(Tychy, Poland)
After our very challenging first 3 games in Prague, we were able to take it easy on Sunday. The only organized activity was a dinner cruise on the Vltava River.
A bunch of us decided to visit the Museum of Communism, for a look at what life was like from 1948 to 1989 in the Czech Republic. The three largest exhibit rooms were entitled “Dream”, “Reality” and “Nightmare”; the situation moved quite rapidly from “dream” to “nightmare”. There was even an interrogation room where confessions would be obtained under extreme duress.
It was sobering to see how quickly Czech life became unbearably oppressive during those years. We saw a grocery store stocked with only a couple of (not very desirable) products, the bribery necessary to get anything done, and the sheer number of collaborators and informants who enabled the totalitarian nightmare to continue. We also saw a movie showing the police brutality that took place just outside the front door of our hotel. All of this reminded us of how fortunate we are in Canada.
The river cruise was quite mellow. There was no commentary, just a buffet and a slow journey up and down the river. As I found during our canal cruise in Haarlem, it’s nice to see a city from a different perspective. Given the crowds in Prague, it’s also great to have a bit more personal space while admiring the city.
Monday morning saw us driving to Opole, Poland for a series of games. We had just over 2 hours of ice time, so we alternated playing against teams from Tychy and Wroclaw. Playing 4 straight games against teams that could rest between games turned out to be quite demanding, especially as the ice was not resurfaced during that time. However, I’m pleased to report that Canada’s hockey honour was restored with 4 straight victories over our well-rested opponents.
We received a very warm welcome in Opole; they seemed genuinely thrilled that we had made the journey. Gifts were exchanged and there were many Polish beverages available before and after the game. The Canadian spectators reported that the Polish fans were also gracious and friendly.
Our bus driver got lost on the way to our hotel in Tychy after the game, so a one-hour journey turned into a three-hour odyssey through the misty Polish night. We finally arrived (after eating “dinner” at a 24-hour gas station) just before 1:00 a.m. No harm was done, though, and I think everybody fell asleep quickly after arrival. Fortunately, our hotel is right beside the arena where we play(ed) on Tuesday night!
On Tuesday, we visited the famous city of Krakow as well as the infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz. I will be describing those visits in a separate posting. We also played the Tychy team (in their home arena) Tuesday night and were once again victorious. We really enjoyed the evening, as a couple of Polish and Canadian players switched teams and we had a fun night of pizza and refreshments after the game at our hotel. Tomorrow, we once again move on!