Return to Warsaw

Yesterday we woke up late (see a pattern?). Gdansk was the quietest it had been, with a good number of the Irish sleeping off what had to be murderous hangovers and the rest on their way to Poznan.

We packed, flew from Gdansk to Warsaw, and settled in another beautiful hotel.

We went to the Fanzone in the evening to watch the games and celebrated the England win. We all bought souvenirs and gifts. Patrick purchased a workout bag. Oxymoron?

Molly and Vince were feeling the vibe and decided to stay out, while the other three watched the movie "The Hunt for Red October." Daniel loves a young Baldwin.

At the bar, Vince tried to order 2 vodka tonics; the lady brought 2 steak tartars. When Vince tried to reorder 2 vodka tonics, she brought 2 beers and a glass of tonic. That's when they decided to call it a night.

Irish Fans at the game last night

This is what the last 10 minutes of the game was like last night. So powerful

Espana v Ireland

Yesterday we did very little to prepare for the game. Daniel and I walked to the stadium in the afternoon to pick up the tickets. We got 4 together and scalped one of the street for Patrick. When Daniel got the tickets they were labeled as restricted view, so we didn't have high hopes.

Before heading to the stadium, we watched the first 80 minutes of the Portugal v Croatia: good game. When we got on the tram no one was on it, but sure enough the next stop it was invaded by the Irish. They chant about everything. We then walked 20 minutes to the stadium in a sea of green. Daniel immediately took off his Spain sweatshirt.

We got to our seats and they were not restricted at all. 18 rows up. Right on Ireland 18 yard box. Amazing. We chanted and sang with the Irish even though they lost 4 to 0. Without doubt the best fans we have ever been around; so happy just to be there. On the other hand unbelievable to see the world champions in action. Spain is really beautiful to watch live; breathtaking.

Biking in Gdansk

Yesterday Vince woke up early because he was in bed at 6 the night before. Patrick and Molly had a perfect breakfast of bread and cheese, while Daniel worked out...of course. Not clear what Annie was doing at this time.

Daniel rented bikes! So we biked to a town called Sopot for lunch, which is 15 km away from our hotel. It is a beautiful town right on the Baltic sea. It was wonderful, until we realized the soccer game started in 15 minutes and we still hadn't got our main courses.

We sprinted back to the hotel to watch the games. Unfortunately the Dutch game did not have the result we were looking for. So we ended the night chanting with the Irish.

Also Annie got another injury--she's a mess (see photo below).

Poland v Russia

Yesterday was a big day for the people of Poland, as they continued their journey to the next round. The opponent was Russia, with whom the Poles have some history. (And if you saw any of the news reports from Warsaw, you know that feelings between the countries remain...raw.

The Scotts however were safely ensconced in the lovely seaside town of Gdansk. We woke up late and walked to breakfast; it was our first full day in Gdansk and we walked the majority of the city. Vince was *slightly* off his game due to some overindulgence the previous night. (See pic below of him in the pink shorts. This was the best he felt all day.) At 5pm we walked to the Fan Zone to watch the games; it was completely packed with Polish fans and Ireland fans pretending to be Polish. Vince left during the first game; the highlight of night was some uninterrupted sleep and the McDonalds we brought him at midnight. (You will notice in the pictures that his absence left the beer to Scott ratio slightly off balance.) He missed a hard fought draw by the Polish. A truly memorable game.

The fans were incredible and we have decided there in no better way to watch soccer.

Gdansk

Today we flew from Warsaw to Gdansk. An hour flight; Daniel and Patrick both slept the entire time. The city is beautiful, and the Irish and the Spain have taken over. We watched the English play the French; disappointing. Daniel got us a beautiful hotel right in the city center. Daniel and I have the classy room; the other 3 children have the "boys' room".