Running around Luzern!

We arrived in Zurich yesterday morning and took a bus to our hotels in Lucerne. Part of the team (myself included) is staying at the Continental Park, next to the central train station Luzern Banhof; another group is staying at the Tourist Hotel, which is on the riverfront. I lucked out and am rooming with my pair partner from NSRII, Sarah Zelenka. It's great to have hotels that are so near to the main bus line; even though it's only a twenty- or twenty-five minute walk to the Rotsee, it's also nice to be able to get there quickly!

Yesterday, we all had to work hard to stay awake through the jetlag, so Sarah and Stesha Carle and I walked around the city and went down to Lucerne's "Boathouse Row"! We took many photos--you can check them out in the slideshow in the column to the right. Lucerne is such a beautiful city--turning just about every corner, you're greeted with the sight of a commemorative mural-style painting, a historic state building or church, a fountain monument (with drinkable water), or a glimpse of the hills and 14K mountains that surround the city!

We went down to the course in the afternoon to rig our boats and take them out for a paddle. More than half the boats we're racing are brand new. There's nothing quite like "christening" a new Empacher!

The Rotsee is my favorite course of any I've raced on. The water is usually glassy, the lake is surrounded by farmland and woods, and there are spectacular views of the Alps as you're coming down the course. The fact that it's one of the fastest courses around doesn't hurt, either!

It's pretty quiet at the moment because there are only a handful of teams here--this morning, it was just the USA, Brazil and Cuba out on the water. We'll have to remember this zen-like stillness when there are all of the athletes, coaches, volunteers, umpires, spectators, boat makers, trailers, and vendors are here at the end of the week!

Congrats also to all the USRowing and USA athletes who did so well at Henley! Great racing, all crews.

One of the highlights of yesterday was our discovery, at a Lucerne boat house, of a Swiss-American Society holding a 4th of July barbeque! We were too early to join the festivities, but it was great to celebrate our country's birth, even if we were overseas. (The hostess also gave us little American flags, which we proudly waved on the walk back to our hotel!) Happy (belated) 4th of July to everyone!