After training, the coaches all had certificates for the boys with their evaluations. I haven't seen the Bayern boys' yet, but I'll get the low down of where they are at and what they need to improve on.
All the SDI coaches (Coach Neil, me, and Coach Felix) along with the Academy Coaches in the white and light blue, and our ITP guides, Juan in white and black, and Carlos (aka David Villa) in blue.
The Schoensee family, Nikki, Kevin, and Sam.
After training, we headed to the city of Segovia. I love visiting all these older cities. The first site we came to was the Aqueduct, which was pretty cool. The birds flying around were pretty creepy, though.
We visited the castle there, and went up the Tower of John. It was 152 steps in a very tiny spiral staircase. I'm not sure what's going on with Brandon's eyes, ha ha.
We spotted Coach Neil and his group below taking pictures.
The three stooges...
This is what the other side of the picture looks like, ha ha.
The view from the bottom. The girl taking the pic did a pretty bad job, but at least it's something.
The full castle.
We ate lunch at a Cafe, and wandered for a little bit. The only bad thing was that everything closes in the middle of the day, so we really couldn't buy anything after eating. I DID make Marshall buy himself a wallet though. He lost his debit card two days into the trip. These kids have so much to learn...
After visiting Segovia, we headed back to the hotel where we had a little bit of down time before dinner. Dinner was again... pasta with their gross "tomato sauce." It's like eating really bad cafeteria food.
The boys and I agreed that the event of the day would have to be when we were eating lunch in Segovia. We were out on a little patio on the edge of Plaza Mayor, where it's a big open square. Well, a lady held her kid up over by a nearby tree, holding both legs and her back against her so her daughter could pee in the middle of the square. We were all appalled. That is so gross. I think there's even a possibility of the girl going "number two." The mom wiped the girl's backside, then put her shorts back on her. The girl had to be at least 3. That's just something you'd never see back home. At least I hope not.
I spent time in the lobby with Coach Felix, Juan, Kevin, and another parent. It's so nice to network with people who bring a different perspective to the table. We're all talking about the possibility of making something work out and meeting up again at some tournaments in the U.S. I'd love for parents on my teams to meet other parents I've met. We can all learn so much from each other.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Madrid. I miss a lot back home, but I'm going to be sad to leave Spain. It's been fun to communicate as much as I can in Spanish. I definitely need to keep up with my Spanish when I get back home.
"I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap."
-Ani DiFranco
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