2011 Ice Challenge Blog #2

Hello again!

I know you’re probably all anxiously awaiting the verdict with the oatmeal, and unfortunately the oatmeal was a no show. =( However, fear not! Instead they had this European version of oatmeal called Muesli, which was actually really tasty. It was similar to oatmeal, but had raisins and a few extra grains in it. I was extremely pleased! No cranky Bella! I am definitely looking forward to it tomorrow — after my 6:50 a.m. practice that is. =(  

After breakfast we headed out to shop a little before our practice. We found some really neat shops and a few great boot places. I wasn’t able to find a pair of boots I liked yet, but was able to find a few souvenirs and a sweater. The week is still young, though! 😉

Once we finished shopping we were off to rink for practice! At this point we hadn’t been to the rink yet, and once we got there we realized that was a good thing.

Eishalle Graz Liebenau, the competition venue, was built in 1963 and is much darker than I am used to. I haven’t skated in the main rink yet, but the ice looks really great, so I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Today we skated in the practice rink, which is outside — and I legitimately mean outside. There’s a roof, and that’s it. It was FREEEEEZING. I am pretty confident that since I was able to skate in that rink, I could skate in any rink and be perfectly fine.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you the best part! The Kiss and Cry is a mattress — or as we like to call it, the Kiss and Cuddle. And no, it’s not a mattress camouflaged as a couch, it’s just a mattress with some pillows on it. I have a feeling this will cause some interesting pictures after everyone gets off the ice. We’ll see what happens tomorrow!

After the practice we headed to dinner and did a little more shopping — and, unfortunately, I mean little. We got done eating at around 6:15 and everything closed at either 6:30 or 7:00. Oh well, tomorrow we will have loads of time to shop. Our practice ends at 7:15 a.m. or so, and then we don’t compete until 6 p.m. After practice my first order of business is my delicious breakfast, and then it’s off to shop some more before we compete!

I’m ready to get this competition going!

Talk to you soon!