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20 June
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We gather at Chicago's O'Hare airport for our American Airline flight #46 departing at 8:15pm. We will fly all night.
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21 June
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We arrive at London's Heathrow airport at 10:00 am. Our bus will take us to our accommodations at the Star Hotel, near downtown London. After settling in, we will have a team meeting, spend some time snooping around the King's Cross area of London and then have a workout at the nearby Linford Christie track.
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22 June
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We'll start the day off with a traditional English breakfast and then go to Green Park where we will take a double-decker bus tour of London. This is just GRAND!! We hop off near Buckingham Palace for the changing of the Guard. The Hard Rock Cafe is on the bus route. An afternoon workout again at the Linford Christie track and then an evening drive along the Thames River and Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral and Houses of Parliament.
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23 June
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An early wake-up and then we load the bus for our journey to Dover and the crossing of the English Channel on a ferry. This boat ride lasts less than an hour, but it is fun. Then we are on the French auto route to Paris and our IBIS hotel in north Paris. We'll have a workout in St. Denis, and see the famous Stade de France (Stadium of France), site of the World Cup soccer championships.
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24 June
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After a nice French breakfast, our bus will take us to the Arc de Triomphe - wow! If there is time, we will take a team picture at the Arc. Then it's up the Champs d'Elysses to the Louvre museum. A couple of hours of free time to walk along the Champs (and eat lunch) and then to St. Denis for a workout.
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25 June
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We'll go to Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter, look at all of the street vendors. Maybe you can have one of the many artists sketch your profile, along the Seine River. There are so many quaint shops in this area. Lots of good, inexpensive food shops for lunch. Then back to St. Denis for practice. This might be the night for a cruise on the Seine.
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26 June
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An early practice and then we'll go to the spectacular church, Sacre Couer. We will drive past the nightspot, Moulin Rouge. We'll spend the afternoon in Paris and then go to the Eiffel Tower for a night view of Paris and SEE why this is called the City of Lights.
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27 June
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After another fine French-style continental breakfast, we board our motor coach for a trip to the south and some time in the beautiful Alps mountains in unforgettable Switzerland. We should arrive in late afternoon, maybe in time for a light workout. We are staying in a Youth Hostel, which has a beach nearby.
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28 June
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The Swiss capital city of Bern is only an hour away, and that is the location of our first competition. It's a low-key meet against club athletes from around Switzerland.
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29 June
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It's been a pretty hectic nine days, after all we have visited two of the world's great cities, London and Paris. We'll have a relaxed morning and just spend the afternoon in Lausanne. This country is the watch capital of the world; take a look at some of the shops. Since there was a meet yesterday, no practice today.
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30 June
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You will never forget this day. We hop on the bus for a 2-hour trip, deep into the Alps. We pass through the beautiful city of Interlaken, but just wait. Up the road another 30 minutes is Grindelwald, one of the most-picturesque Alpine villages that you can imagine. There are pastures with the tawny Swiss cattle with bells around their necks, creating a pastoral orchestra. IT IS AWESOME. Then back to Lausanne for practice.
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01 July
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This is another of those days that you will never forget! First, we visit the International Olympic Museum. For lunch, we will have our 'Lunch with Olympians' at the host hotel for the Grand Prix Meet. We always have 5 or 6 Olympic athletes join us. You will be able to get autographs and have pictures taken with them. Then we will go to the big stadium in Lausanne for the Grand Prix meet. We might see a world record. It is awesome!
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02 July
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Another road trip to Geneva or Zurich. An opportunity to see some more of the unique Swiss culture up close. Geneva is French speaking; Zurich is German. Then we will return to Lausanne for an afternoon workout.
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03 July
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We load the bus for another inspiring drive through the beautiful Alps, over Arlberg Pass, which was made famous by writer Ernest Hemmingway. We will arrive in Innsbruck, Austria, late in the afternoon and try to squeeze in a light workout.
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04 July
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Innsbruck has an interesting 'Old Towní that still has many medieval buildings which date back for centuries. We'll see the famous Goldenes Dach. A light workout.
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05 July
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We will compete at a large, regional meet. Lots of club teams from this central part of Europe.
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06 July
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Another day of competition, followed by our annual 1ST awards banquet where we review the trip, talk about everyone's accomplishments and start saying goodbye.
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07 July
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An early wake-up call as we board the bus for a 4 hour trip to the Frankfurt airport and a 2:25 pm departure on American Airlines flight #83 for our return to Chicago's O'Hare airport. You will be home tonight!
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