McNab Grand National Team Blog

Please take a look at my blog covering the Summer national and the event I'm competing in, the McNab Grand National Teams. You can find all the info over at:

http://www.playingthespotsoff.blogspot.com/

Top 10 Reasons We Are Glad to Be Back in the USA

10. Toilet paper in public bathrooms.
9. Cars. Close parking. Less walking. Please, please, no more walking!
8. Elevators. Elevators that hold more than one person.
7. A language we can understand, even in Atlanta, kinda.
6. Air conditioning. AIR CONDITIONING.
5. Being someplace where the dollar can buy something.
4. Our own washer and drier.
3. Our Cell Phones will work!
2. Widespread use of deodorant.
1. Soda-pop, free refills, free water, ice ice baby. The USA is the super power of
beverages. Big Gulp. Supersize. Biggie size. Grande.

Homeword Bound

The trip to the airport was uneventful. We arrived early and were disappointed to find that Delta doesn’t have any outlets in their passenger waiting are, so we decided to save the movie for the plane. Once we boarded, we waited an hour and a half because of a computer problem the terminal was having that prevented them from distributing luggage correctly and from load balancing it. The wait was not fun, but I figured the rest of the trip should be smooth. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

We arrived in Atlanta, or over Atlanta I should say, when the Pilot came on the speaker and announced they were having problems controlling the wing flaps and that they had contacted maintenance on the ground. They were unable to solve the issue just yet, so he asked us to sit tight while they worked on it. Now, I am a bit afraid of flying anyway. It doesn’t keep me from flying, and I never worry about it, but I do pray every time I step on a plane. I always think of death when I step on a plane. The captains announcement had us all a bit worried, but I thought I was handling it well. After circling for an hour and a half, the captain informed us the co-pilot was coming back into the cabin to do a visual inspection of the flaps. Now I was really worried.

I kept remembering that plane that landed in LA with no landing gear, the one in Canada where they overshot the runway, the one that crashed into the Potomac. All the while we circled and circled and circled. Amber was getting nauseous (whether from the circling or her prawns the night before, she couldn’t decide) and I was wondering what was really going on. I checked how many miles we’d flown verses how far the in-flight magazine said we had for a fuel reserve and it was getting close, well, within a thousand miles. The pilot next came on and told us they thought things were ok, and the flap gauge was all that was broken. He told us we were going to land. We did and all was fine. I figured the rest of the trip should be smooth.

We were originally scheduled to have a 4 hour layover in Atlanta, but because of all the delays we had about an hour to get through customs, get some dinner, change concourses, and find our gate. We were fast and efficient and ready to board with some time to spare. Once we boarded the aircraft we taxied out to the runway and waited. After about 45 minutes we were told there was an electrical problem. After another 30 minutes they sent us all back to the terminal and said they were bringing a new plane. Craziness. We finally got to Omaha about 11 P.M., 2 hours late and 25 hours after our return trip began in Rome.

Leaving Europe is bitter sweet. When we return to Omaha it will only be for one night. Amber will be heading to spend a week with her family and I am off to Chicago to compete in the Grand National Teams portion of the National Bridge Tournament. I am excited to go back to the US, and to try to win a national event, but I am sad to leave Amber for a week. I am also coming to realize I will be leaving Omaha for Sioux Falls only 1 day after the National is over. When I returned to Omaha from BYU, I thought it would be my town forever more. Sure, I might do a short sojourn or vacation elsewhere but Omaha would be my city. Maybe she still will be. My family is here. Many friends are here. I have history here. The realization, however, is that I am Sioux Falls bound for at least three years. Exciting new opportunities perhaps, but today it makes this homecoming bittersweet.

Our Last Super in Rome

Rome Day 4

Today we saw a few more things. We were all supposed to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine chapel, but the line was over 5 hours long! Brodie and I elected to go and see some ruins we hadn't seen yet and Amber paid for an expensive private tour that let her skip the line. She loved it and I was glad she went but my feet enjoyed the lesiurely day instead. Amber couldn't take any pictures of the chapel ceiling because the Japanese bought the rights. I borrowed these from the web.

Brodie and I had some great pizza by the slice. You point out the kind you want and how big a slice you'd like and then you pay based on the weight of the pizza. We tried ham and cheese, peppers, and some kind we couldn't identify. The pizza was fabulous.

