Schwaz, Austria

After a few days in Austria, I have to say I'm a big fan. This is a beautiful city and a great place to be. Schwaz is a small town quite close to the German border and not far from Innsbruck. I don't think there are many more than 15,000 people living here. The football has been good so far. The standard is very high and there are many talented players in the squad. I have enjoyed the intensity of the training sessions and the coaching is very good. I have trained everyday this week and enjoyed my time so far. I'm joined here by another Canadian, Raq, who I have played with in the past at home in Vancouver. It's definitely nice to have a familiar face around. I have to admit it's pretty funny walking around town here, as we get quite a few strange looks. I think with this being a small town, everybody knows everyone and it is obvious when someone new is walking around town. As we were walking to the mall today between training sessions, we noticed a car go by and the people inside looking at us. As we turned the corner the same people were approaching us and started speaking German to us. I responded that we only spoke English and they stated they were with the police and asked to see our ID's. We were both pretty taken back by this and as we pulled out our ID's, they asked what we were doing here in Schwaz. As soon as we explained we were here training with the local team, they said OK and sent us on our way. Very strange experience to say the least... But it definitely confirmed to us that we stand out here. Tomorrow is a day off and we will be heading into Innsbruck (the closest large city) to check it out. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what the city has to offer. It will also be nice to give my legs a rest after a lot of training sessions this week. Overall it has been a good week in Austria and I only have good things to say. Hope you enjoy a couple pictures and videos I've taken so far. It's difficult to hear me talking on the videos as it was super windy when I took them... But anyways, you get an idea of what it looks like here. Enjoy!

Robbie.