Monday, March 19th
I'm all packed up, dropped Dexter off at my brother's house and loaded up the car. Got about 2 miles down the road and realized I had forgotten my passport. Crap. Well, better to have remembered now than at the airport. So I headed back home, grabbed my passport and jumped back into the car. Now I've got everything, I hope.
My flight is a little delayed, hopefully it takes off sooner than expected. Good thing it's delayed though, giving me time to get a movie downloaded to my tablet.
Tuesday
Just landed in Paris an hour late and I head to baggage claim. I saw Sean sitting there waiting for me, and he greeted me with a big hug! Ahhh, I missed being in his arms :). Chuck and his wife, Deb, arrived just after I did, and we all went to find our shuttle. After some miscommunication and a very helpful airport employee we were finally able to get everyone in one place, plus running into Kevin Dornberger who was the key to our ride, literally he had the key, and load up the van, and we are on our way to the hotel.
After a much needed nap and a shower in a phone booth (just take a look at the photo), we headed to Plaza Bowl, where the Brunswick Euro Challenge was held. Sean bowled the 8pm squad, while Leslie, Deb and I discussed our plans for sightseeing tomorrow. My mother-in-law sent me her Top 10 Paris book, which had a ton of information on all the best places to visit, eat, shop and much more. Sean bowled very well and shot 288 over and was sitting in 3rd after that squad, which put him in good position to earn him one bye into the finals on Sunday. The girls and I made plans to meet in the morning and take the train into the city, so I was hoping it was going to be a short night, but Sean and I stayed at the bowl until about 1am...
Wednesday
I slept pretty hard until the alarm went off too early in the morning. Sean encouraged me to get out of bed by saying that I would feel more awake after my shower, easy for him to say since he was going right back to sleep as soon as I got up. He and the Brunswick guys didn't have to be at the bowl until noon for a youth clinic, so he was able to sleep in quite a bit longer. I met up the other ladies at their hotel across the parking lot, had breakfast and we had Jake Peters and Melissa Hurst join us for sightseeing as well. It was quite an adventure! I had been to Paris before, but that was 4 years ago and I didn't quite remember how to navigate around their Metro station or which line we needed to take into the middle of the city. After some guidance from a couple of nice French men, we found ourselves in front of Notre Dame. What an amazing piece of architecture. The detail in the three arches is incredible, and that's before you even step foot into the church. The stained glass windows are also beautiful works of art. As much as Notre Dame is a tourist attraction, it is still a place of worship, and no matter how many people are walking through and taking pictures, people are there to give their confessions and services are still held, it's pretty amazing.
After walking through, we hopped onto a tour bus called Les Rouges Cars. It took us around the city to 8 more sights, stopping at the d'Orsay Museum, Opera House, Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysees, Grand Palais, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, Champs de Mars, and the Louvre Museum. We got off the bus at the Arc de Triomphe to have lunch down the Champs Elysees. We found a pastry shop in the guide book called La Duree, so we decided to have lunch at the restaurant next door to it then go in for some macaroons and chocolate croissants.
Next up, we got back on the bus and took it around to the Eiffel Tower. Across the street was a little mobile lunch cart serving fresh crepes, so we all indulged in strawberry and banana crepes and hot chocolate. :) What a great afternoon! We rode the bus back to Notre Dame and found our way back to the hotel for a quick nap before heading to the bowl. We made it a long night at the bowl, having a few beverages and even a little bit of bowling.
Thursday
It was my turn to sleep in since Sean had a Brunswick luncheon at noon. I did plan on bowling a squad though at 8pm, so I had plenty of time to rest, get ready, and catch a shuttle to the bowl. I finally was able to eat something when I got to the bowl. Spaghetti bolognese was one of the better dishes on the menu, not bad for "bowling alley" food. So, Sean decided that it would be best for me to only bowl one squad for the experience instead of the two that we had originally talked about because after seeing the scores from the previous squads, it would definitely be tough for me to make the cut. I didn't take any offense to his decision because I totally agreed with him that it would be silly to spend $200+ on 6 games of practice. My 6 game total was 1123, consisting of 189, 182, 162, 222, 191, 177. I received 48 pins handicap as a female bowler, so 1171 was my combined total, which was nowhere close to making the cut. Another learning experience though and I am grateful to have the opportunity to bowl in the event.
