A Family Affair!

After nearly a month of travelling I finally made it back to Canada. The first of three back-to-back-to-back tournaments started out in Warsaw, Poland. This was just a regular World Cup so there was no team event but it was still vital for those who are trying to qualify individually. I went 4 and 2 in my pool round beating out some important figures so I was pretty pumped, but then lost to Italy's Tohni Terenzi (2004 Italian Olympic Team member) 15-13 in a grueling and pressured match. It was probably the best 15 touch match I've ever fenced as the crowd grew by every point. I was reading him like a book in the second half of the match but then failed to pull it out at 13-13. I definitely gained some respect. Only three of us decided to travel to Warsaw that weekend, Nicolas, Philippe and myself. The others were going to be joining us in Spain a week later. We were there for only a few days, so there wasn't a lot of time to do any sightseeing. Not to worry though, I've been there before and done the tourist thing so it didn't bother me. On the Sunday night, Philippe and I did make it out to a discoteque and managed to loosen up with a night of cuttin' rug!!! Good times!

Madrid was next on the list. We've been there a handful of times, always staying in the same apartments and shopping at the same grocery stores. We had ten days scheduled in so I was actually looking forward to the stay...sun, eye candy and good food, what else does a guy need?

I managed to pick up a new speedo on the first day but didn't get one chance to wear since it rained for the next 7 days straight. What was up with that? May is supposed to be the best month to visit Spain, weather wise, but it sure didn't seem like it. So the next best thing happened....we fell into the habit of eating, napping and watching German MTV. Well, I shouldn't exaggerate....we managed to get some training in too with a couple of hours a day. That added a special certain dynamic to our routine! I must admit, my camera didn't come out once while I was there because who wants to see a picture of my hotel room?!! The good thing was that we were well rested for fencing come Friday morning. This Madrid tournament is probably the biggest tournament of the year. With 160 fencers its known as being harder than any World Championships or any Olympics. I did a descent 3 and 3 in the pools, which I thought was good enough to pass through to the next day's rounds, but with the amount of fencers they cut after the first round now-a-days it was not going to happen. Pretty shocking, eh? Disappointed yes, but my confidence was still very high from the week before and especially with how I'm preparing on the strip and the points I'm getting I didn't feel too bad. Still, my focus was on the team event. Once again, we kept our team ranking after the day was over and I was stronger then ever.

Lastly, our trip as a team took us to Padova, Italy. A small industrial and University town about 30 miles outside of Venice. Actually, Padova was not that exciting of a town but it was my first time to Italy so it didn't really matter. We took one day off before the competition and spent a day in Venice. Exactly like you see on TV or the movies (James Bond) the city of Venice is a pure masterpiece. The architecture, the layout and just so picturesque. The photo's you see above don't at all do it justice. The Square of St. Marks, the oh so friendly pigeons and the classic gondolas winding through the maze of buildings and hanging laundry! The only downside was the influx of tourists. Meeting a local was simply impossible. I guess it was to do with the time of year but I hope it doesn't ruin the city. On to fencing. Its more than clear to me now, and my fellow fencers that I perform so much better in the team event. And the strange thing is, is that I can't explain why? Both in Madrid and Padova I made over half of our total points for every match all my by myself. I guess when it comes down to it, I'm just a team player plain and simple. Unfortunately, in our third match of the day I had to pull out with a broken toe. I tried to continue, but by three o'clock in the afternoon I could no longer stand on it.

Funny, over a three week period (and hardly doing anything except for fencing, eating, sleeping and watching music videos) I received a broken tooth (by a girl), a broken toe, a torn Lat's Dorsey muscle, a pulled tricept muscle and shortage of tanning time....what's going on here?

Anyways, on to what I really want to tell you about. Monday morning I jumped on train heading to Croatia, land of my roots. My dad was meeting me later that day at the train station in Zagreb. We were spending the week with his family, something I've never done. I had to change trains in a small boarder town between Italy and Austria called Villach. A tiny little place...paradise rather, that is tucked in between mountains and forests......right out of The Sound of Music...beautiful! I can see why taking the train is so popular in Europe, because you just can't get the picturesque views any other way. This was going to be great! Zagreb is the biggest city in Croatia with a population of about 1 million. You can see some classic Austro-Hungarian architecture here with the Church of St. Mark. Just look at the tiled roof! The biggest excitement for me though was meeting the family. And exciting it was. My first meeting was with Magda, my dads cousin and her husband, Milan. I have to tell you that the moment I met her and she wrapping her arms around me and kissed me, it triggered something that I haven't felt in a long time. The memory of my grandparents who I have not seen in over 15 years. It felt like I was seeing them again. I didn't want to say but I could have broken into tears right then but I tried my hardest and kept it in. The most important day I think was when we took a train out to Zagorje, a village about 20 miles outside of Zagreb. This was the village of the Peros' and where my dad was born. Beautiful countryside, rolling hills of corn and grapevines (what the region is known for) and just simple people living simple lives. That's my dad there speaking with the daughter of one of his cousins. You can see here the tombstone of my dad's Grandfather and his second wife who he married at 55 and she being 38 years his younger. Together they had 14 children. Along with those, he had another 14 children with his first wife...making that a grand total of 28 children, so you can imagine how many family members that makes right now!! For people I've never seen before and never even heard of I became like a son to everyone. I could have sworn I had inherited 5 more mothers who were all worried about me....if I was eating enough, sleeping enough, even wanting to clean the dirt from my shirt and shoes. By far the most exciting part was when we took a trip up to the tiny old house where my dad was born. Classic wooden doors of the house that led into the single room....we even found the old bed-frame and headboard that he was born in. Amazing to think, eh! I don't think in one entire day have I ever eaten that much food and drunk that much wine and brandy. Each house we went into had another feast ready, how do they do it? I loved it there. So unfortunately the day had to come to an end. Even though everyone wanted us stay the night, we had other obligations the next day. So back on the train again and to the city we went.

You know, as much as I love the city life, more and more I am falling for the countryside. Maybe its because of situations like this, or the fact that I'm just growing up and discovering more about life. Everyone has their own fancies, maybe mine is to be on a farm.

Anyways, back in TO now, nursing my wounds and having a lazy weekend. Start training again on Monday and getting ready for Las Vegas in 2 weeks, our last major competition before the Pam-Am Championships. Will I be getting married in Vegas you're asking? Well I don't know, its not in the plans but you never know...!!!!
Talk to you then. Later!