2004 Italian Tour Journal
8/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
DAY 1: Today we began our journey to Italy. We arrived at the airport around three and it was pretty busy for a Wednesday. We got on the plane quickly for a two-hour flight to Atlanta. Everyone tried to stay awake so we could sleep most of the trip to Germany so we all read. We arrived in Atlanta and ate some dinner and quickly boarded the next plane to Munich. We were very lucky that the flight was not very crowded and we each got our own row to lounge and relax on the long seven-hour flight. By the time nightfall arrived we were all sleeping soundly awaiting our arrival in Germany.
- Katie Mang (Austintown, Ohio/Fitch), junior defensive specialist
DAY 2: We arrived on time this morning in Munich at 11 a.m. It was a long flight and we still had a lot of traveling ahead of us. We got our bags and began our long journey by train. For many of us this was our first real train ride. It was an interesting experience. It was a beautiful ride through the Alps with very impressive scenery. Once we arrived at our destination we grabbed our heavy bags for one last time and headed for our hotel. We were dragging, all of us were tired and sweating. We finally reached the youth hostel we would be staying in for a few days, then dropped off our luggage walked to dinner. It was such a relief to walk without the heavy loads on our backs. We ate at a beautiful Italian restaurant that was outside with grape vines over our heads and roses surrounding us. The food was served family style so we all got a taste of Lana, Italy. Needless to say we all left very full and ready for bed and ready to start our next day.
- Kara Warnke (Aurora, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit {Lock Haven University}), senior middle blocker
DAY 3: Today was our first day of practice to loosen our legs from traveling. First, Mora tried to find her way through Lana. The first group made it to practice on time but the second group was an hour late because Mora got lost on her way to pick them up. After pracrice we went on what Ruth (Ladurner-Schnitzer) called a walk to the restaurant where we ate lunch, but in America we would call it a hike. We got pictures with wild goats during the hike so that was neat. After lunch we hiked back to the cable car that would take us back down to the car. We then went to Ruth's to swim and play with her huge dog. Her house is awesome. We got to pick pears, peaches and apples from her orchard, which was also neat. Finally we got to compete against Ruth's Italian team that night. We won three games to two and then they joined us for pizza afterward. We learned a lot from them. It was a fun day.
- Danielle Holt (Galion, Ohio/Galion), junior outside hitter
DAY 4: We knew that the day would be crazy when our scheduled practice turned into a match against our opponent from last night. Needless to say that poor showing left a slightly bitter taste in everyone's mouth. After the morning game our spirits were lifted as half the team decided to jump off the alps. Our hang gliding experience provided us with many scary, daring and hysterical memories. The other half decided to go for a nice lunch and survived without the use of our translater Ruth (Ladurner-Schnitzer). The day rounded out with a bit of chaos because our van broke down, but we ended on a good note with an intense and competitive intersquad match, a great pizza dinner and some of the best ice cream we ever tasted. The best part of the day was being able to go to bed earlier than normal. We have a lot of sleep to catch up on because a long and great day awaits us in Venice tomorrow.
- Anne Butts (Bloomington, Ill./University), junior setter
DAY 5: Today we were up at 5:30 a.m. We said good-bye to Lana and headed off to Venice. We traveled for three hours on a two-story tour bus, stopping only once to grab some food. Once we arrived, we took a boat from the main land to the island. We stopped to take some good pictures and visited the breathtaking church of Saint Marco with gold ceilings and mosaic floors. Around 5 p.m. we hopped back on the boat were we were taken back to our bus and headed out for another three-hour journey to Florence. When we arrived at the airport, we realized that our bus driver only accepted cash so Mora went to the ATM to withdraw some cash only to find that her visa was not working properly. Without any cash or visa Mora was forced to ask for donations from the team temporarily so we could pay for the bus trip. It was very amusing. From there we took cabs to the Hotel Tina where we would be bunking for the next two nights.
- Michelle Corniffe (Ajax, Ontario/Ajax), senior outside hitter
DAY 6: We got lucky and Mora let us sleep in today so we rose around 9 a.m. and went to work out as a team. We went running through Florence where our 15 pairs of long legs got a lot of attention. We finally arrived at a park where we stretched and strengthened our muscles. We then went to have lunch at Giavanni's Place and then set out for the next four hours to shop, bargain, flirt, and see the sights. At 5:30 we had to be back at the hotel. From there we took the bus to Michealangelo's statue of David (not the original) atop a hill with a beautiful look out where we took many team pictures. Mora incorporated some team bonding in here so we shared physical and mental stories and also some embarrasing moments. Last, we had dinner and after that our daily gelatto (ice cream).
- Anja Knabe-Paulsen (Schwarzenbek, Germany/Darlington School {Ga.}), freshman setter/outside hitter
DAY 7: Today was our last day in Florence. We woke up bright and early so we could go and see the real David, one of Michealangelo's most famous sculptures. After that we stopped for a quick breakfast and headed back to the hotel. From there some of the girls headed out for some more shopping and a few rested at the hotel. Later in the afternoon we packed up our stuff and boarded the train for our trip to Rome. We arrived at our hotel and walked our bags up 118 stairs to the top floor. After settling in we walked over to a little trattoria restaurant and ate a very nice meal. Everyone was a little tired and crazy at dinner so we knew we needed a good night's sleep. When we got back to the hotel, we watched the end of the Brazil/Italy men's volleyball match on television. Until now, we have been deprived of television so it was nice to watch some of the Olympics as a team. We then headed for bed but there was no air conditioning and being on the top floor was very hot to say the least.
