May 12, 2007

PULA, Croatia - Today we left for the next country, Croatia. On the way we stopped at the capital of Slovenia. It was exciting to spend some time on the water. Our day started with shopping for souvenirs and hiking up a trail to a castle. After a small lunch break we crossed the border into Croatia and stopped at Raika.

This was our time to relax. Throughout the years Raika has been known for its industries and not so much as a tourist spot. There were many modern buildings and multiple cargo ships. It's interesting to see that even with modern buildings all around, you can still see the remains of ancient architecture. These consisted of worn down communist apartment housing that housed thousands of families.

After a couple of hours of resting our feet in the water we were off to our match. We competed against the Croatian National Team. It was apparent that they had a lot of experience and time well spent in the gym. After the match we walked to a pizza parlor and made an hour and a half trip to our hotel in Pula. Tomorrow will be our final match of the trip before we make our way through Italy. Hopefully we can get some wins under our belt, go sightseeing through more amazing cities and continue to have a great time throughout our trip.

-Kim Kern