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Bears in Italy and GreeceAn inside look at our 2022 Foreign Trip!
Each day we will hear first-hand from your bears spotlighting an experience of our amazing trip!! |
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Our last day :( Today we travelled to Sounion! The drive from our hotel to the Temple of Poseidon was gorgeous! Mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. Placed high up in the rocky terrain the Temple of Poseidon was built on top of another temple and you were able to see miles and miles of sea when you look over the rocks. Making our way down from the temple most of us enjoyed fried squid in a beach side restaurant. As we hung out on the beach some of us swam while others tanned. We were able to walk along the coast to a fun cave in the rocky beach as well as swim along the coast and see the natural wildlife below with goggles some of us had purchased in Cinque Terre. Along the shore we found shells, rocks, and sea glass to bring home as souvenirs of our last beach day. After a sun filled morning on the beach we made our way to our final match of our trip! The four set match was an exciting end to our trip. Leaving with a win gets us excited to get back in the gym come August! We are so grateful to be able to play this summer with our freshmen and returning team. We have definitely used this time to bond both on the court and on the beach ;)
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Today we woke up early to get on a bus to Rome. Everything did not go to plan, however, as the bus didn’t come until 10:30 - over 2 hours late.
We had a long day of travel ahead of us. The trip would be about 5 hours total, but to split up the trip we stopped at a winery for lunch. The team had a great time there, we got to taste 3 different wines: 1 white and 2 reds. Maddie and Mimi were the experts. Mimi said you need to smell the wine with your mouth open so you get the taste too. Maddie had a trick for drinking the wine: “fancy gargle” it so you coat your whole tongue. They also brought out a lot of different dishes for us to try. There were cooked vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, and peppers, bread with tomatoes, lasagne, and a dessert with jam. We also found a super cute place for photos at the winery!! The view was super pretty where we sat, overlooking hills and trees. The place we took a lot of photos though was a flower wall. After our stop for lunch we got back on the bus, expecting just another 2 and a half hour drive. Things, however, did not go as planned. Instead of 2 hours, we spent almost 5 on the bus due to traffic being completely stopped. We literally sat in the same place for so long some of the girls grabbed a towel and went to the bathroom on the side of the road. Another driver next to us got out and lit a cigarette. During our time in traffic we had a team meeting discussing how to up student attendance at our games. We threw out a lot of ideas including giving out rewards for coming to a lot of games. As time dragged on, we slowly accepted we would not be seeing the Colosseum when/if we ever got to Rome. We were definitely disappointed that we wouldn’t see the most iconic landmark in Rome but in all honesty I think we all just wanted off the bus more than anything. Finally, a little after 7 we got to the hotel. As we were driving through town we were looking at all the cars. Compared to home they’re tiny!! Syd described it as the mouse town in zootopia (she LOVED the tiny cars, especially the fun colored ones). Our hotel was also small. I shared a room with Mimi and we had about a foot of space to walk. Our beds were facing each other, toe to toe. We had a