Karen and Kath Travel to France - The Journey

Karen and Kath were invited to entertain and teach at Exposition Canine Internationale De Nantes on 11th & 12th December 2010.  A long journey of over 8 hours driving time but luckily both Allan and David travelled with them.  It was to be the Team's first "HTM" trip to France and their first journey using Eurotunnel. 

They arrived at Eurotunnel with enough time to spare to visit the shopping centre and were allowed to travel on the train due to leave thirty minutes earlier than the one booked.

 There is an amazing network for the loading of vehicles onto the train.

 Lorries were stacked up in a different area.

 On the way down to the loading area.

 And once onboard another long drive inside the train to get "parked".

Arriving in France - it was lovely to see the green grass and no snow.

It was a decent journey - except for one diversion which added an extra 90 minutes to their long journey.

Wind Turbines on the highest points of the landscape.

A very special photogragh!   Not often is Allan caught on film.

A welcome stop for the dogs and the Top Lodge Team even though it was bitterly cold. 

It had been a long day but the Team reached the Hotel in Nantes just in time to join the show organisers for dinner.

Russia - Day Five

It was another sight seeing day for Karen and Kath.  The temperature had dropped drastically to -23 degrees as they headed out North of Moscow to a walled Cathedral City called Sergiev Posad.

The Traditional Russian Dolls were the main items for sale - these vendors were sitting in the sunshine waiting for customers but it was bitterly cold. 

 One of the many stray dogs - this one was lame and a very sad sight to see.

 Some of the older Russian ladies call at the city daily, laden with bags of food for the pigeons and the dogs. 

Well dressed for the bitter breeze. Karen and Kath went through the arch to enter the Cathedral City.  The buildings are beautiful.

 Polina (centre) with her two Russian friends who accompanied Karen and Kath on their visit.

It was a beautiful day for sightseeing, luckily most of the Cathedrals and small shops were open and well heated for a regular thaw out!

Each of the Cathedrals within the walled city was of a different style.

 The magnificent Bell Tower.

 A totally cloudless sky showed these cathedrals at their very best.

 And the sun shone gloriously on the golden parapets.

 This small chapel was the source of the spring water.

The Fountain of "Healing Water" which runs from the small chapel was turned off this day due to the freezing conditions.

The pavements and roads were thick with ice and there was no sign of anyone making it safe for the walking visitors.

Suffering from the increasing cold, the party decided to make the return journey to Moscow City Centre.

 The group soon found warmth underground in the Metro.

The sights were fascinating - each station was of a different design - this station had many bronze life sized statues. 

The superstition is that if you stroke the dog’s nose it will help you to pass your exams – his nose was very shiny indeed! 

 A mosaic picture on the ceiling of another station.

This ceiling was adorned by exquisite chandeliers.  The stations were so busy, many people would not notice the ceilings unless the details were pointed out.   Karen and Kath were very grateful for their knowledgeable guides.

This was the deepest station, where Stalin met with the Russian Government during the war with archways made of solid steel, making it the safest place to be.

The Tube Trains entered each station at incredible speed - deposited and collected their passengers and sped off.  Trains were less than one minute apart which meant no one had to wait long for the next one to arrive.

More mosaic pictures on the ceiling - these were completed in Leningrad in the dark so the "artists" had to memorise where each different coloured mosaic was positioned on the area they worked.

After another long day of interesting sightseeing, Kath and Karen returned to their hotel on the Monorail. 

The following day, they caught their Swissair flights home just before the snow was due in Moscow.

Thanks to everyone who made their stay in Russia so good.

This one featured a soldier and his dog. 

Russia - Day Four

Day Four and Karen and Kath returned to the Competition Venue to take the HTM Seminar.   They were busy all day - from 10:00am till 7:00pm making sure everyone had good individual attention.  Many spectators were present so lots of questions to be answered.   Click Here for more photos taken on the day. 

At the end of the day it was time for more photographs as the handlers and translators gathered together.

 And then it was time to exchange gifts.

 Both Karen and Kath were given a "Goodie Bag" filled with mementos from Russia.

 The contents differed slightly!

 Karen was happy not to exchange!

All the delegates wanted to keep in touch and the easiest way is through the Top Lodge Website detailed on their clothing.

Time for another meal - this time it was decided to eat at the Ukraine Restaurant.  But sadly it was full so the group were directed across the road for an Italian meal.

 Wow!!   A beautiful restaurant - with a great selection of food.  This was to be Kath and Karen's favourite meal of the trip.

 Kath with Barbara one of the translators and driver over the weekend.

Karen with Polina and a representative of the Training Day.

The food was beautiful and when finished Karen and Kath went back to the hotel to take a well earned rest.

Russia - Day Three

Day Three started very cold with a covering of snow over the roads - but as almost all the cars in Russia are fitted with snow tyres, the journey to the Russian National Competition was no problem.   After an hours journey,  through a few small villages North of Moscow, Karen and Kath arrived at the spacious competition venue.

All the competitors were costumed very early and were each called for their practice time in the ring.  Food and toys were allowed for the practice time and for most this was probably their first indoor workout on carpet as most training is carried out in the open air!

The first class was the Children's Class where they were allowed to use food or toys  to help them through their routines.  The standard was excellent - especially the winner of this class - a young boy with a large Russian Black Terrier.

 Each handler made full use of their practice time.

 It was good to see a variety of breeds taking part in the classes.

The judges table was very busy!   Karen and Kath were to judge each routine under the FCI World Show Rules and the other seven judges would judge under the Russian HTM Rules.  Yes, nine judges sat at the top table, but the handlers coped with it very well - they are obviously used to this number watching.

All the competitors and their dogs were introduced in the spacious ring before the competition started.

 Thirty seven handlers - some with more than one dog to work.

The judging took some time.  After each routine, the handler had to wait in the ring for a short critique to be given by Kath and Karen - luckily the translator was very good.

The Russian results were announced first - the 7 judges had judged the competition as one whole class so it didn't take long.    Then the results of Karen and Kath's marks were given.

 Food prizes, certificates and medals were given out by both Karen and Kath.

Polina, the British judges' host, was the only entrant in the HTM Masters' Class - and obviously she was placed first!   It was a beautiful routine and a worthy winner.

 The first three placed in the Masters' Freestyle Class.  A beautifully controlled, enthusiastic Golden Retriever in First Place.

 The Freestyle Progress Class line-up.  Congratulations!

And at the end of the competition, Karen and Kath were given framed drawn pictures of themselves by Oksana Shokhalevich, an HTM enthusiast from the Ukraine
Thanks to the organisers and all the competitors for a very entertaining day.