Italy Experience by Ginnie Talley

After being home for almost a week now, I have been able to fully reflect on my trip to Italy. So much of it seemed surreal while I was there, but now that I have reread my journal entries I have learned so much about myself and my teammates. We got to experience so many things while overseas. The feeling of exhaustion mixed with the unknown and excitement of being in a new place with different food, language, and customs. Everyday we all awoke with a little bit of anxiousness, but quickly adapted and had tons of fun!
Unlike our detailed scheduled here, we had to quickly become accustomed to just being able to "go with the flow" and be able to deal with a change of plans. Just this alone, helped us grow as individuals and a team. We had to rely on one another to help communicate, or navigate the cities we explored. Not only was the schedule different, but the food and culture was something we had to welcome everyday. I never thought I would have grown as much as an individual and as a teammate through this experience as I did, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity that was given to my teammates and me. It will be an experience that will be remembered and cherished forever.

Italy Experience by Kelley Taylor

Just as I expected the trip to Italy was amazing! Never in my life did I think I would get to see the unbelievable things I saw. Being away from the hustle and bustle of my day to day life gave me time to be truly thankful for the things God has blessed me with. I am so happy to have shared this experience with twelve of my best friends and a great coaching staff! I am so excited about the rejuvenation and bonding that happened between our team on this trip! From some intense volleyball games, to some awesome sight seeing to some amazing shopping, Italy was everything I thought it would be and more!

Italy Experience by Janice Rivera

Italy, Italy, Italy!!!! There is so much to say about this great opportunity that was given to us. It was always a dream to mine to go to Italy and to have the opportunity was amazing. Every city or small town we passed made me love Italy even more. Italy has such unique culture that was so inviting that it made me want to come move there. The memories I had there will be treasured forever. I believe Italy also united us as a team and I really thank Winthrop University and the volleyball program for giving us this opportunity.

Italy Experience by Kaley Viola

I never thought Italy was going to be like it was! It was an
amazing trip and although I knew it would be great, it
definitely exceeded my expectations. It will be for sure
remembered and appreciated for the rest of my life. I am so
thankful that Coach Polhamus and everyone else made this trip
possible for us to go. I experienced so many wonderful
moments and learned so many new things while on the trip. I
got to see ruins from sooo long ago and it is astonishing to
me that places like the Colosseum in Rome are still around
today. A huge highlight to this trip was getting a lot closer
to my teammates and really getting to know some people better
than I already knew them. That made me really excited! Also
being able to play other teams in Italy was a culturing
experience. Their style of play differs from ours and it was
interesting to notice this when we were playing these teams.
My favorite place over this trip to see was Rome because it
is a very beautiful and huge city. It was a challenge
everyday we were there to figure out our way around the city
without getting lost, but it was a very fun challenge. Plus
everyday we would go different routes and see so many
different places which made it very fulfilling. Altogether
to wrap up my feelings about this trip, it was an amazing
time. I had fun getting closer to people I really care about,
I enjoyed playing volleyball against Italy teams, and I fully
enjoyed getting to see a place that I may not have been lucky
enough to see during my life! I am so thankful for this whole
trip and I will remember everything about it forever!

Italy Experience by Kelsey Harrison

I love traveling and am so glad I got the chance to travel to Italy. It was a great experience and I am so grateful that I got to spend it with my team and family. Italy was so beautiful and green. I loved being able to see every aspect of Italy, from the mountains to the beach. I want to thank Coach Polhamus for all of her work to organize our trip. I'll always remember all the memories that were made on our 10 day trip to Italia.

Italy Experience by Chrissie Albers

When I first heard that our team would have the opportunity to travel to Italy, I was shocked and so excited! I've always wanted to travel abroad but didn't think I would get the chance this early in my life. Words cannot explain my experience. All I can say is that, it opened my eyes. I came back to the US with a new outlook on my life and what is important to me. I won't ever forget the memories from Italy or the things I gained from my experience there.

Italy Experience by Becca Toor

Words can't describe how much of an amazing experience Italy was. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to spend the time with my teammates overseas. When I first heard that our team would travel to Italy, I thought I was dreaming. Italy was everything I expected and more. It was so beautiful, half the time I felt it wasn't real. It was also an experience to learn from. I am now aware of the many things I take for granted in the States. The competition was exactly what our team needed, it was awesome to see the similiarities and differences in Italian teams. I can't wait for next season to begin, it's time to win! Italy is a trip I will never forget.
The memories and the stories will last a life time.