We planned on meeting Amber at the Spanish steps at 3, 5, 7, or 9 depending on how long it took her. We weren't sure she'd be able to skip the line. Nevertheless she made the first rendezvous at 3. We wondered a bit and Amber and I decided to try a sicilian restaurant her guidebook recomended and Brodie wanted to go see the Italian Soccer team get some metals by the Italian president. All indications were that there would be a million people attending the party. Our shuttle bus driver in the morning was still humming the team song to himself, and we over heard him muttering under his breath, "Champions de le mondo." Champions of the world!

The Sicilian food was great. We had 3 courses and were too stufed for dessert. This was our last night in Rome. Tomorrow we are on our way home. I think we are ready. Its been a long fun, interesting, exausting, delightfull, sometimes frustrating, trip. Amber and I have decided we'd like to come back to Europe in, perhaps, 4 years for the next world cup.

Gladiators and the 2006 Champions of the World

Rome Day 3: Part 2 – the World Cup

Many of you may have noticed that when we were in France the French soccer team won as a huge underdog against Brazil to earn a spot in the semi-finals against Portugal, whom they beat. Then when we were in Venice, the Italian team beat Germany and set the stage for a final between France and Italy for the 2006 World Cup Championship. While we were in Rome they played the game in Germany. Italian soccer fans are insane. EVERYTHING closed for the game. Not one restaurant was open outside of our hotel. Fans had been honking horns and waiving flags all around town during the day. When we had taken a taxi earlier in the day, the driver didn’t speak much English, so I asked him if he spoke French. He responded with a chuckle and said, “Definitely not today.” The Cup was on everyone’s mind.

The game was a nail biter, but Italy won in a shoot out after the score was tied following overtime at 1 to 1. The whole area we were in went crazy. We could hear horns, fireworks, gun shots, people shouting, and more. The Circus Maximus site in Rome had over 500, 000 people. Brodie took a walk and snagged some photos of the revelry. Way to go Big Red, white, and green.

Wasn't Built in a Day

Rome: Day 3

Today we woke up and headed to the Coliseum to buy entry tickets. We had heard the line can be really long so we wanted to purchase tickets, go to church, and come back and see the Coliseum. We only waited 45 minutes or so, and then we caught an underground metro to the termini station where we took a taxi to church. The church was a bit tricky to find but it was great meeting some of the members and missionaries. After seeing so many catholic churches here, it felt nice (like coming home) to go to an LDS ward. It had a family atmosphere and we could understand everything as the missionaries translated into radio headsets. We made our way back to the Coliseum by taking a bus, the metro, and, of course, our feet.

As an aside, I’d just like to mention how much we have walked on this vacation. It has been a lot. You know its been a lot when even Amber and Brodie are tired of walking. I wish we had brought along a pedometer when we came. I made sure I came with good shoes but I still have blisters on both feet.

The Coliseum is truly incredible. There is a saying that goes, “As long as the Coliseum stands, so does Rome.” This sentiment really expresses a lot about the coliseum. Its huge. Its old. It has a presence that can be felt. Its amazing to think its been there for nearly 2000 years and could hold 50,000 people! The ruins in Rome are the best. Amber may like the churches and the art, but I love looking at the old stuff. It puts things in perspective. It was here long before me, and will be here long after my body has turned to dust. You don’t have to hurry to Rome to see it, but I’d suggest you go someday.

Roming Rome

Rome Day 2

We began at the Pantheon. This large dome was originally a temple to some Roman Gods. It has since been converted to a catholic church. The Pantheon’s dome was the largest dome in the world until the 1960s: it is as wide as it is tall. Next we trekked over to the Vatican. The line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica was daunting, but didn’t take too long. Once inside, we were awed by the grandeur. I liked seeing Michelangelo’s Pieta statue and Bernini’s decorative work. The line to the Vatican Museum was in the three hour range, so we opted for Rome Chinese food instead. The food was good, but it does not beat Grand Fortune in Omaha.

Because there are so many sites to see in Rome, we decided to do a Metro-guided tour. We got off at each stop and saw the sites. These included many fountains, a church with the bones of thousands of monks arranged in an artistic manner, the Spanish stairs which is a very popular meeting site in a great shopping district, and stairs supposedly the original ones from the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. People are allowed to go up these stairs, but only on their knees.

