It's tough getting back to the lab from a week-long competition. Ten days of travel, practice, competition, sun, beach and team-fun rally re-sets your mind in a way that makes it hard to get back into the usual routine. On the other hand you feel physically exhausted, but mentally charged and alert. Weird combination...
Anyway, I'll upload the pictures from our trip as soon as I've received some pictures from the other guys. Our Bronze Medal is something to be proud of, even if we feel we should have fought for gold. Alas, it shouldn't be and we had it in our own hands when we lost the semi-final by one goal.
This was my fifth trip to Brazil and still it amazes me what a great place it is. Friendly, smiling people, exuding such a positive attitude and joy of life. After the Bronze Medal game we went out to the bar Porto Santo right on the Avenida Atlântica in Balneário Camboriú, a tourist town right next to Itajaí. At the bar played a band called "Grupo Sem Abuso" a music called "Pagode". The band was playing seemingly non-stop for three or four hours, every song blending into the next. I have no idea how they did that, but we danced the night away, enjoying the music, the heat and the fantastic atmosphere at the place. A memorable finish for a legendary trip.