Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Welcome to Racice, Czech Republic

I've finally arrived in Eastern Europe... where the internet is cutthroat! So I'll give a quick update. We arrived at about 2pm Czech time without a hitch. The last flight, from Munich to Prague, was a really small plane and we were worried the paddle cases might not make it on. But nobody even lost a bag! Apparently that's a first.

The hotel is just 1.5 kilometers from the finish line. The rooms have orange curtains, giant windows, and sloped ceilings. There is a giant maple tree that I can touch if I open my window wide and lean way out. It's so green here, just like the east coast! Racice seems like a pretty rural area. There's a train running through a meadow across the way, and the streets are just as bumpy, winding and narrow as you'd expect in Europe. For all these reasons, I like it here a lot. This afternoon there was such a strong tailwind down the course that it was white-capping! We set up the boats and did some light paddling or jogging.

Tomorrow, we'll do two paddle workouts, focusing on getting that on-the-water feeling back after traveling for so long. I am also putting special emphasis on staying healthy and rested, because I know that once you get sick over here, it's hard to shake it off. Today it was raining, windy, and probably 45-50 degrees. So staying warm and dry will be key.

I forgot my camera cord in my room, so I'll have to upload pictures tomorrow!

2 comments:

eric said...

Hello Emily,
I saw your comment while looking for info on train to Racice on i-net. Thought you were Emilie Fournel from team Canada.
I'm racing in Dragonboat worlds in Aug. I'll still ask the question. Did you have any trouble travelling from PRG airport to Racice?
Good luck on your racing and say hello to Emilie Fournel for me and I'll check my web sites closer next time.
Eric W

Emily said...

Hi Eric,
We didn't take the train from the airport, but I do know that the station is within walking distance (several kilometers) from the racecourse in Racice. It's about 40 minutes to get to the course from Prague.

Happy racing!! Several of the girls from Team USA will be racing at Dragonboat worlds as well.