April 20th to 24 - Hockey in Engelberg, Switzerland

Team Northmen 2006

Donald and I drove from Frankfurt to Switzerland in our rental Mercedes wagon... we have come to the conclusion that the reason there are so many cool wagon models here is that minivans (and their bad gas mileage) have never caught on in Europe... wouldn't handle well on the Autobahn either!

Why Engelberg? Donald and his 3 brothers (David, John and Thane) have played "oldtimers hockey" with a team of Canadians, Swedes, Germans and Americans called "The Northmen" since the mid-80's, in Engelberg, the Czech Republic, and beyond. The boys hadn't played for over 8 years, but last year they decided on a reunion in 2006. Engelberg is a lovely little town in the mountains near Zurich, with spectacular views as you hike or take the gondola to the top of Mt. Titlus. We stayed in the Hotel Europe, an Art Nouveau hotel with great views of the mountains



The guys had tons of fun - played really hard, and stood their own, against teams a lot younger than the Northmen!



We had a fun banquet evening - who would have expected a contortionist as entertainment (note accordian player in the background...)?!?! Everyone had a chat with Kippy, back in BC, who wasn't able to make it... we're all thinking about you!



If you'd like to see all our photos from Engelberg, see our other website http://spaces.msn.com/leahanddonald/