By Daren Watts
(Player)
Today we left for Sevilla at 9 a.m. It is a 4.5-hour drive from Lisbon, so we first filled ourselves up at hotel breakfast before our long trip ahead.
We were pleased to find out that on our way to Sevilla we would be stopping at Algarve Beach in Portugal. We reached Algarve three hours after we departed from Lisbon.
After stepping off the bus, we already had a view of the seemingly endless beach, restaurants, shops, and even a Ferris wheel that seemed to be out of commission but added to the aesthetic of the beach view.
First things first, we stopped at the Portugal soccer merch store, and a few people bought some Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys for themselves and friends back home as well.
Next, we headed over to the beach for a swim. The water was nice and warm. Coach Srdjan tried to teach me how to float, but I think I still need a bit more practice before I can call myself a swimmer.
After some time in the water, we remembered Sam brought a soccer ball with him, so we all joined in to play a game. We decided we would do young guys versus veterans, first to three goals.
It was a hard-fought battle and ended with a score of 1-1 before we were informed that soccer on the beach wasn’t allowed.
That wasn’t a problem because we decided we would determine the winners based on a relay race, best two out of three.
Veterans lost the first race since two of our guys fell in the sand looking like they got shot down mid-run.
However, against all odds, veterans came back and won 2-1 in the relay race, which meant the young guys had to face the losing punishment of going into the water about neck-high and waving their swim trunks in the air—a challenge the vets were happy to have dodged!
After that, we got some ice cream and went back onto the bus, and most guys slept for the rest of the way.
After arriving in Sevilla, the guys unpacked and showered off from the beach, and we had dinner waiting for us at the hotel at 8 p.m.—a delicious buffet dinner of fish, meats, potatoes, rice, vegetables, and fruit, with ice cream for dessert.
After eating dinner, most guys wanted to go check out the town, so we all met in the lobby and then went for a walk. Wow, is Sevilla a beautiful city.
We first made a pit stop at the souvenir shop to grab some magnets, keychains, and things like that. We continued our walk, looking at the beautiful architecture of the apartments and other buildings.
We saw street performers playing guitar, singing songs, and dancing too, all throughout the city.
We eventually reached a very busy spot with a water fountain in the middle, a boulevard of top-notch restaurants, and the main attraction… this huge palace with such details I cannot even imagine how humans managed to build something so amazing.
After hanging around there for a while and soaking it all in, we decided to head back to the hotel and rest for our tours and game tomorrow.
After having such a memorable day, I just want to thank everyone who helped to make the dream of this trip a reality. This has been an unforgettable experience!
The organization of the trip has been superb, always having something interesting for us to do—whether it be a tour of a castle, sightseeing, boat rides, and much more.
The timing of our practices allows us to prepare for our games while still enjoying all the cities have to offer.
Thank you for blessing us with this opportunity!