Cheese Markets and Windmills Galore!!

Wow, what a day! 

Day 3 began with breakfast with the team in our hotel. We all sat, laughed, and enjoyed delicious croissants and orange juice that were made right on the spot from this awesome juicer machine. After breakfast, we traveled to the town of Alkmaar, where there was a lovely cheese market and plenty of shopping opportunities! There were many stands all over the market with employees yelling and trying to sell their cheeses to everyone. We lined up at almost every stand to try and grab every sample that we could; but there was one person who was not so into it: Colleen.  Colleen claims that she is not allergic to cheese, but is simply not a big fan (she actually can’t stand it). Colleen stood in the corner and hoped that the cheese festivities would end soon. “You guys are addicted!” she screamed, after we all happily purchased our big wheels of cheese. After we all had our fill of the Cheese Market, we were able to explore and shop for a few hours before we met for lunch at Grand Café Samen.  

            After the Cheese Market, we headed off to see the famous windmills and wooden shoe factory. The team was able to walk around and explore the three different windmills on site. There were many opportunities to shop, so many of the girls bought lots of souvenirs to bring home to their families. As it had been several hours since lunch, many of us ladies wanted a snack, so we chose some delicious ice cream at a little stand. The ice cream was so good, a goat attacked Marie and tried to eat it right out of her hand (see picture below)! After the windmills, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We enjoyed dinner in a quaint little café, where every one had the choice of a meat, fish, or vegetarian dinner. During dinner, everyone sat and enjoyed the food as we started getting pumped up for our first game of the trip.

            At 8:30, we met a neighboring Dutch club team on the turf for our first match against an international team. We were all very excited but also very nervous at the exact same time. Obviously the majority of our team has never faced international competition—this was a big deal!! Coach gave us a pep talk at the beginning of the game and told us that the main goal was to have fun and we carried that message with us throughout the game. We may have gotten somewhat…crushed… by them, but we did have fun doing it! After the game, we exchanged gifts with the Dutch Club Team. They gave us a box full of Dutch goodies (which were all consumed before we left the field) and we gave their entire team some souvenirs to keep as well! After exchanging gifts and heading off the pitch, we sat down and enjoyed lemonade in the lobby of the locker room facility the team utilizes. It was another very nice and refreshing treat after all of our hard work on the field.

            We retuned to the hotel at almost 11:00 P.M. What is strange in Holland is that the sun does not set until 9:45 PM and it was still semi light out even at almost 11:00 PM!! So crazy!! As of now, everyone is headed to bed, as we are all exhausted from the exciting yet busy day that we had.  We are so excited for the new adventures tomorrow will bring as we tour the city of Delft and enjoy a Dutch BBQ!!

Post game picture with the Dutch Club Team we faced.

Marie getting attacked by the goat for her ice cream while she was trying to take a selfie!!

   

One of the windmills we explored today. A different substance such as oil, wood, and paint powers each windmill. This windmill is powered by paint—very fascinating, we know!

Love,

Stephanie and Marie