Rome is full of interesting places to visit. There are museums, churches, libraries, plazas, ruins, ancient buildings, and fountains. This doesn’t even begin to list the other things to watch: the crazy people, the beggars, the scam artists, the tourists from all over the world, and, especially today, the soccer fans. We have only been here one day, but it is obvious to us that we won’t see it all. Nevertheless, we have drunk of the essence of Rome and found her fountains cool and sweet.

On the Mediterranean Sea

Rome Day 1: A half day

We then took the train to Rome. It was a challenge finding our hotel. We had to go through the train station, take another train to the airport, and then find our hotel shuttle. For some reason we still can’t understand, the taxis would not take us to our hotel – maybe it was because of Brodie’s goatee. The journey might have been worth it. Our Rome hotel is nice. There is a pool, the rooms and bathrooms are large, and the air conditioning works well. The €36 price to ride the hotel shuttle into Rome proper is a bit steep, though.

We finished the day by walking toward the ocean. We thought we could get close enough based on a map we had looked at on the internet. Sure enough, we were able to see the Mediterranean sea, watch some fisherman, take some fine photographs, and snag a great dinner at a little sea side restaurant. Even a little thunderstorm squall couldn’t dampen our mood, and the day ended well for all.

Treasure New and Old

Florence Day 3: A half day

We had a change of plans today. Instead of going to Pisa, we stayed in Florence for the morning and went to the National Museum and the Bridge of Gold. The National Museum has a lot of sculptures with pieces from Michelangelo to Raphael. We liked looking at the original bronze door designs which were entered into a contest in the late 1300’s for the baptistery. The Bridge of Gold is an actual bridge which is lined on both sides with jewelry stores. Per our guide book, leather makers used to line that bridge, but the smell was so bad, that the local leaders moved them to another area of town replacing them with silver and goldsmiths.

Museum Mania: Are we done yet?

Florence 2

The day started with a long line at the Accademia. Jonathan was good enough to be the line-holder while Brodie and I went to a nearby museum which was a former cloister. All of the rooms were painted with religious scenes by Frior Angelico. Once we rejoined Jonathan, (and interrupted his discussion with some Belgians) the line went quickly and soon we were standing at the feet of the statue of David. The replications do not do it justice. Then we had a tour of one of the Medici’s Palaces that contained a collection of statues and a storybook like depiction of the Adoration of the Magi. The colorful painting was in a very stuffy chapel with its own guard. We were glad our sacrament meetings don’t get that stuffy.

The Uffizi museum was the next stop. It holds a significant and priceless collection, but the building is all stairs and no air conditioning. I was so excited to see Botticelli’s work up close that I did not mind. His ethereal scenes have been a favorite of mine since I first studied his work in high school. We ended the day by seeing the cathedral where Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and others are buried.

On Top of the World (or just Florence)

Florence: Day 1

We left Venice for Florence on a Eurastar fast train. Once we arrived in Florence, we managed to find our hotel after a few wrong turns down narrow streets. We ate lunch at an outside café near the Uffizi Museum. This same square has been here since the time of Michelangelo. For the first time in Europe we had a good size American style cola with ice. When we saw the bill, we were surprised to see each was €8 – about $10. Jonathan thought it was worth it.

We then went and saw the Duomo – a huge dome build in the 1400’s. We got in line to see the inside of the church, but found out it was actually the line to walk to the top of the dome. 497 steps later we found ourselves at the top level of the inside of the dome. Brodie wanted to continue on outside, but Amber and Jonathan headed 497 steps down. Brodie got some great pictures from the top.

We finished the day by eating at a nice restaurant that was recommended in the guide book. It was enjoyable and took us across the river. Jonathan tried a local hot been dish with spinach. We took some nice night shots of Florence on the way back.

Italy 2, Germany 0 (Brodie 1, Pigeons 0)

We began today at the major tourist site in Venice – Piazza San Marco. While we were waiting in line to see the Basilica di San Marco, Brodie entertained us by catching pigeons. The Basilica was amazing – we were impressed by the Byzantine mosaics as well as by the history – legend has it that the body of St. Mark was smuggled from Alexandria to Venice in a barrel of pickled pork in the 800’s and now is here in this basilica.

