m. Hungary time

We have had a great trip so far. The KLM flight to Amsterdam was super, though most people had a difficult time sleeping. We had several hours in Amsterdam and then changed planes to Budapest on Malev. Most everyone was very sleepy and got at least an hour or two on this flight! We were met by a bus which took us to our hotels. I'm not sure how long it took, maybe an hour, as almost everyone slept on the bus to the hotels! We are in 2 different hotels. Karen Sharpe has taken a lot of pictures, but she is in a different hotel than I am, so the photo posting will probably come later!!!

We got to the hotels, had lunch, and within a half hour or so were at the pool. The kids had a 2 1/2 hour practice, and we got to see some pretty outstanding water polo play. That followed with a dinner at the hotel. Tonight lights will be out early. Everyone is very tired, though it was a great day, and we have a full day ahead tomorrow.

Internet access is a bit "spotty" for me, and the photographer and I will need to find a time to download ... so be patient with us. Everyone is well!!!!