bit of time to relax then headed off to dinner at 8. We went to a pizza place. After a week in Italy we all thought we knew the meal that lied ahead of us, but little did we know that this restaurant was not like the others. Instead of 4 courses (pasta, meat, salad, dessert), this place had more like 10. We started off with a pile of bread and then they brought out more bread, but with tomatoes. Following the bread, we got salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and carrots. Then came the pizza: cheese, and mushroom. Up next was a pasta dish. We had ravioli with spinach and a red sauce of some kind. After all this food we figured dessert was next. But no, we got yet another course of pot roast. And yes, it was a direct taste from home (it was nearly identical to the one my grandma makes). Instead of dessert they brought out lemon cello and we each got to try a little bit. It was very sour and tasted like a lemon head. When we got back to the hotel it was close to midnight. I, for one, went straight to bed. - Rachel Greek, Freshman I STARTED OFF THE DAY BY HAVING AN AMAZING BREAKFAST HERE AT HOTEL MOXY, WHEN I WOKE UP I HAD TONS OF BIRTHDAY WISHES WHICH WAS SUPER SWEET. AFTER BREAKFAST WE GOT ON THE SUBWAY TRAIN TO HEAD TO A TOWN TO THEN GET ON TO A FERRY. THE TRAIN RIDE WAS ABOUT 20 MINUTES AND THEN THE FERRY WAS ONLY AN HOUR AND A HALF OR SO, I GOT A REALLY GOOD COFFEE ON THE WAY AND SOME OREGANO CHIPS WHICH WERE NOT BAD. Once we got off the ferry we went to this super cute beach which amazingly blue and clear water, we stopped to take some pictures and then we all got in! We swam, found a jellyfish, i found a crab claw and then this little girl started to play a game with us. We got some lunch and this food stand at the beach, I got chicken nuggets and fries. AFTER LUNCH WE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO DO SOME MORE SHOPPING SO WE WENT TO SOME SMALL SHOPS I TRIED PISTACHIO BUTTER AND THEN BOUGHT SOME CUTE PANTS AND OF COURSE GELATO! WE GOT BACK ON THE FERRY AND SUBWAY AND WHEN WE GOT BACK I WAS SURPRISED WITH TWO CAKES AND A CUTE SETUP FROM THE WHOLE TEAM FOR MY BIRTHDAY IT WAS SO CUTE!! WE ALL GOT READY FOR A DELICIOUS DINNER JUST DOWN THE STREET AND THEN IT WAS DEFINITELY TIME FOR BED WE WERE ALL TIRED BUT IT WAS SUCH A GOOD DAY! - Bella VanLannen, Freshman
THIS MORNING I WOKE UP LATE AT 930 AND WENT DOWN TO BREAKFAST AT 10, WHERE I ATE A MINI CROISSANT, EGGS, TOMATOES, CUCUMBER, OLIVES, GREEK YOGURT + NUTS, AND A COFFEE. WE THEN HEADED OUT TO THE ACROPOLIS BY WALKING THROUGH THE CENTER MARKET, THE WALK WAS KIND OF LONG BUT REALLY NICE, WITH A BEAUTIFUL BREEZE UP TO THE ACROPOLIS. WE GOT TO THE TOP OF THE ACROPOLIS WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE TEMPLE RUINS. WE SAW THE PARTHENON, THE ERECHTHEION, AND WENT TO THE MAIN LOOKOUT SPOT THAT OVERLOOKED ALL OF ATHENS, WHERE YOU COULD SEE THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC RUINS AND THE MODERN OLYMPIC STADIUM, AND A VIEW OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. WE ALSO SAW A PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF THE ERECHTHEION TEMPLE! After spending an hour or two up on the top of the hill, we made our way back down through the streets to find something for lunch. There were a lot of street merchants/vendors selling mostly jewelry, paintings, and antiques, which we stopped to look at. We got lunch at a café called Great Bageion, which included a salad and baklava. We took it to go and walked back to eat it in the hotel lounge area. Then we got some down time before we left for our game!