The Palazza Ducale was right next to the Basilica and it was our next stop. We toured this palace which was home to the rulers of Venice and was the major government building – combining ornate senate halls with an armory and a dungeon. Next we took pictures in front of the church where Vivaldi was chorus master. Here he composed and played The Four Seasons and other masterpieces. We rounded out the afternoon by seeing the Byzantine and early Renaissance work at the Accademia and toured two more churches with awe-inspiring paintings and architecture. Near two of the churches is a gelato (ice cream but a little thicker) stand which we visited twice and wanted to visit a third time.

After an Italian dinner with two courses, we watched Italy and Germany in the semi-finale World Cup game. This was televised in a big square – we watched it with about 200 other people on five screens. The Italian victory, which was achieved in the last few minutes of double over-time, was jubilantly celebrated, but was not as outrageous as the French victory celebration we witnessed earlier in the week. If the French win tomorrow in their semi-final match, we hope to see Italy versus France in the championship while we are in Rome.

River City Roundup

Venice Day 1

We reached Venice about 9:30 A.M. We had all been served a roll and orange juice and had an opportunity to hand wash a bit in our couchettes sink. Needless to say, we didn’t feel very fresh and our official hotel check in time wasn’t until 2 P.M. The hotel was right across the Grand Canal from the train station, so we only had to get the luggage over one large bridge. We reached the hotel and the staff was great. When I asked if we could leave our bags until check in, they said of course and then asked us our names. Shockingly, they then said our room was ready and we were welcome to check in early! Unheard of service. We all took showers and were ready to see the city. The hotel staff recommended a boat ride from near the hotel that would take us all the way down the Grand Canal to the Basilica and the famous square.

The ride was nice and the water bus was surprisingly reasonable in price. We ate lunch at a little place near the tower. The calamari was great. We took a few photos, saw the square, the Rialto Bridge, and explored Venice. We saw an area here in Venice called the Ghetto where many Jewish people lived, and thus the area originated the word Ghetto. After walking there for awhile and seeing a few churches, we looked for a restaurant recommended by our guide book. It was on the Adriatic Sea and the wind was nice and cool. We had a great meal with cheeses, pasta, antipasti, and pizza. Oh, and some Coca-Cola too! Vino Americano.

Amber and I walked a bit along the canal in the late evening and watched the crowd. Venice is an amazing town. I used to think Paris was the most romantic city in the world, but Venice with its winding canals may surpass it.

Gold, Brass, and Iron

Paris Day 4

We woke up today a bit tired. Brodie got home from le disco about 4 A.M. He had a little trouble because the metro was closed and none of the taxis would pick him up. With the aid if some helpful Parisiennes he meandered the bus lines until he was close enough to walk back to the hotel in St. Michel. Along the way he encountered many French soccer fans still celebrating their surprise victory over Brazil, sorry Jeff. It appeared that clothes were optional for those celebrating in the fountains of St. Michel. I downloaded all of Brodie’s photos and have added them to our own, on their respective days. If you search diligently, you may find his fountain photos.

We rode out to the Chateau de Versailles and explored the country palace of the French kings. It was a stunning example of their largesse and we enjoyed gazing at the splendor. Amber was ready to join the revolution thinking of how much of the French people’s wealth it must have taken to build.

On our way back to Paris, Brodie got off at the Eiffel Tower stop. He was able to take the elevators all the way to the top and got some great pictures and a video on the way down. Amber and I went on to the Rodin museum. The statues were placed in a large garden and in an old hotel-turned museum. Many of his statues appeared to grow out from the rocks he carved.

We hurried back to the hotel to pick up our luggage, meet Brodie, and grab a taxi to the Bercy train station. We had pre-reserved a couchette, which is a space big enough to seat three that converts to three bunk beds. We watched a DVD on my laptop and the porter came about 10:30 to “turn the beds down.” The bunk beds worked fine and we slept most of the 13 hours it took the train to get from Paris to Venice.

Impressionism, Monuments, and Couscous

Paris Day 3
Today began at the Musee D’Orsay. It is an old, elaborate train station which was converted to a museum dedicated to Impressionism. We saw paintings from Monet to Seurat. Some favorites were Monet and Van Gogh. The view from the top of the museum gave a great overview of North Paris.
For lunch Brodie and I ordered pizza at a local restaurant and took it back to Jonathan at the hotel. He slept late after his night adventure. We are getting pretty good at ordering in French.

