Jan, the "taxi driver"

After the game, Diane and I walked to a grocery store to find lunch stuff and I am sure glad we did. We went to the store, Globus, and saw there was an adjacent restaurant, kind of like Ikea. We looked at the menu and weren't sure what anything was, but we grabbed a tray and hopped in line. I was looking at everyone's tray hoping to point to one when I got to the front of the line since none of the workers seemed to speak English. I got a potato based dish, Diane got a meat, gravy and bread dish, and it was about $4 a person! We wandered around Globus after that and it was AMAZING! Diane said "you never have to go anywhere else," and it was so true. It seemed to have everything you could ever need: groceries, clothes, shoes, office supplies, home furniture, etc. I took a lot of pictures inside. We did our grocery shopping and then walked back to the hotel.

Since we had the rest of the day off, I wanted to go into town to see Ostrava. I was kind of under the impression that there wasn't much to see, but I was pleasantly surprised when all was said and done. I went down to the lobby and apparently a young guy (~24 years old) had volunteered to drive some of the team into town since he was headed that way anyway. I first thought he was our taxi driver, and so I was really confused when we got in his Chevy and he started talking about school. Turns out he was just a nice guy. His name was Jan and he was working on his second master's degree in a town nearby. He was from a small town outside Ostrava. He dropped us off at a mall and the 7 of us had a good time browsing the stores. I got a draw string backpack to replace my plastic bag I've been using as a softball bag, (it's good to be a pitcher). Diane, Priya, Maria and I were waiting on the stairs in the mall for the other girls when Jan magically appeared again and offered to show us around. He was done with his errands in town and took a chance on finding us in the mall and we were thankful he found us! 

He drove us to the town hall where there is a tower with a view of the city. We didn't have much time but we made it to the top and the view was great. He pointed out a mountain made of trash which is the highest point in Ostrava and is on fire in the inside so it's warm even in the winter, and he told us how the land is sinking in various spots in the town. There was a stadium we could see that is no longer in use because of the sinking ground. 

After seeing the city, Jan led us to the main street in town that has the bars and restaurants. It's called Stodolni Street, and while it wasn't very lively on this Wednesday night, it was a cool place to see. He drove us back to the hotel after that and now Diane and I are siting by a restaurant trying to mooch some free wifi. 

Games tomorrow at 2:30 and 6! You can click here for the link to the tournament site. 

Not quite sure who we play yet, but we play the second place finisher of the other group and then the first place finisher. Looks like it will be some combo of Denmark, France or Switzerland. I don't think this is a standard bracket tournament...

I'll be sure to post updates though!