We arrived at the gym (which was thankfully cooler and less humid than the gyms in italy) and started with some serve and pass before warmups. We played against Markopoulo revoil and won in 3 sets! We had great serving and passing, with Boon serving ace after ace in the third set. After the game we exchanged jerseys & shirts with our opponents, and found out that one of the girls is coming to the US to play at Dartmouth! We took a group picture, and then did a much needed team cool down stretch session. We then took our bus to a really cool restaurant that was under a roof with grape vines growing around it. We started dinner with many appetizers, including greek salad, tiropitakia, cooked spinach and beets, tzatziki sauce, spicy hummus, fried zucchini, and fried potatoes (just french fries). Then we had the choice of having delicious souvlaki chicken, pork, or hamburger. We finished with watermelon for dessert! During dinner we were lucky to see fireworks down the hill, as well as a cat that was hanging around our table. We drove back to our hotel, where I ended the day with a call to my Dad to wish him a happy Father’s day. It was a very eventful day, but I was grateful for our downtime and the beautiful weather! - Mimi Dunda, Senior Today was our first day in Athens! We started off the day with leaving the hotel at 6:20am to leave for the airport at 6:30 to catch our 9 am flight. The airport wasn’t super busy but I did get stopped for a random selection in the TSA line and got yelled at in Italian because I didn’t understand what the lady was saying. Once we boarded the plane the flight felt super fast and was pretty easy other than the little to no leg room, which I know was a struggle for me and a lot of other girls on the flight. We got to the hotel at around 2:30 with the time change and began exploring Athens at 3! We first stopped at the Parliament and we saw the guards standing outside of the building. We watched them do their strut where they walked back and forth and kicked out their legs. They change every hour because of the heat and they protect the congress 24 hours a day. From there we walked to the first modern Olympic building which was designed in 1874. The building was completely made out of marble and they had the huge Greek columns in front which I thought was super cool to see in person. Then we walked to where the Greek national games were held. It was built in the 6th century BC and could hold 80,000 people. While we were there we stopped at a little food stand where I got these small croissants filled with chocolate and a vanilla milkshake. Finally we walked to the town square where we had a few hours to shop and do whatever we wanted. I split off in a group with Syd and Penelope where we jewelry shopped all day. I ended up getting two rings, a necklace, and some candy. After a few hours we walked to a gyro restaurant where Guy Fieri once ate. We had a very fresh Mediterranean salad with pork gyros and Greek yogurt mixed with honey and a cinnamon cake for dessert. Overall it was a great day and I am excited to further explore Athens tomorrow! - Maddie Davies, Sophomore
MY NAME IS ZOE GIBBS, AND I AM A FRESHMAN FROM LONGMONT, COLORADO! TODAY WAS A PACKED DAY. THE MAIN EVENTS WERE THE VATICAN, THE MUSEUM AT THE VATICAN, THE COLOSSEUM, THE PANTHEON AND THE TREVI FOUNTAIN. IN TOTAL WE WALKED GIVE OR TAKE 20,000 STEPS AND OVER 10 MILES. 20,000 STEPS IN BIRKENSTOCKS IS NOT THE MOST PLEASANT EXPERIENCE I HAVE HAD BUT I DIDN’T THINK MY DIRTY, PINK NIKES WOULD MATCH MY VATICAN ATIRE AND I ONLY BROUGHT TWO PAIRS OF SHOES SO IT IS WHAT IT IS. FOR BREAKFAST I HAD A CROISSANT, A PIECE OF HAM, SOME FRUIT, AND AN ESPRESSO. AFTER BREAKFAST WE WALKED TO THE SUBWAY TO GO TO THE VATICAN. THERE WAS A LINE GOING ACROSS THE ENTIRETY OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE BIG CIRCLE TO ENTER THE MAIN CHURCH, WHICH HAD TO BE HOURS OF WAITING, SO WE DECIDED AGAINST GOING INSIDE. THEN WE WALKED TO A CASTLE AND LOOKED OVER A BRIDGE AT A RIVER. AFTER THAT WE TOOK A LONG WALK TO THE MUSEI VATICANI. OUTSIDE THERE WAS A FOUNTAIN THAT RAN CONTINUOUSLY WHICH WAS SUPER COLD.  AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MUSEUM THERE WERE STATUES AND BUSTS. SPARSED EVERY SO OFTEN WAS A REALLY SCARY LOOKING HEAD LOOKING DOWN ON US WHICH I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED. WOULD HAVE LOVED TO MEET THE PEOPLE WHO SCULPTED THOSE BECAUSE YOU JUST KNOW THEY WERE A GOOD TIME. MY FAVORITE STATUE I SAW WAS THE DISCOBOLUS OF MYRON WHICH IS THE ONE OF THE MAN THROWING A DISCUS. I’VE SEEN THAT ONE SO MANY TIMES IN SCHOOL AND PICTURES SO IT WAS SO COOL TO SEE IT IN PERSON. YOU WOULD PROBABLY MISS IT IF YOU WEREN’T LOOKING HARD BECAUSE IT WAS ON THE SIDE OF A ROOM THAT WAS ROPED OFF.  AT SOME POINT IZZY AND I WERE SEPARATED FROM OUR BIGGER GROUP SO WE JUST KEPT GOING ON OUR OWN. WE ENDED UP BEHIND A GROUP AND WALKED INTO A ROOM WHERE A GUARD ROPED IT OFF BEHIND US SO WE DEFINITELY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE BUT WE WERE. IT ENDED UP BEING A SHORT CUT BECAUSE WE GOT OUT WAY BEFORE THE REST OF THE GROUP. MY FAVORITE ROOM WAS THE ONE WITH HUGE MAPS OF THE ROMAN’S INTERPRETATIONS OF THE WORLD’S TOPOGRAPHY AT THE TIME. THE THOUGHT OF MAKING MAPS WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY BOGGLES MY MIND SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS SUPER INTERESTING. AFTER THAT WE ENTERED THE SISTINE CHAPEL. WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE PICTURES INSIDE AND SOMEONE WAS OVER THE SPEAKERPHONE SAYING “SILENCE, SILENCE! NO PHOTOS!” JUST AS MICHAELANGELO ENVISIONED I AM SURE. AT THE TOP WAS THE PAINTING THE CREATION OF ADAM WHICH IS SUCH AN ICONIC PAINTING SO IT WAS COOL TO SEE IT IN THE FLESH. CASCADING DOWN FROM THERE WERE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PAINTINGS THAT COVERED THE ENTIRETY OF THE WALLS AND CEILINGS.  ONCE OUT OF THE CHAPEL WERE EXHIBITS OF DIFFERENT ARTIFACTS FROM THE VATICAN. IZZY AND I GOT OUT AT 12:00 AND HAD A GOOD 30 MINUTES UNTIL WE HAD TO MEET WITH THE GROUP SO WE FOUND A SHADED BENCH TO REST OUR LEGS ON. ONCE MORE PEOPLE CAME OUT WE SAT DOWN AND HUNG OUT WITH A FRIENDLY SEAGULL. HE LOOKED OLD AND SEEMED TO HAVE A WING THAT HE COULDN’T USE TO FLY AND CLEARLY LIVED OFF OF THE TOURISTS AT THE MUSEUM. PENELOPE FED IT SOME OF HER CROISSANT. AFTER THAT WE WALKED INTO TOWN TO GRAB SOME LUNCH. BELLA, MIA, PEN AND I WENT TO A LITTLE RESTAURANT AFTER BEING ENTICED BY THE WAITER WITH AC. WE ORDERED THE CARBONARA BECAUSE A PLAYER FROM THE 2ND TEAM WE PLAYED STRONGLY RECOMMENDED GETTING IT IN ROME. GREAT SUGGESTION, I ATE MY ENTIRE PLATE. WE THEN WALKED BACK TO THE TRAIN AND TOOK IT TO THE COLOSSEUM. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO THE DAY BEFORE BUT DUE TO A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS WE MISSED IT. NICK AND ____ WENT TO THE TICKET COLLECTOR TO PLEAD OUR CASE AND MANAGED TO GET US IN AND IN FRONT OF THE HUGE LINE THAT WAS WAITING. IT WAS SO CRAZY TO BE ON THE INSIDE IN REAL LIFE. I LEARNED OVER 300,000 PEOPLE DIED ON THE INSIDE WHICH IS HARD TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND.  AFTER THE COLOSSEUM WE WALKED TO THE ROMAN FORUM WHICH WAS THE MAIN AREA FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND MEETING PLACES. IT IS A BUNCH OF RUINS, BUILDINGS AND OLD ARTIFACTS RIGHT INSIDE THE CITY. WHEN I WAS A KID I WAS OBSESSED WITH ARCHEOLOGY AND ANCIENT HISTORY SO IT WAS AWESOME TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WE CONTINUED WALKING AND STOPPED AT THE PIAZZA DELLA ROTONDA, HOME OF THE PANTHEON. WE HAD 40 MINUTES OF TIME OFF IN THE SQUARE SO WE GOT GELATO. I HAD A CONE WITH STRACCIATELLA, CAFÉ, AND ANOTHER FLAVOR I POINTED TO RANDOMLY. THEN WE DID MORE WALKING. THIS TIME TO THE TREVI FOUNTAIN WHERE WE TOOK SOME PICS AND THREW IN COINS. THEN MORE WALKING TO THE SPANISH STEPS. THEN WE WALKED BACK TO THE HOTEL.  