Eiffel Tower
After the Musee D’Orsay, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. The line to go to the top was a three hour wait, so we took our pictures at the base and decided to walk around the area. We went through a tree lined park which led from the Eiffel Tower to the National Military Academy (Napolean trained here). Then we went past the Hotel d’ Invalides – originally built by Louis XIV as a home for wounded and old war veterans – the first VA! We took pictures around the empty moat which surrounds it and wandered through the gardens.

Red Light District
We next took the Metro to the Monmarte district – the infamous Moulon Rouge is first sight one sees when emerging from the Metro. We checked out the discotech – La Locamotive – which is right next door to Moulon Rouge. Brodie is going to scope out the disco tonight.
For dinner we found a great Moroccan restaurant. The couscous was suppose to be the best in Paris and we agree.

Phantom of the Opera
Our next adventure was looking at the Old Opera House. We took the Metro to it and were impressed. After getting some water and donuts at a Starbucks nearby which looks like it is a refurbished hotel lobby, we headed back to the room.

World Cup
Our hotel is near a popular hang-out area and the noise from the streets drifted up to our room. Large crowds gathered at the cafes to watch the world cup game of France and some other team. We didn’t need to watch the game – we could hear what was going on by the sound of the crowd. France won and we are still hearing the victory celebration three hours after the game.

An Interesting Evening

After going to the Musee de Picasso we found the Bridge club where I was to play with a partner of mine from Bridge Base Online. There was a nearby store where Amber, Brodey, and I got a quick dinner of quiche and soda-pop. Amber and Brodey went to see X-Men and I stayed to play bridge.

WARNING: ESOTERIC BRIDGE INFO

The game was a once a week IMP pairs game. The sign up process was a bit different than in Omaha, but that changes a bit wherever one goes. The biggest difference was THE CARDS. I just didn’t think about the fact that they would use different letters, symbols, etc. The first 10 boards I was in a daze. R for king, 1 for A, D for Queen, V for Jack may not seem tuff, but I kept getting the V and the K confused. Part of this is because the French bridge table is larger than the ones we use at the Omaha clubs, and part is because my vision is blurrier than I realized. (Note to self: See Dr. Ramsel) I was a little amazed that most everyone at the table could understand the alerts whether I gave them in French or English: clearly they are skilled at both English and very poor French.

The standard of play was somewhat weaker than a Bridge Studio Thursday but probably close to a Saturday or slow Tuesday at the Center Mall. The French convention card is larger than the ACBL’s and uses normal 8.5 x 11 inch paper (or the European Equivalent) and contains similar sections but with more white space for specific methods and less check boxes. Hardly anyone came to the table with a filled out card because they all played French standard. It is similar to Standard American but Micheals is a bit different and both 2§ and 2¨ are strong bids. My partner informed me that I needed to alert game forcing 2/1 bids and 1NT forcing.

The playing sight was awesome. It was near La Place de Victor Hugo and had a full service bar with a mixologist. One could order a beverage (Un Coca-Cola Light si vous plait!) and take it to the table. The ceilings were like 15 feet with French style crown moldings. There were huge windows that they had open during the game that provided a nice, slight, breeze. I sat at the table thinking, “I’m in Paris playing bridge, talking to French people, while I enjoy a nice breeze. Life doesn’t get better than this.” I wish I could end this story by telling you my partner and I won, but a misunderstanding that lead to a grand slam hurt us pretty bad. My partner and I were close to average ;-). Sigh.

NORMAL POST CONTINUES

The trip home was crazy. The game started at 8:30 P.M. and we didn’t get finished until almost 12:20 A.M. The play was slow, and the director didn’t push much. Where is Jim Nash when you need him? The last Metro train leaves every given station at 12:30 so I was hurrying to the station before they started closing. I made two transfers before I got stuck. I still wasn’t too worried as I was now within a 30 minute walk to the hotel and I planned to hail a cab if possible. Now things took a turn for the worse. The road I was on that was supposed to take me right by the Louvre either didn’t, or I didn’t recognize it in the dark. I realized the neighborhood was getting sparse of people, checked my bearings, and found I must not be where I thought I was. At this point it was 1:10 or so. I didn’t panic but I was worried Amber would be getting nervous back at the hotel. I finally found my bearings and was on a trick I knew well back to the hotel. It was 2:00 or so and I hoped Am wasn’t frantic. I got to the room about 2:45 A.M. An adventure to be sure!

Enough about yesterday. A post about today coming up. You can view todays pictures at Flickr.