Well, today is the day we head back – back to the land of the free, the land of the brave, the land of the greasy food and poor style… Leaving Europe and all of its magnificent beauty behind.

It was a rough morning because we had to be on our bus by 3:30am, our curfew last night was 10pm. But let’s be honest, none of us were in bed until around 1:30, leaving us zombiefied for this rather hectic day of travel.

We arrived at the Copenhagen airport before the sun and had to say our very heartfelt goodbyes to King Philip. Tears were shed; not only because we had to leave the Mark of Den, but because we had to leave the ever-so-happy Phil. We all realized that the next time we would see him would be at the gates of Hell.. Aka, 2 a Days, or, Phil’s paradise. This warm and fuzzy side of Phil we had seen for the past 10 days was something to cherish. We’ll forever remember the happy times we shared, and the next time we want to curse him on the field, we’ll just dig up these memories and try to manage a smile. <3

But on a real note, we learned some very important lessons on the trip. The most important Danish term that Hannah and I (Gabby) learned was “udsalg” that translates to “sale” in English. And you best believe there were some excellent sales in Copenhagen. CHA-CHING (Sorry, Dad). We also learned that you always have to be alert on the streets because they are crawling with men. We’re not talking like “red-zone,” be on the lookout for creepers, we’re saying keep an eye out for the thousands of Calvin Klein model lookalikes. It’s safe to say that finding a boyfriend in the States is highly unlikely after this trip, as our standards have been set rather high (Phil knows).
We also learned not to take ice water, air conditioning, real cereal, and soft toilet paper for granted. (S/O to Momma D for always buying Charmin Ultra).

All in all, the trip was an amazing experience. Who wouldn’t want to spend 10 days in Europe with 15 of their best friends? (It’s getting cheesy now). But really, Santos is the best. We couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to call teammates. From the sightseeing to the shopping, to the soccer and interacting with the Danish girls, there was never a dull moment. The soccer was awesome to watch, and celebrating first place was something none of us will ever forget. Nothing makes a championship game more dramatic than a penalty shootout followed by a celebratory dog pile. We could go on for days, but we’ll save it.

Thank you to all the parents that accompanied us on the trip, even though sometimes we were taking care of you guys… You were super, nonetheless. And, thanks to Phil, Father Goose, for taking us under your Danish wing. We are eternally grateful (read in the Alien voices from Toy Story).

See you all at 2 a Days… Try to remember what we all look like smiling.

Gabby
Madi