We had dinner at the same place as the day before. The first course was Tomatoes on Bread with Olive Oil, like Caprese without the mozzarella. Next was a cheese pizza. Then a Mushroom Pizza. Then a ravioli with meat in it, in a vodka sauce. Then a huge plate of chicken legs and potatoes. One of the longest and packed days we’ve had, but for sure one of the coolest!  - Zoe Gibbs, Freshman
Last day in Italy! We Woke up at 8am and Got breakfast as a team. I Ate a bowl of fruit, the fruit is amazing over here! After Breakfast, we all walked to the train station to go to Vatican City. the train ride was about 40 minutes long, it is a new experience riding trains and using all of the public transportation. When we arrived we looked around and enjoyed the views of the city and St. Peters Basilica, unfortunitely we were not able to go inside of the church because the line was super, super long. I definitely want to come back and go inside!  LATER ON WE WALKED OVER TO THE VATICAN MUSEUM, THE MUSEUM WAS SO PRETTY. IT WAS SO COOL AND AMAZING TO SEE ALL OF THE ART AND SCULPTURES. WE HAD FROM 10:30-12-30 TO ENJOY THE MUSEUM. THE WALK THROUGH THE WHOLE MUSEUM TOOK MOST OF THE TIME. THAT SHOWS JUST HOW BIG IT IS. IT ALSO SHOWS JUST HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO REALLY TAKE YOUR TIME THROUGHOUT THIS MUSEUM AND SEE ALL OF THE SIGHTS, I WISH WE COULD HAVE HAD A COUPLE MORE HOURS IN THERE, THERE WAS SO MUCH TO SEE. MY ALL TIME FAVORITE ROOM FOR SURE WAS THE SISTINE CHAPEL! WE WEREN’T ALLOWED TO TAKE ANY PHOTOS IN THIS ROOM HOWEVER, IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! ALL OF THE PAINTINGS WERE JUST SO COOL TO LOOK AT.   AFTER THE MUSEUM, WE ALL GRABBED LUNCH IN ROME. BELLA, ZOE AND I ALL GOT THE CARBONARA. THIS IS KNOWN AS A SIGNATURE DISH IN ROME AND I HAD TO TRY IT. THEY CRACKED THE EGG OVER THE PASTA AND THEN MIXED IT IN AND USED IT AS A SAUCE. ALSO, THERE IS AMAZING CUTS OF BACON THAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS PASTA. WE HAD ABOUT 40 MINUTES TO EAT.  OUR NEXT STOP WAS THE COLOSSEUM. THIS WAS SO COOL TO LOOK AT. WE WERE ABLE TO GO INSIDE THE COLOSSEUM AND LOOK AROUND. WE SPENT ABOUT 30 MINUTES IN LINE WAITING TO ENTER. AFTER SEEING THE COLOSSEUM WE TOOK A 45 MINUTE WALK THROUGH ROME TO GO TO THE TREVI FOUNTAIN. ON THE WAY OVER TO THE FOUNTAIN WE SAW SOME COOL OLD ANCIENT CITIES AND SCULPTURES DURING THIS TIME. WE GOT TO THE TREVI FOUNTAIN AND ME, BELLA, AND MIA ALL THREW A COIN IN AND MADE A WISH. THERE WAS TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO MAKE A WISH. EITHER THROWING IT OVER YOUR RIGHT SHOULDER THIS IS MAKING A WISH TO COME BACK TO ROME. AND, THROWING IT OVER YOUR HEAD WHERE YOU MAKE A WISH.
AFTER, THE TREVI FOUNTAIN WE WALKED OVER TO A GRAND STAIRCASE WHICH IS CALLED CAMPO MARZIO. THIS WAS A QUICK STOP AND WE ONLY STAYED HERE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THEN, WE HEADED OVER TO THE TRAIN STATION AND TOOK THE TRAIN BACK TO THE HOTEL TO CHANGE FOR DINNER. FOR DINNER WE WENT TO THE SAME SPOT AS THURSDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER, PASTA WAS DIFFERENT AND WE GOT CHICKEN BREAST. DINNER INCLUDED BREAD, CHEESE PIZZA, MUSHROOM PIZZA, SALAD, PASTA, AND CHICKEN BREAST. FINALLY WE ALL HEADED OVER TO THE HOTEL AND SPEND OUR LAST NIGHT IN ROME AND PREPARED TO LEAVE THE NEXT MORNING BRIGHT AND EARLY FOR GREECE!
