London Calling

     I have been in Europe for about eleven days now, and I absolutely love it! The last time that I was in Europe was this past February when I went to Switzerland to climb outside. This trip is a little different, since I am more focused on competitions at the moment. My trip began in Munich, Germany, with the last Boulder World Cup of the season. Going into the competition I was nervous, but excited to be competing in my second World Cup. Unfortunately the competition did not turn out the way I had hoped, but at this point it is more about gaining as much experience as possible to better prepare myself for next season. Despite my underwhelming performance, I did enjoy myself. The problems that I got to climb on were tricky, but just what I need to become more familiar with in order to improve my climbing. Watching the rest of the competition was very exciting, and the problems looked like they were very fun to climb on. I feel like I cannot talk about the competition without mentioning the venue. The competition was held at the Olympic stadium, which was constructed for the 1972 Olympics held in Munich. Since I am a bit of a history buff, I was quite excited by the fact that I got to compete at the stadium where so many other amazing athletes competed before me. All in all I would say that my trip to Munich was a great one!

Munich Olympic Stadium

After I stuck the dyno in qualifiers! Photo by: Patho Dieguito

     Following the Munich World Cup I made my way to Sheffield, England, with my friend Alex Puccio. Alex has been living here for a few years, so it has been nice to see England with, basically, a local. I had never been to England before, but I’ve always wanted to go. I have to say that so far I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. The climbing gym here, The Climbing Works, is just what I need to get better at the European style of setting. The gym is equipped with all of the slabs and volumes my heart can desire. I have two more competitions before I go back to the states, so The Climbing Works in Sheffield is the best place for me to train.

Alex and me after a day of training at The Climbing Works!

     I obviously couldn’t see England and not make my way to London, so last Thursday Alex, Tash, Adrian, and I drove to London for a weekend of site seeing, good food, shopping, and a bit of partying. I blame the trip to London for the excessive amount of luggage I’ve been toting around, but what can I say a girl needs options! London is absolutely beautiful, and filled with so many historic places. Whether you are visiting Buckingham Palace or just walking along on the old cobblestone roads, there are moments where you feel as though you have been transported through time. I will definitely have to go back for a bit longer next time in order to see everything that I want to see. I really love big Cities, so getting to walk around and look at all of the buildings whilst observing the vast array of people in the city is almost mesmerizing and very enjoyable. It is no secret that I love fashion, and I love to shop, so being in a city where fashion is so major was just the cherry on top for me. The next stop for me will be Arco, Italy, on Thursday (my Birthday!!!) and I cannot wait! Ciao, until then. 

The Burberry store on Regent Street! 

I had to pick up a copy of Tattler! It's almost as good as Vogue ;)