UIMLA AGA Slovakia

Leave home at 4am, drive through the night fueled by coffee and tunes, ignore the sting in your eyes, the fizzy brain. Sleep is for the weak.

Fly out of Manchester to country number two, Dusseldorf is a stop, à no show, no sense of place.

Meet other international delegates in country number three, Krakow could be lovely, who knows, airports are either brilliant or not, architecture and purpose collide, this one tips the scales. Laugh joke, try not to think of the four hour taxi transfer into the Tatra.

Darkness falls
, a sublime sunset whistles past as we race to the horizon, country number four doesn't even register, just is.

Arrive, more caffiene.

Aquapark City, Slovakia.
My first Olympic pool swim, numbers wrong, harder, easier, wow. 18 other pools, might not see them all, gonna try.

Beer, wine, laughter. Comaraderie.
Bed.