- PENELOPE VERTIN, FRESHMAN We woke up bright and early and walked to the train station and took the train to Florence. Once we got to Florence we met up with our tour guide, guido. Shoutout to guido for being the best tour guide in the game, everyone should go give him a follow on instagram (@guidotheguide.official). He took us around florence and gave us insight on the history and the beauty behind the Piazza de Duomo. We learned so much about the historical, political, and artistic side of Florence. We saw Giotto’s bell tower and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fliore, saw where the infamous Dante lived, multiple pieces by iconic artists like Michelangelo, and tons more. AFTER OUR TOUR, WE HAD SOME FREE TIME TO WONDER AND EXPLORE DEEPER INTO THE CITY OURSELVES. WE ATE LUNCH, SOME OF US SHOPPED, OTHERS WENT TO MUSEUMS TO SEE ART LIKE THE DAVID BY MICHELANGELO AND MANY OTHER PIECES SOME OTHER MONUMENTAL ARTISTS IN HISTORY. SOME OF US EVEN SAW A GLIMPSE OF THE GUCCI MUSEUM. IT WAS SUCH A SURREAL EXPERIENCE BEING ABLE TO WALK AROUND A PLACE THAT YOU WOULD TYPICALLY SEE THROUGH THE INTERNET AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. AFTER SPENDING THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY EXPLORING FLORENCE, WE GOT BACK ON THE BUS AND HEADING BACK TO THE HOTEL TO PREPARE FOR THE MATCH WE HAD LATER THAT NIGHT. HERE THEY PLAY THEIR GAMES LATER AT NIGHT TO HELP WITH THE HEAT. OUR GAME WAS AT 8:45 SO WE HAD SOME DOWNTIME BEFORE WE HEADED OUT TO PLAY. AFTER SOME TIME OFF OUR FEET AND A LITTLE PREGAME MEAL, WE WERE HEADED TO PLAY OUR SECOND MATCH OF THE TRIP AGAINST PONTEDERA.
ONCE WE GOT TO THE GYM WE QUICKLY CHANGED INTO OUR VOLLEYBALL STUFF AND IT WAS GAME TIME. GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL AGAINST A FOREIGN TEAM IS BEYOND AMAZING. AS THE GAME GOT GOING WE FELL SHORT IN THE BEGINNING AND DROPPED THE FIRST TWO SETS. WE TOOK OFF STRONG IN THE NEXT SET AND TOOK THE 3RD. WE FOUGHT BACK AND FORTH WITH THEM IN THE FOURTH HOWEVER WE WE FELL SHORT IN THE LONG RUN. DESPITE THE LOSS, IT WAS GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR US TO WORK ON QUICKLY ADJUSTING TO OUR COMPETITION WITHIN THE GAME IN ORDER TO CREATE SUCCESS FOR OUR SIDE. ALSO IT WAS GREAT TO SEE ALL THE FRESHMAN GETTING IN AND CONTINUE TO SEE OUR CHEMISTRY GROW AS A WHOLE. AFTER THE GAME WE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO EAT DINNER AND HAVE PIZZA WITH THE OTHER TEAM. IT WAS SUPER FUN TO BE ABLE TO CHAT WITH THEM AND LEARN ABOUT AND COMPARE THE DIFFERENT CULTURES. A GOOD BIT OF THEM SPOKE ENGLISH SO IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO GO BACK AND FORTH WITH THEM ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING YOU COULD THINK OF. MY FAVORITE PART IS WHERE WE SING HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL TOGETHER! AS THE NIGHT BEGAN TO DIE DOWN WE SAID OUR GOODBYES TO OUR NEW FOREIGN BESTIES. WE GOT BACK ON THE BUS AND HEADED BACK TO THE HOTEL TO GET SOME REST IN ORDER TO BE CHARGED UP FOR OUR NEXT ADVENTURE! - ANNETTE BAKER, SOPHOMORE TODAY IN ITALY WAS A BLAST! LOTS OF SIGHT SEEING AND A FANTASTIC BEACH DAY! OUR DAY STARTED OFF FAIRLY EARLY AT 8:30 AM WITH A THREE HOUR BUS RIDE TO CINQUE TERRE. I SLEPT THROUGH THE ENTIRE RIDE, BUT WOKE UP ONCE TO SEE A BEAUTIFUL FARMING COMMUNITY. ONCE AT CINQUE TERRE, WE WAITED A WHILE TO BOARD A TRAIN THAT WOULD TAKE US TO EACH OF THE FIVE TOWNS: MONTEROSSO, VERNAZZA, CORNIGLIA, MANAROLA, AND RIOMAGGIORE. AS A TEAM, WE DECIDED TO HANG OUT AT THE BEACH AT THE FIFTH TOWN, WHICH I BELIEVE WAS MONTEROSSO. LITERALLY ALL WE DID FOR PROBABLY AND HOUR AND A HALF WAS CHILL IN THE WATER AND TAKE PICTURES OF EACH OTHER. SOME OF THE GIRLS GREW VERY FASCINATED BY THE COOL ROCKS, AND PICKED SOME OUT TO TAKE BACK AS SOUVENIRS, I FOUND SOME COOL ONES TOO. GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE WATER LOW KEY HURT, THE ROCKS FELT A LITTLE STRANGE.  