Friday
Another day of sightseeing, but this time with the guys! Below are a couple of the group shots:
(Picture Left) From left to right:
Tom Hess, Liz Johnson, Deb Gardner, Chuck Gardner, Ryan Ciminelli, Sean Rash, Me, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Leslie Bohn, and Parker Bohn
We had a great day around the city, had beautiful weather, and it is such a pretty city at night as well. Sean and I had taken off after our late lunch with the group to take some pictures of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc at night when they were both lit up. Then headed back to the train station to catch one of the last ones out of the city. By the time we got back, the buses had stopped running, so we had to walk back to the hotel. The temperature had dropped pretty significantly as well, I could actually see my breath. We decided to have dinner at one of the few restaurants still open on the main road back to our hotel, then had an uphill journey to work off the pizza and lasagna we had just eaten.
Saturday
I was in no hurry to go anywhere. I think I spent all day sleeping and relaxing until I finally mustered up enough energy to get ready for the evening. Went to the bowl and Sean bowled another squad, just to stay sharp for the finals on Sunday. We watched for a little while afterward and we were invited to a dinner hosted by Mr. Valke. The dinner was delicious, but we didn't want to stay long because Sunday was going to be a long day.
Sunday
Finals day. Since Sean qualified in the top 12, he earned 1 bye into the Final Round 2. After 6 games of qualifying, he advanced in 4th, shooting 1383. The top 8 moved on to the Final Round 3, which consisted of 7 games of round robin match play, and the top 3 would make the Stepladder Finals. Sean bowled games of 221, 174, 216, 247, 246, 269, and 226, but only winning 3 of his matches to gain 90 bonus pins, missing the show by only 22 pins. He lost his last match 233-226, which cost him the 30 bonus pins that would have put him on the show over Mike Fagan... the eventual winner of the Brunswick Euro Challenge. Congratulations to Mike on a great tournament. He bowled exceedingly well in the stepladder finals, with the front 9 in the Championship Match. Well done, Mike!
There was a players dinner following the awards ceremony, so lots of celebrating and good food. Overall, we had a great time and I definitely wouldn't mind going back. But if I do, the only request that I would make, is that we stay at a different hotel... something a little more comfortable that offers more room for an American couple. (We do not travel lightly!)
I'm all packed up, dropped Dexter off at my brother's house and loaded up the car. Got about 2 miles down the road and realized I had forgotten my passport. Crap. Well, better to have remembered now than at the airport. So I headed back home, grabbed my passport and jumped back into the car. Now I've got everything, I hope.
My flight is a little delayed, hopefully it takes off sooner than expected. Good thing it's delayed though, giving me time to get a movie downloaded to my tablet.
Tuesday
Just landed in Paris an hour late and I head to baggage claim. I saw Sean sitting there waiting for me, and he greeted me with a big hug! Ahhh, I missed being in his arms :). Chuck and his wife, Deb, arrived just after I did, and we all went to find our shuttle. After some miscommunication and a very helpful airport employee we were finally able to get everyone in one place, plus running into Kevin Dornberger who was the key to our ride, literally he had the key, and load up the van, and we are on our way to the hotel.
