Cologne 🇩🇪

I enjoyed a much anticipated day today. Last year a friend let me know they were accepting applications for volunteers for UEFA Euro 2024 Soccer cup based in Germany. I applied for a role in VIP Guest Services based at Cologne stadium (similar role to what I held at Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast). I had an interview a few days later and in Feb was advised I had been successful. 

Today I collected my accreditation, one of my uniform packs (formal uniform to come) and had my first day of training. A fantastic group of experienced and skilled communicators and it will be a joy to serve alongside them. The trainers made quite a big deal about me being Australian and I am from the furtherest country in their volunteer pool 😊

I feel privileged and very excited to represent UEFA and care for the VIP soccer family next month.

Afterwards I caught the tram back to the city and walked the bridge from the Cathedral to the 'Triangle' building. The bridge is famous for the thousands of 'locks' and was very busy today. I then wandered along the Rhine taking the upper path as, due to flooding, the lower paths are under water. I then visited the Olympic and sports museum. An excellent museum with lots of interesting memorabilia to thrill a sports lover like me 😊

This evening I had the pleasure of catching up with one of the participants from the English immersion course I volunteered at last year in Bavaria. She is warm and friendly and we clicked straight away and so it was lovely to see her again 9 months later 😊

A fabulous day!