After chilling in the water for a bit, some of us walked around to stop at some of the tourist shops. I found this cute zip up jacket and a cool magnet. We then walked a little further down and found a cute gelato place. I got two flavors, one was raspberry and I forget what the other one was called, but I know it started with an ‘a.’ Before we knew it, we had to take the train back to the station. Had to walk back to the bus to get ready for the next stop, Pisa! The bus ride was a lot shorter, and yes, I was asleep the entire ride. There’s just something about being on those buses that makes me pass out. At Pisa, we were given an hour or so to explore the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the surrounding churches. Of course, we had to do the cheesy tourist pictures where we pretend to hold the tower up; can’t see the tower and not do it, it’s basically an unspoken tourist rule. After realizing there wasn’t a ton we could do but stare at the tower and churches, the team walked back to get some food at a small restaurant on the corner. I ordered the margarita pizza, it was good. Yes that’s a bit vague, but that is the best word to describe it. Nothing too excited. After dinner, we all walked back to the bus that would take us to our hotel in Florence! The day has concluded. Ended a bit more burnt than when the day started, but completely worth it. - Izzi Bennett, Freshman  Today the Bears slept in after a long day of traveling! After breakfast at the hotel we loaded the bus and headed to Lake Como. When we parked at the Lake we were given free time to explore the town of Como, which had beautiful views, architecture, and amazing food! My group did a small hike to see some pretty views from above the lake. Then we got gelato and some food, I got strawberry and amarena flavors. We went down by the shore and put our feet in the lake, which was cool and felt amazing in the heat. We saw swans and geese as well. Then we met back up with the group to ride the ferry across the lake. It was a longer ride than expected, but the views were gorgeous! The ferry took us to Bellagio, where we got croissants before getting on another boat that took us to a different dock in Bellagio. There we had some espresso shots before getting on the bus to go to dinner. For dinner, we had pasta and salad, and a fruity pastry for dessert. It was delicious! We then got back on the bus to head to our match! AT THE MATCH, WE PLAYED AN ITALIAN B2 PROFESSIONAL TEAM. WE WARMED UP FOR ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE WE STARTED, AND THE GYM WAS VERY, VERY HOT. BUT WE FOUGHT THROUGH AND PULLED OUT A FIVE SET WIN! IT WAS SO FUN TO PLAY TOGETHER AS A GROUP AND GET TO COMPETE ALONGSIDE OUR FRESHMAN. WE DEFINITELY SHOWED THE WORK WE PUT IN IN PRACTICE LAST WEEK. THE OTHER TEAM WAS VERY KIND, AND EVEN SPOKE A LITTLE ENGLISH! WE GAVE THEM OLD UNIFORMS AT THE END AND THEY GAVE US JERSEYS AND WE ALL TOOK A PICTURE. WE THEN LOADED THE BUS, GOT SOME FOOD, AND CAME BACK TO THE HOTEL IN MILAN! TODAY WAS A GREAT DAY, AND WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY HERE AND EXPLORE! IT HAS BEEN A DREAM SO FAR AND WE ARE EXCITED FOR MORE!
- Michaela Boon, Senior |
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