So my roommate John and I decided we needed to go to the Olympics. After all Italy borders Austria, so it’s relatively close, right? And I have the brilliant idea that we need to see Olympic curling. Among the many advantages of curling are that it’s indoors and it’s the cheapest ticket at the games. Also, for some reason I have an odd fascination with the game. I blame this on the Canadian channel during the 1998 Winter Games.
So last weekend we rent a car, and along with the 3rd grade teacher and a friend from church, and set off for a weekend whirlwind tour of Torino and the Olympics.
So the drive took a bit longer than anticipated due to construction and a dense fog from about Venice on, and we got to our hotel in Milan at 3:30 in the morning.
The next morning we drive 2+ hours to Torino, check out the sites, get as close to the Olympic Flame as we can without buying a hockey ticket for Czech Republic vs. Latvia(see picture above), and peer over the fence at Olympic village. Then we take the train out to the curling venue, take in 3 exhilerating matches, drive back to our hotel in Milan(arriving at 3 am due to a dense fog and an unintentional detour).
The next morning we take the subway into downtown Milan, check out a few sites, and then head back to good old Vienna. I am very happy to have had the foresight to take Monday off.
All in all, a great trip. Even though I did have to eat peanut butter sandwiches for about a month so that I could afford it, and drive 2200 kilometers in a weekend.
I will be blogging more about Olympic trip 2006 in the days to come, so be sure to check back often.