Day 2 started way earlier then I wanted to. I woke up at 4:30AM but just couldn't fall back asleep. My mind was up and running and couldn't stop. Luckily, Richard was up early too and we were able to hit up McDonald's. Coffee was in dire need for me!
After our meetings for the day, we were headed to Dusseldorf. However, we decided to make a couple of stops in between. The first stop was Grenzau, Germany. This is the first place I stayed when I visited a couple of years back. This is where many things started for us in the JOOLA world. During that time, we stayed in a very hotel/spa resort there which also houses a Table Tennis training center. Unusual, I know... but not for Germany! They also host a Division 1 Bundesliga (German Leagues) team there. This is where I got to see how the pro's practice and play! And they also teach table tennis and have camps for all levels of play there.
That was the first time in my life that I felt like a professional athlete. Wake up, eat breakfast, relax, go to a morning practice session, go to the gym or for a run, eat lunch, relax, go to the afternoon practice session, hit up the spa, eat dinner, relax, sleep, repeat.
After revisiting & giving a tour to Kat, we then headed to Cologne. It's such a gorgeous city that I love. One of the main reasons is to see the Cathedral in Cologne!
It's an amazing cathedral that is soooooo huge. I always feel humbled whenever I walk in there. I took time to kneel down at a pew and just give thanks for everything that is going on in life. I'm glad I was able to visit once more.
Afterwards, we walked around the city and just had some fun sight seeing.
After walking around for quite a bit we ended up at a German restaurant. I really liked the whole German Beer Hall type of feel. The stereotype of people just loud and having a good time in one of those beer halls is not a joke. I think there were tables of people wayyyy older then us that were being very jolly haha. After our meal, we finally made it to Dusseldorf. We are in the same hotel as the players and administrators of the European Top 12.
So today, we'll be watching the Top 12 and I'll be giving you guys an update tomorrow. I hope everyone is well back home and enjoying the snow! Go sledding and throw a snowball for me guys!
Signing Off,
Tom