Italy Experience by Kelsey Hall

Italy was an amazing opportunity that I will probably never get to have again. I want to thank Coach Polhamus and everyone who made this possible for me to go. This experience gave me a better appreciation for what I have and who I am. I would hate to pay every time I had to use the restroom in public. I also experienced what it’s like to not be so organized and have a structured plan. It was nice to not be in a rush everywhere I went and be on and around people who rely on cell phones. I also enjoyed the opportunity to actually see history that I have been seeing in pictures and text books ever since I started school. This was a great trip for me as a player, a teammate, and a person.

Italy Experience by Kellie Sellers

The experience I had in Italy with my teammates, coaches, and family was amazing. I learned so much about the Italian culture, people, and what volleyball is like in another country. Traveling to Italy and tasting new foods and meeting new people really made me appreciate Italy and all it has to offer. Although I loved Venice and Rome the most, I must say I am really grateful for my family, friends, teammates, and home in America. I've learned to appreciate what I have and all that I am capable of doing. It was nice to get away and experience this new culture but I am also happy to be home with my warm bed, warm shower, my hair straightner and computer! But overall, Italy was a great bonding experience for my teammates and me and I am so happy that we got to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity!
I would like to thank all of those who made it possible for my team and myself to take this amazing trip. We couldn't have done it without you!

Italy Experience by Sara Felts

Wow. Italy was a truly incredible experience. From the culture to the people to all the amazing history, it was all surreal. The trip was a great experience for the team and the staff. Thanks so much to everyone who made this trip possible for us I truly appreciate it. The trip was so much fun and filled with memories I will cherish forever. The play was amazing and I am so happy that our team got to experience the different styles of play and got to meet the girls on the Junior Olympic team. Thanks so much for reading the blog and allowing us to travel abroad.
Plane Tickets=2000 dollars
Fake Prada Purse= 20 euros
Painting of Rome= 10 euros
Coca Cola & Pizza= 6 euros
Memories Made in Italia= Priceless

Home, Sweet Home!!!

We are back, safe and sound! Our trip was amazing and I hope you enjoyed the blog and all of the pictures. We arrived back at the Winthrop Coliseum around 9:45PM, jet lagged and ready for our big beds with soft pillows, but with memories that will last a lifetime. Throughout this week we will finish posting all of the pictures and we will have reviews of the trip from the players of things they learned and will remember the most about Italy. Please check back throughout the week! Thank you for all of your support and for those you donated money for our trip, we can't thank you enough. You have given us something that we will forever be grateful for and can never put into words our gratitude!!!

The Last Day by Shannon Wells

I'm writing this as we are sitting in the Philadelphia airport, one 10 hour flight down and one to go until we are back in good old Rock Hill, SC. Sorry we didn't get on last night, but we had an amazing day with little time except to soak in whatever we could of Italy.
Yesterday was amazing!!!! We started off the day with a 6:30AM wake up call and a 7:30 departure to...VATICAN CITY!!!! We started off in the museums and they are everything you could ever imagine and so much more. The museums are huge with tons of things from tombs to mummies, tons of art, sculptures, statues, and of course, The Sistine Chapel. We had an amazing book given to us by our tour director, Tim, that explained all of the sites and it gave us tons of great information on the Sistine Chapel. You see it in books, but to be there, is amazing. If you don't know, the Sistine Chapel is where the lock all the cardinals during the conclave, which is the time that a new pope is elected. The room is amazing and there is just no words to explain it. Walking with Sally, Stephen (her husband) and Tim Drueke (our Registrar) during the tour, we definitely spent some good time in the Sistine Chapel taking time to sit down and stair up. Sally wanted to lay down and stair at the ceiling but she settled for just sitting and looking up.

