anyone who says soccer isn't a contact sport is crazy

hello all - here are some pics from a soccer match between the club that i play with and another regional club - it was really fun to watch (though we lost 2-0) but man, was it cold and yucky out. these guys are pretty damn serious about their game and they fought hard - by the end everyone was cut or bruised or muddied or all the above. our team is the one in blue and yellow.

practice happens at a field about 40 minutes from my house by tram and bus. everyone seems impressed that i come so far every week. little do they know how little i have to do!!

dunno if i mentioned this before but i got knocked the *hell* over during one practice and it took about 3 weeks before the bruise on my leg finally went away. i toughed it out though - got right back up, no complaints, etc. :-) usually though, the boys are pretty good about being careful around us delicate flowers.

something i find endlessly amusing is how dramatic the boys get during the games. they're constantly complaing, fussing at one another and throwing tantrums. us girls just roll our eyes at one another, of course. this is somewhat indicative of french culture in general i think. the squeaky wheel gets the grease and, boy, do they squeak!

our intrepid coach - wish i could tell you his name but i don't know it! only know about half the boys' names so far...

so right now i'm sitting at home listening to the wind HOWL outside. a storm, very like a good old long island nor-easter, is blowing through brittany. hope we don't lose power. tomorrow begins the second round of vacation in france, already....i'll be heading to quimper for a couple days, then to paris to meet my mom, who is very bravely travelling solo to visit me. we'll spend a couple days in paris and then tool around nantes and the loire valley.

stay tuned!