August 19, 2006

De Rosa Daily
FEI World Equestrian Games 2006 - Aachen Germany
Exclusive coverage for HorsesDaily text and photos by Diana DeRosa

In Aachen and Credentialing

I had decided to come two days early because of the jetlag and giving myself time to prepare. Anyone who travels internationally knows how important it is to get a good night’s sleep on your first day arriving to a new time zone as that can help adjust your internal time clock. And so I got a terrific night’s sleep the first day.

However, I did go over to the showgrounds and got my credentials. While there was still a lot of hustle and bustle going on there were few journalists on the grounds and getting accredited was a breeze. I enjoyed watching some riders schooling in an outside arena and seeing the beautiful playing horses sculpture at the entrance.

Once back at the hotel there was even some time to wander a bit and see some of the sites. What interested me most was the fact that horses were everywhere.

Many of the windows were decorated with horse décor mostly about the World Equestrian Games. Hotels had horsey creations in their lobbies and outside and on top of buildings were the many horses that were all around town.

People were everywhere, dining at cafes, shopping, visiting the many historical sites or just wandering. It was nice to be part of the festivities and with camera in hand I captured some of the sites and the people.

In my wanderings I noticed that there was going to be music in the city center where a stage was set up. When I arrived with my camera the moderator was interviewing the German Endurance Team. They were all talking in German so I barely understood what they were saying but it was great that they brought the sport to the City in this way.

Afterwards a band played music onstage while a host of people watched. But then it started to rain and because of concerns for my camera I decided to head back to my hotel and file my first story.

So there you have it. Tomorrow is Opening Ceremonies and then on Monday the Endurance takes place. So, stay with me and feel free to email me your questions or comments (dderosa1@optonline.net).