Pictures!

Here's a small sampling of some of the fun that the Pipers documented in Europe:

When in Rome ...

When Scott Bell and I took over at Hamline Hockey only four years ago, we developed and articulated a specific vision to guide us as we built the program.  A huge part of that vision was to create a Hamline Hockey family, and to help our players grow in all aspects of their lives. Accordingly, a key to this European tour was to expose our players to something completely new, to immerse them in European and Italian history and culture for eight days.

They have seen and done much the last three days, to be sure, and another day awaits!

 

We spent New Year's Eve in Torino, and the celebration was like no other.  A wild crowd that may have been as big as 50,000 jammed the City's biggest square, and the fireworks celebration was unbelievable - like a grand finale that lasted thirty full minutes.  It is hard to overstate the infatuation with firecrackers in Torino - unlike Minnesota, large firecrackers are readily available, and a local custom seems to be tossing lit M-80's into the feet of unsuspecting Americans as they walk.  We also visited the Duomo San Giovanni, a Renaissance cathedral noted for the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.

Yesterday we moved to the Renaissance city of Florence, visiting Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) dating back to the 10th century, Giotto's Belltower,  Signoria Square and a leather factory that still gilds handmade leather with Italian gold the old world way, with open flame and embossing tools to hand press press gold flake.  We stayed in Montecatini, and the boys spent the evening exploring the quaint little town.

All through the trip, Rome had beckoned.  Everyone could point to something they couldn't wait to see in Rome - well, today we arrived, and started to see it all.  A bus and walking tour of the City today served as an appetizer for tomorrow.  Photos were taken outside the Colosseum, of players and families tossing coins in Trevi Fountain (over the left shoulder for health and luck, over the right to foretell return), climbing the Spanish Steps, or in the Roman Forum. Tomorrow begins with a tour or St. Peter's Basilica, and Coach Disch has promised to perform in the Colosseum ("Are you not ENTERTAINED?!").  We'll try to post the photo.

The players and coaches and families are speaking a little Italian (mostly ciao! (hi or bye) or buongiorno (good evening), or maybe grazie (thanks) and prego (you're welcome) but every now and then someone tries something more substantial (I swear I heard Justin Hanna ask an upscale shopkeeper "Q'uant'e, per favore?" (How much does this cost?), and everyone is having a great time.  When we leave Sunday to return, it will be too soon.