After a much needed nap and a shower in a phone booth (just take a look at the photo), we headed to Plaza Bowl, where the Brunswick Euro Challenge was held. Sean bowled the 8pm squad, while Leslie, Deb and I discussed our plans for sightseeing tomorrow. My mother-in-law sent me her Top 10 Paris book, which had a ton of information on all the best places to visit, eat, shop and much more. Sean bowled very well and shot 288 over and was sitting in 3rd after that squad, which put him in good position to earn him one bye into the finals on Sunday. The girls and I made plans to meet in the morning and take the train into the city, so I was hoping it was going to be a short night, but Sean and I stayed at the bowl until about 1am...Wednesday
 |
| Notre Dame |
 | |
| Arc de Triomphe |
After walking through, we hopped onto a tour bus called Les Rouges Cars. It took us around the city to 8 more sights, stopping at the d'Orsay Museum, Opera House, Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysees, Grand Palais, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, Champs de Mars, and the Louvre Museum. We got off the bus at the Arc de Triomphe to have lunch down the Champs Elysees. We found a pastry shop in the guide book called La Duree, so we decided to have lunch at the restaurant next door to it then go in for some macaroons and chocolate croissants.Next up, we got back on the bus and took it around to the Eiffel Tower. Across the street was a little mobile lunch cart serving fresh crepes, so we all indulged in strawberry and banana crepes and hot chocolate. :) What a great afternoon! We rode the bus back to Notre Dame and found our way back to the hotel for a quick nap before heading to the bowl. We made it a long night at the bowl, having a few beverages and even a little bit of bowling.
Thursday
It was my turn to sleep in since Sean had a Brunswick luncheon at noon. I did plan on bowling a squad though at 8pm, so I had plenty of time to rest, get ready, and catch a shuttle to the bowl. I finally was able to eat something when I got to the bowl. Spaghetti bolognese was one of the better dishes on the menu, not bad for "bowling alley" food. So, Sean decided that it would be best for me to only bowl one squad for the experience instead of the two that we had originally talked about because after seeing the scores from the previous squads, it would definitely be tough for me to make the cut. I didn't take any offense to his decision because I totally agreed with him that it would be silly to spend $200+ on 6 games of practice. My 6 game total was 1123, consisting of 189, 182, 162, 222, 191, 177. I received 48 pins handicap as a female bowler, so 1171 was my combined total, which was nowhere close to making the cut. Another learning experience though and I am grateful to have the opportunity to bowl in the event.
Friday
Another day of sightseeing, but this time with the guys! Below are a couple of the group shots:
 |
| The group outside of Notre Dame |
 |
 |
| At the Louvre |
(Picture Left) From left to right:
Tom Hess, Liz Johnson, Deb Gardner, Chuck Gardner, Ryan Ciminelli, Sean Rash, Me, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Leslie Bohn, and Parker Bohn
 |
| Arc de Triomphe lit up at night |
We had a great day around the city, had beautiful weather, and it is such a pretty city at night as well. Sean and I had taken off after our late lunch with the group to take some pictures of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc at night when they were both lit up. Then headed back to the train station to catch one of the last ones out of the city. By the time we got back, the buses had stopped running, so we had to walk back to the hotel. The temperature had dropped pretty significantly as well, I could actually see my breath. We decided to have dinner at one of the few restaurants still open on the main road back to our hotel, then had an uphill journey to work off the pizza and lasagna we had just eaten.
Saturday
I was in no hurry to go anywhere. I think I spent all day sleeping and relaxing until I finally mustered up enough energy to get ready for the evening. Went to the bowl and Sean bowled another squad, just to stay sharp for the finals on Sunday. We watched for a little while afterward and we were invited to a dinner hosted by Mr. Valke. The dinner was delicious, but we didn't want to stay long because Sunday was going to be a long day.
Sunday
Finals day. Since Sean qualified in the top 12, he earned 1 bye into the Final Round 2. After 6 games of qualifying, he advanced in 4th, shooting 1383. The top 8 moved on to the Final Round 3, which consisted of 7 games of round robin match play, and the top 3 would make the Stepladder Finals. Sean bowled games of 221, 174, 216, 247, 246, 269, and 226, but only winning 3 of his matches to gain 90 bonus pins, missing the show by only 22 pins. He lost his last match 233-226, which cost him the 30 bonus pins that would have put him on the show over Mike Fagan... the eventual winner of the Brunswick Euro Challenge. Congratulations to Mike on a great tournament. He bowled exceedingly well in the stepladder finals, with the front 9 in the Championship Match. Well done, Mike!
There was a players dinner following the awards ceremony, so lots of celebrating and good food. Overall, we had a great time and I definitely wouldn't mind going back. But if I do, the only request that I would make, is that we stay at a different hotel... something a little more comfortable that offers more room for an American couple. (We do not travel lightly!)
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