June 22
nd Arise in
San Marino and off to the
Adriatic Coast to check out the Italian Riviera.
Rimini is known for it’s night life. During the day, we soaked up some sun, went
for a swim and checked out the town.
Team dinner at a local restaurant at about 8:00 PM. Our bus driver insisted that a flat screen
t.v. be relocated to our section of the restaurant so we could watch the Italy
/ Brazil Confederations Cup match. Not quite
sure that would fly in America but am glad it does here. Go Roberto! I mentioned the night life and we assumed it
would pick up and we’d get to see some of the colorful sounds the city is known
for. Increasing numbers in the streets
were obvious with each passing hour, but our tired bunch departed by 11pm and
supposedly Rimini doesn’t start hopping until after midnight. It’s a good thing we left as the town flooded
uncharacteristically early the next morning.
We saw some photos on the internet and couldn’t believe it was the same
beach town we had spent time in the day before.
|
Rimini at dinner time |
|
Kelsea Brajkovich, Lindsey Bos & Jaclyn Softli |
|
Boys sticking together on the beach |
June 23
We arrived in Venice via boat to St. Mark’s Square where we
had half a day to see the immense city.
|
Rose Baker and Kasha Roseta |
|
XL Travel Guru John Dickinson & Ben Griffin |
|
Venice; a great place to lose yourself |
|
The Archers in the Piazza |
Many floated past the shops, the Basilica, the Prisons, Dodge’s Palace via gondola while others were curious to go deep into the city via narrow streets and throngs of people to find the perfect memento.
|
Newlyweds, according to Alfonzo the gondoliere |
Surreal to see water lapping against the edge
of the storefronts while boats silently cruise by the diners and shoppers and
businessmen with ease. Elena, our guide,
entrusted us to meet where she dropped us off.
From the outside, it seemed so simple, meet right back where we began.
|
The Piazza inVenice |
However, once we walked deeper into the city it was amazing how each of
us just wanted to go ‘a little further’ or see what the next cobblestone street
or canal lead us to.
Up to this point, each bus back to the hotel has been full of chatter; either about how that was their new favorite city, how they wanted to stay longer, or how many gelatos our trainer Chris Melton had consumed.
|
Let's meet back at that one bridge... you know... with the boats underneath |
Slowly but surely, the mealtime seating arrangements began changing. Early on they were predictable: roommates together, the
freshmen class… what you would expect. Our time together is allowing our team time
to realize we do have plenty in common and at the same time appreciating and enjoying each others
differences. They have learned it is more fun than always staying in their comfort zone. Ben and Nick are steering clear of their
boring parents and finding a seat next to a Husky. They have been watching the Huskies play
since they were born, they know them by jersey number and position. I am happy they get to hang with fantastic
young women at a young age. Between the
castles and pizza, the boys can only soak up so much history so they constantly ask: “When is the next game?”
Lesle split the team into groups that will study, take
photos, and present once back on American soil. Topics to be discussed are; Religion, Politics, Sports and Art & Culture. It is no
coincidence that players who were grouped together have different backgrounds and opinions about their topic. Some players originally were hesitant to fight for their point of view, others
frantically scribbling on a receipt to make sure the fact they heard was not
forgotten. I look forward to hearing their points of view.
|
Another day at the office |
Throughout our journey many have been appalled that a public
restroom can cost one Euro. I wonder what
their take will be when they return to the states and they hit the public
restroom. I hope at least one thinks, “I
would pay a Euro to have a clean toilet seat, a door that latches, some t.p.
and a floor that isn’t damp” I think a
spotless public restroom is worth the Euro. Then again, I am not a college
student… and the age where my quads are on fire when I have to hover over the seat.
|
Heading back to the hotel |
No comments:
Post a Comment