After the Sistine Chapel we had to take a little food break and again for the 2nd time on the trip we paid a fortune for our food. What we have learned in Italy is that if you order your food to go it is the cheapest, you sit down inside and they make you pay more, you sit outside and order food even more. So basically for a sandwich no bigger then my hand (but amazingly good) and a Diet Pepsi in a can I paid $13. The can of Diet Pepsi costing $4. Lesson learned again!! Then of course I had to get gelato...soaking in Italy:)

After food, we traveled to St. Peter's Basilica. It is the residency of the Pope and basically the center of the Catholic religion. The line looked to be forever long, but after only 45 minutes, we were inside the basilica and it was more then I could ever imagine. I have never seen such a beautiful building. I have already decided that I want to get married in the Sistine Chapel, but after seeing that, I want to get married in the basilica:) The building is huge and we spent tons of time walking around and looking at the beautiful artwork and of course reading our trusty book and getting all the history we could. The next adventure was to the top of St. Peter's. It is about 530 steps to the top but we heard the views are amazing. Did I forget to tell you how cold it was in Rome that day, and we were about to go up to the top of St.Peter's where the wind was crazy!!! But we trekked up to the top starting with big long steps and towards the top, small spiral steps to steps that my shoulders touched both walls on each side and to steps where your upper body was tilted sideways due to the dome structure. Walking out onto the roof was awesome, we saw all of Vatican City and all of Rome. We took tons of pictures and had to make the trek back down, which was alot faster, but still just as scary!!!

We hit up a few more monuments and historical buildings and met up with the team for dinner. We were told to be ready to eat and we were. I think every type of food that Italian we had that night. I was sitting at the end of the table and got all the dishes first, let me tell you, a stressful job. As soon as you dished one thing another bowl of something was coming out, you didn't even have enough room on the plate nor enough time to eat the food before more came. All the players did awesome and at least tried some of the new things and even found some new favorites liked the fried zucchini. We had amazing honeydew, meatballs, two different kinds of eggplant dishes, beans, mozzarella cheese balls, prosciutto, bread, fried rice and cheese balls, fried zucchini and for dessert fruit salad.

The night ended with my final goal of the whole trip which was Trevi Fountain at night. It was beautiful, although my batteries died while I was there about ended up paying $10 for 6 batteries, I know I was robbed, but it was worth it! Video of the Trevi Fountain at night, a night to remember!

It was a long day but a great finish to our trip. I can't believe we are back in the states and I already had some fries and chicken fingers that I missed so much. I'm looking forward to my big bed and nice soft pillows, but always will have my experience in Italy. A once-in-a-lifetime trip that has truly changed my life. I fell in love with the people, the culture, the way of life, and of course the Smart Car!

I hope you enjoyed our blog. Pictures will be up this week as we get back to Rock Hill and put them on Snapfish. It was worth the wait!

The Real Colosseum By: Kaley & Felts

Our morning began to a lovely start with chocolate croissants, fruit, and juice. Once we all had a bite to eat we were off to the Colosseum. It was unreal; it put the Winthrop Colosseum to shame. We then went inside the massive structure and had the most amazing photo ops ever. We went up some of the steepest stairs we had ever seen to the top of the ruins to see what it was like to watch the games back in the day. As we split off into groups we all previewed Palatino and the Roman Forum. We went in a couple museums that were filled with ruins, statues, and paintings that were over 2000 years old. Basically all of today's sights were HIST 101 but WAY better. We then shopped around and tried to partake in the Italian fashion world. We met up for lunch at around 2:00 and were stuffed full of tortellini, salad, and pizza. After lunch we chilled at our hotel and prepared for our toughest match yet.
We arrived at the Roma Volleyball arena, which is the men's national team practice facility. It was like a giant circus tent full of sweat, musty smells, and some intense volleyball. We were all amazed/shocked/flabbergasted by the sight of our next opponent. Out walked 17 of the tallest/youngest/most athletic Italian teenagers we've ever seen. We were all wondering where the tall Italians were, well we found them. We were faced with the top 17 teenage volleyball athletes in Italy ranging from 15-18 and from 5 6 to 6 6. WOW. We played a little intimidated at first but held our own with the score of 22-25. We then continued to give the Italian Junior Olympic Team a run for there money with the scores of 20-25, 23-25, 14-25, 25-22. We ended with a bang winning the fifth set, despite our first four. The highlight of the night consisted of the team traveling to the Olympic Training Center where we ate dinner with the Italian girls. Shockingly we had a lot to discuss. We learned some new things, Italian words, and made some new best Italian friends. We were amazed to find out how young/good these chicks were at volleyball. We then traveled back to the hotel to catch some Zs for tomorrows SISTINE CHAPEL. Get excited we are waking up at 630 and sightseeing/shopping/having fun ALL DAY LONG!

When In Rome...by Brittany and Shannon S.

