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Tomorrow the stables are open, and all of the Federations will be moving
their horses into the stable. Horses have been spread all over for the past
month - France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands - finding little stables and
hotels to stay at while horses and riders adapt and recover from travel.
Lots of little stables - horses - everywhere in this country. Pamela and I
were checking on one of the trail crossings, not far from vetgatge
Drielanderik (this is the point where Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have
a common corner - also called Drielandpundt and Tois Bornes or 'three stone
markers') and we saw a suspiciously 'endurance' looking horse being saddled
up on a cobble stone stable yard just over the hedge, and the rider was
wearing a red/green/black UAE helmet. Of course curious, we walked over, but
the rider was leaving. The owners of the stable were very friendly though,
showed us around, told us about their guests, and their troubles. This was
where UAE - the Abu Dhabi, Al Wrsan Stable - group has been staying for the
past month. They brought over 11 horses and have been training here, but
somehow the politics of UAE left them out of the entries in the WEC. All the
riders are from Dubai (four Al Maktoums).

We spent the day driving around - in and out of the different villages, with
signs in Dutch, French and German - old old buildings, cobble streets,
pastures dotted with cows, wheat fields, carts of late summer vegetables,
very very picturesque country. Lunch at a cafe in some little town in
Belgium (menu was in French). Soon after we sat down a group (suspiciously
'endurance' looking) came to the restaurant too. Hello's and smiles (we
probably looked just as non-local as they did) - A little spanish was
spoken - aha! I can do this, sort of. Turns out it was the group from
Spain - chef d'equip Yerba Sanchez, (chef for the past 8 years), his wife
(selector for the past 9 years?) and the team vet, and a few family members.
Friendly folks, we exchanged a few 'do you know?s' - and knew many of the
same people. Small world gets even smaller at the WEC's.

We drove into Aachen for dinner, looking for a Turkish restaurant (had been
recommended) - ended up wandering through the muslim section of Aachen -
lots of little kebab cafes- Afganistan, Iranian (Persian), shops and stores.
Interesting area, fun to see something less German for a bit. However, we
ended up eating at a very German restaurant (were getting too hungry to keep
looking for the Turkish restaurant) - Wiener Schnitzel, Stroganoff, to some
very American canned Musak - and downstairs where the bathrooms were was a
bowling alley with a table full of German women drinking beer and having
dinner. The waiter spoke no English whatsoever but took care of us, and
after dinner gave us two little warm glasses of Frau-Schnapps. :)

Now I'm sitting upstairs, on the 4th floor, at the little table and 2 chairs
corner, where the wireless connection is strong enough to pick up. Sharing
the table with a few others, saying hi as folks walk back and forth. I feel
a little like a gate-keeper here but it's fun chatting as they return to
their rooms.

Got an email from Cidinha (Brazil) - they're in Aachen now, we'll meet up at
the stable. She'll have a million questions like usual. Will be good to see
her.

Tomorrow - to the USA stable, loading horses, travelling to the stable. -
and then the day will unfold.

-later

Steph


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