Nothing cures jet lag like 48 hours of sensory overload!

Day 1-2 in Italy…Day 3-4ish of the journey:

Waiting to enter San Siro Stadium: Lesle's still got it!

Our team did unbelievably well during the 48 hours of travel and arriving early morning in Milan.   Being whisked away immediately to San Siro Stadium for a tour was just what the jet lag Gods ordered. 

Everyone was immediately introduced to what the soccer culture in Italy’s top division, Serie A, is like.

Stine Schoening... don't ask :)

Lesle was personally disappointed that we’d just missed the BOSS (Springsteen) playing San Siro, but that’s life!

Jammer sitting in Beckhams old spot

Laundry Bin Cover for AC Milan

Nicholas got to see where his man Balotelli plays and dresses, and Jammer got to sit in the locker seat of former AC Milan player, David Beckham! The team was probably a little relieved to see that our locker room at UW isn’t actually much less impressive that either the Inter or AC locker rooms…now UW baseball, football, volleyball, basketball, softball…they have Serie A licked.

Kelsea Brajkovich and Linsday Elston rub elbows with the greats!

Allie Beahan & Annie Sittauer strike a pose in Milan

After the San Siro we were off to the city center of Milan where we walked the area, shopped and admired the Duomo, the castle, and all of the historic sites of this great Northern Italian city.

Although in a bit of a fog, the team, staff and family members did a good job of soaking everything in! The XL Staff did a good job of keeping us busy day one to help us shake the jet lag on Day 2 in Italy. We checked into Hotel Leonardi DaVinci and quickly changed and headed to a local soccer club to train. 

We basically did enough to flush out the system, stretch after the long travel days and get even dingier than we already were…. finally back to the hotel, showers and our first Italian dinner! YUM and GOOD NIGHT. Nick, Ben and Zach continue to be outstanding travelers.  I think they miss the RV in Germany just a tad….but the trade off of hanging out with 23 college women has helped soften the blow.

Wednesday, June 19^th:

Isabel Farrell loves to shop. 

Up and at ‘em this morning and on to Tuscany and the wonderful city of Florence to enjoy more religious, art and geographic history, as well as take in the outstanding shopping and vistas.  We admired the Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, and the S. Maria del Fiore

Isabel and Katey in front of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge; the oldest bridge in Florence

We had a guided tour from a German man named Reiner,

Reiner, Zach, Nick and Ben

and then spent a little time on our own walking the city. I’m pretty sure by this time everyone has had Gelato once or twice. Everyone wished we had more time in Florence, but the 102 degree weather made it a little easier to depart.  Whew, it was HOT!

Next we headed to the fields of AC Firenze where coach Vanni Sartina and Sorbi Artillio trained our team.  It was an excellent training comprised of technical work, possession and finishing. Amy, Brendan and I were happy to hear that many of the coaching points made to the players were the same points we make to them…maybe we should speak in Italian?  Bona notte! Spell? 

The coaches were impressed with the Dawgs and their level of play, and it was great to see how respectful these coaches were of female players.  After training we transferred to Hotel President in the spa town of Montecatini Terme where we enjoyed another great Italian meal of pasta, veal, salad and red wine around 9pm. Exhausted after another packed and extremely warm day off to bed we went where it really is possible that people were asleep before their heads hit their pillows!

Buonanotte!