Today was our first day to sleep in...we didn't have to get up until 8:15 so that was nice! We spent a couple hours walking around the small town of Comunanza and many of us bought some souvenirs in one of the small shops, 'Ciao, Ciao!' We loaded the bus to head to Rome at 10:30 and travelled through the windy roads in the mountains. The scenery was beautiful but the turning roads turned our stomachs! Four hours later, we arrived in Rome. We were surprised to see so many walls covered in graffiti as we entered the city. We also noticed that it was very, very crowded. The architecture was beautiful and very historic.
After checking into our hotel, Hotel Assisi, we had lunch at a place next to the hotel. Our favorite part was the trays of fresh mozzarella and really good pizza. Next, we headed out for some Roman sight-seeing. We had a bit of a stressful time trying to figure out the metro system, which was also very crowded. We also had to be very conscious of pick-pocketers and creepers. :) The first thing we saw was a gorgeous fountain with huge statues all made of stone. We went on to the Spanish Steps. We learned that they were designed and built by the Italians in the early 1700's and were paid for by Spain. At that time, many people (models) would get dressed up and come to the Steps until an artist chose them to model for their paintings. Today, there is still a huge fashion show every April on the Steps. We also saw the Trevi Fountain, which was massive and gorgeous. From there, we broke into groups and toured more sites. Of course, gelati was involved. There was lots of shops, especially expensive stores like Dior and Gucci.
We met back at the hotel for dinner where we had our first Italian spaghetti. It was delicious! We ate outside and right after we finished it began pouring rain and hailing. The two of us had to run three blocks through the weather to get to a computer with Internet. I hope it was worth it! Now we are all going to shower and head to bed to gear up for a big day tomorrow. We are going to the Roman Coliseum and everyone is really excited!
Sorry that there are no pictures today, but the computer we are using at the Internet cafe is old and doesn't have uploading capabilities. There is no Internet access at our hotel so our email will be limited for the next few days.

Winthrop Volleyball In Comunanza by Sharry and Janice

Ciao! Yesterday we woke up early to eat another breakfast consisting of croissants and orange juice. We were then told that we were going to have an hour bus ride to the beach...two and a half hours later we realized we had been lied to. Upon arriving at the beach all of us girls were excited to have some warm weather and possibly lay out but unfortunately the weather was very chilly and we all ended up wearing our sweatpants and sweatshirts. We wondered around the beach for an hour. All of the stores along the beach were closed and we were taught that once the weather becomes warmer the stores will open up and they own the beach in front of their store. So in order to lay out on the beach people have to pay the store because they own the land on the beachfront. Becca wanted some water before we got back onto the bus so she tried to go into this small store. While she was walking up a very tiny chihuahua began to attack her and in defense she stood still and covered her eyes, at this point another dog came and starting barking so Becca gave up and ran back to the group. We were suppose to be back at the bus at noon but a few players and coach Shannon were late. The bus began to leave them while they were sprinting back with their Chinese food. After another three hour windy bus ride we arrived at a small town called Comunanza. This towns population is 3000. We soon learned that we had upgraded as far as hotels but still had midget beds. All of the players rooms consisted of a living room with chairs and a couch and then two bedrooms with twin beds. We toured the town a little, ate lunch, watched Becca trip over flower plants (she had an awesome day) and then took off for our second match. We had the best fans yet at this match due to an extravagant wine tasting. The gym was freezing and we had to walk outside to get to our locker room. After our disappointing loss we headed back to our hotel and had an amazing three course dinner. This ended our night. Sorry we have no pictures we were limited on time and we will post some in Rome! Ciao ciao! Arriberdechi!

Until tomorrow...

Today has been a very busy, crazy day! We started the day with a trip on the bus on the way to Comunanza, but on the way stopped at the beach. We got to Comunanza did some sightseeing, ate some lunch, and then headed to our 2nd match in Italy. Our passing really stepped up today and we passed a 2.1 for the game, .4 up for the season, but unfortunately too many errors caused us to lose the match in 4 games with scores of 25-17, 28-30, 18-25, 23-25. We came back to the hotel and had some amazing food and by the time we were done it was about 11:45PM. Kelsey Harrison and Janice Rivera will update the blog tomorrow morning on today's happenings and our plans for tomorrow. Sorry about the lateness, but I'm sure you understand!!!