- Laura Jensen (Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville), freshman defensive specialist
DAY 8: Today was our first day in Rome and it began early in the morning with a work out at the Circus Maximus. We took the metro to get there and that was an experience. We ended up getting separated into two different cars, so some of us didn't know where to get off. We found that this problem was best solved by pushing Annie off the car time and time again in order to see if we had reached our stop. We finally arrived there and immediately decided to reenact a chariot race. Some of us were the horses out in front and the others were behind making the chariot and the driver. After that small adventure we began our work out. We ran through a park then along the street to the Roman Gates. We ran back and then did some more exercises to finish our workout before heading to the Colosseum. It was absolutely amazing. We looked around for about a 1/2 hour, taking many pictures and standing in awe. For lunch we ate at a restaurant right across the street with an amazing view of the Colosseum. For the first time in a few days we got ice in our drinks so we were all very excited. After the long morning we were all in need of a nap. We took about three hours in the afternoon to relax and cool off and finally received fans for our non air-conditioned rooms. At about 5:30 p.m. we set out again for an evening of sight-seeing. We took the metro but when we got off we were unsure as to where to go. Lucky for us an older gentelman overheard us and soon became our tour guide who took us to the Pantheon and past the structure that told the story of Rome. We found a small restaurant nearby and sat down for a wonderful dinner. After that we set off for more sight-seeing which was complimented by all of the lights that twinkled in the darkness. We saw the fountain of Trevi which was simply breathtaking. We each took a coin and threw it over our shoulder hoping it would land in the fountain, for that meant that we would visit that same spot again some day. In case you were wondering all of our coins made it in. From there we headed to our last stop of the night at the Spanish Steps. It was all lit up and just covered with people. As we wandered through the streets of Rome, there were musicians and artists in abundance making the evening full of wonderful music. After this long day it didnt take anyone long to fall fast asleep for the night.
- Sarah Wilber (Huron, Ohio/Huron), sophomore middle blocker
DAY 9: We got up to eat around 6:30 a.m. to prepare for a 3 and 1/2 hour trip to our next practice sight. The whole team was very tired and so we got on the bus and fell asleep right away. We woke up to the honking of our 50 seat bus. We were on a winding road and the middle of the mountains and the curves were so narrow that the bus had to honk to let oncoming drivers know we were coming. Finally we arrived to the gym which we named "the sauna" and had a good first practice. After the exciting shower, which by the way was cold, we went and had family-style lunch. Then we went and had gelatto once again and an older Italian offered us some whiskey. Well we drank water while he drank his whiskey. The afternoon practice in the sauna turned into and excellent intersquad match that made us excited for the up and coming season. Still freezing from the shower afterwards we went to Pepe's restaurant and had the most amazing ravioli. One hour and a lot of food later we got back on the bus to Rome. The winding road was not the best remedy for overly full stomachs, but we all made it safely back to Rome and into our beds for a good night's sleep.
- Ruth Ladurner-Schnitzer (Lana, Italy/Franz Kafka), senior right side hitter
DAY 10: On our last full day in Italy we traveled to the center of Rome to the Vatican City. We awoke around 7:30 a.m. ready for a full day of sight-seeing and took the metro to our first stop. We entered the Vatican Museum and were blown away by the magnitude and brilliance of what we saw there. We walked through the hallways of this ancient building and soon entered the Sistene Chapel. There we stood in awe, amazed by the colors and details of Michaelangelo's work. We saw many of the famous paintings such as "The Creation of Adam" and "The Last Judgement". We then headed out to lunch where the team ate pizza and drank coke at an American cafe. I can't forget about the free gelatto. After we were full, we gathered in front of St. Peter's Basilica. It is hard to explain in words how amazing and truly breathtaking the basilica really is. After walking around we headed to the top of it. After a short elevator ride, a challenge was before us. We had to climb 320 stairs, and they were not straight up.We went around spiral stair cases where we had to bend to the side because the walls were diagonal. We climbed in spaces where both shoulders were touching the wall. It was definitely an experience I will not forget. Although the trip up the stairs was tough, it was truly worth it. From the top you could see all of Rome. It was such a spectacular sight. After our adventure back down the stairs we returned to our hotel for a refreshing shower and some rest and relaxation. Our last night was spent once again at the Pantheon and the fountain of Trevi. We ate dinner together and then went our separate ways to finish our shopping as well as enjoy our last cone of gelatto. That is definitely something that we will miss. We ended our last night at the Spanish Steps from where we took the metro home. For the last time we climbed up to the fifth floor, closed our eyes and quickly fell asleep after our busy day.
- Tiffany Shanklin (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville), senior defensive specialist & Vaiva Laniauskas (Mentor, Ohio/Lake Catholic), freshman outside hitter/setter
DAY 11: Bright and early Satuday morning we packed and were ready to pile into taxis to start our trip home. I would be lying if I said we were sorry to leave.Our trip to Italy was far from relaxing. We squeezed every inch of possibility from every day. But it was exactly how we wanted it. Our flight from Rome to Atlanta was a long 10 and 1/2 hour flight that proved to make us a little antsy. A few players were forced to entertain themselves by searching forthe mole in a magazine (the things you do to amuse yourself). We watched two movies and about 17 shows. Amazingly, we all made it safely but not necessarily sane. Once we were in Atlanta we had a five-hour layover where people played dice and card games. The flight to Cleveland was way short in comparison to the first flight. All in all we are super excited to be home where you can get bagged ice, wear deodorant and order our food off a menu. WE LOVEAMERICA!!!
- Anne Zakelj (Willoughby, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), freshman middle blocker & Ashley Feutz (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon), freshman right side hitter
