With the arrival of 49 other teams from all over the world, it was definitely time for the koalas to come out to play and for Aus team members old and new to hone their skills in the art of koala-ing.
Thanom found a cunning way to induce a bit of tranquility in the midst of all the adrenaline-filled games – with a giant poster-sized scratchie of Europe. Never before have we seen Grace and Eugeniya so quiet and calm as when they had to concentrate on ever so carefully revealing Ukraine and Italy – the countries Australia’s first two EGMO teams have visited. We’ve already marked The Netherlands with a “to visit” sticker ready for our 2020 team. Together with our national flag, mascots Fermat’s Last Theorem and Fermat’s Little Theorem can keep this poster safe for Australian EGMO teams for many years to come 🙂
The afternoon was enjoyed visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Gold-domed churches spanned the huge site and all the frescoes and intricate gold detailing on the inside were simply breathtaking. Underground, we were intrigued by the labyrinth of caves lined with mummified monks and way up high at the top of the Great Lavra Bell Tower we took in the (literally) brilliant panoramic views of Kyiv.
The giant shiny mirror-ball of an egg (there commemorating Easter, we think) actually seemed like it was designed specifically to shine bright for EG(G)MO 2019.
To end our afternoon at the monastery and reassure Grace that another walk down the hill was justified, we savoured the jam-filled shortbread-like tarts made by the monks of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
Naturally, the evening was spent playing games and our love of Gluck was shared with Susanne and Luise from Germany. We are definitely looking forward to a few nights’ time when the official games room will be set up and primed for more sharing of games with contestants from around the world.
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