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Our first full day in Eger started with the sound of light rain outside. After three days in Croatia with temperatures reaching up in to the 90's, the rain provided a much welcome cooling. As usual, we met in the hotel's restaurant for 8:00 am breakfast. As before, a buffet always offers plenty of choices and most of them are familiar. Slowly but surely we all learned important things like which yogurt was sweet and which was sour. Many of the parents were disappointed by the lack of a good push-button espresso machine (in a pinch, you could order one off the menu).
After breakfast, the boys watched some game footage at the hotel before heading off to the gym. So far, while in Eger we have been hosted by Linda's father who is well connected in the water polo community. He led the boys to the gym and then escorted some of the parents to a grocery store so we could stock up on water.
Around 11:30, we went to the local basilica for an organ concert. The boys were given special seats upstairs where they could see the organist in action. The basilica was beautiful with many frescoes and other ornate decorations. The concert ended at noon and the boys headed back to the pool for the first scrimmage of the day.
It was quite a site to see the boys play in the old Eger pool. The pool is much smaller than the one in Sibenik. Their opponent was a Hungarian youth team that toured the US earlier this year. The boys came out clicking on all cylinders and routed the Hungarian boys in the scrimmage. The Hungarian goalie was probably dizzy by the end of the scrimmage given the number of ball that wizzed by his head at near supersonic speed.
After the scrimmage, we headed to lunch at a restaurant right across from the pool. This was the first time we did not have a buffet meal and likely the first meal where the boys (and parents) saw something they didn't eat at home. We started with cauliflower soup with a main course of veal cutlet on a bed of rich topped with strips of ham, onion and pickles in a semi-clear sauce. Nevertheless, when you put food in front of hungry water polo players, it gets eaten very quickly.
The group was then led to a local bank to get some Hungarian money (forints - we never were quite sure of the exchange rate).
This was followed by a walking tour of downtown Eger. The team soaked up the sights and had fun simply acting like teammates loving on each other.
After some rest back at the hotel, the boys gathered for the evening scrimmage. This time, the boys would face Egri Vizilabda Klub (Waterpolo Club of Eger). The scrimmage lasted about 2 hours as the boys played something like 8 or 10 quarters - and it was 2 hours of intense water polo. The boys were challenged at the highest level with a very physical, fast and skillful game. The Hungarians used moves rarely seen in California pools and could move the ball from every angle in every direction. The team met this challenge with flying colors, giving 110% for the entire 2 hours.
Dinner was back at the hotel and the boys relished hot food from the buffet. The evening was topped off with some congratulatory words from Coach before the boys headed off to bed.
After breakfast, the boys watched some game footage at the hotel before heading off to the gym. So far, while in Eger we have been hosted by Linda's father who is well connected in the water polo community. He led the boys to the gym and then escorted some of the parents to a grocery store so we could stock up on water.
Around 11:30, we went to the local basilica for an organ concert. The boys were given special seats upstairs where they could see the organist in action. The basilica was beautiful with many frescoes and other ornate decorations. The concert ended at noon and the boys headed back to the pool for the first scrimmage of the day.
It was quite a site to see the boys play in the old Eger pool. The pool is much smaller than the one in Sibenik. Their opponent was a Hungarian youth team that toured the US earlier this year. The boys came out clicking on all cylinders and routed the Hungarian boys in the scrimmage. The Hungarian goalie was probably dizzy by the end of the scrimmage given the number of ball that wizzed by his head at near supersonic speed.
After the scrimmage, we headed to lunch at a restaurant right across from the pool. This was the first time we did not have a buffet meal and likely the first meal where the boys (and parents) saw something they didn't eat at home. We started with cauliflower soup with a main course of veal cutlet on a bed of rich topped with strips of ham, onion and pickles in a semi-clear sauce. Nevertheless, when you put food in front of hungry water polo players, it gets eaten very quickly.
The group was then led to a local bank to get some Hungarian money (forints - we never were quite sure of the exchange rate).
This was followed by a walking tour of downtown Eger. The team soaked up the sights and had fun simply acting like teammates loving on each other.
After some rest back at the hotel, the boys gathered for the evening scrimmage. This time, the boys would face Egri Vizilabda Klub (Waterpolo Club of Eger). The scrimmage lasted about 2 hours as the boys played something like 8 or 10 quarters - and it was 2 hours of intense water polo. The boys were challenged at the highest level with a very physical, fast and skillful game. The Hungarians used moves rarely seen in California pools and could move the ball from every angle in every direction. The team met this challenge with flying colors, giving 110% for the entire 2 hours.
Dinner was back at the hotel and the boys relished hot food from the buffet. The evening was topped off with some congratulatory words from Coach before the boys headed off to bed.