Game Day: Total Domination-City Within Walls (Urbino) by Sara Felts and Ginnie Talley

As we all awoke from our elf-sized twin beds, and brushed our teeth by squeezing into a two by four square foot bathroom, we were ready for a day of touring and playing. Those with longer legs have been facing the danger of burning their kneecaps while using the restroom due to the towel warmers. We headed downstairs to start the day off with delightful surprised filled croissants, lattes and yogurt and then proceeded to explore the local transportation routes via the bus, setting us all back 1 euro. We ventured into the city within walls (Urbino) to shop and explore the history and Italian culture. We went into Plaza de Ducale and saw lots of stone engravings and elaborate artworks that mostly depicted Madonna and the baby Jesus. The security didn’t seem to fond of our photo ops, and we were soon followed very closely by security. After the Plaza, we divided up to explore the village. Some went shopping in little boutiques, where some got good deals and others seemed to embrace the expensive Italian fashion (which shoe sizes don’t exceed size 7 and let’s be serious the clothing sizes are made for tiny people), while other continued to explore the history of the city in places like Raffaello’s home, and a couple other castles in the area. Around 12:30, we became masters of the public transportation (except for Coach Sally and Coach Wells who made a more scenic route by bus) and made our way back to the hotel, driving over rolling hills and beautiful landscapes. We arrived to eat lunch in the hotel, consisting of chicken, spinach, pasta, and potatoes and finishing off with a chocolate pudding dish (budino di cioccolato) aka flan. After filling our stomachs, most took naps, while others enjoyed teammates’ or family’s company.

We prepared for our match by leaving the hotel at 5:15. Our 25-minute ride was soon 45 minutes, where we arrived at a sports complex where we met our competitors, APAV Lucezia B2. We started off a little rusty, unsure of their style of play, but soon kicked it into Winthrop high gear. We lost the first set 19-25, and won the next four, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19 playing the fifth game for extra practice winning 15-10. After our victory, we headed back to the hotel for a scrumptious dinner and are served by our favorite server, Mariano (Shannon Sitzmann’s new best friend) at around 10pm. To wrap up our dinner, we were served the fifth flan of our trip, the vanilla flan. We have already previewed the crème, chocolate, butterscotch, and now the vanilla. The real questions that is at hand, is how many more flavors of flan can there be? Can a team just get some gelato (and as Blackman says it Geeee-la-toe).

Day 3: "in the boot" by Kellie Sellers and Kelsey Hall

Ciao Bella! Today was our last day in Pordenone. After getting up to eat breakfast in our hotel lobby at 7 am, we all hopped on a bus (it was a Mercedes!) and took a long, scenic drive to a bus stop where we explored an old monk church tower and experienced more toilets that were just holes in the ground! There were also vendors at the rest stop that sold everything from hemp bracelets to chocolate croissants to italian soccer jerseys. Some of us bought some water and Coke and again, it wasn't very cold :( The next 2 hours on the bus, a bunch of players and parents (and even coaches) played mafia.. but this wasn't your ordinary game of mafia- this was intense! The few of us who were trying to sleep on the back of the bus were quickly woken up by the screaming and interrogating (mostly of Brittany Blackman) and the cheers of the mafia and civilians. The remainder of the bus ride was also filled with picturesque scenery and great photo ops. Finally we reached our destination- the Republic of San Marino!

Here, our bus dropped us off halfway up a huge mountain where we continued the rest of the way by foot. Along the way up to the top of the mountain, we shopped, dined, and used the "toilettes" at cute little boutiques and cafes. But getting up to these places was hard work! It took all of our energy to reach the top. Once there, we arrived at a plateau that consisted of a castle and many places to look at the breath taking scenery down below. We also lounged out on the rocks at the top of the mountain and some of us even got a tan (or burned...). After acquiring a group of 25 people, we got into the castle at the top of the mountain and had fun running through the turrets and climbing up sketchy stairs and ladders. We enjoyed taking fun pictures of us hanging off the side of the castle walls and acting like we were scared. Being at the top of the castle was amazing- it felt like we were on top of the world.. literally. Right before leaving the castle, we dropped pennies down a wishing well and wished for good luck :) After leaving the castle, it was about time to head back down the big hill and head to Urbino- our next destination. We all hopped back on the bus and naturally, passed out. The whole hour and a half bus ride to Urbino, the bus was silent (no mafia here!). Once again the scenery was beautiful with winding roads and beautiful hills.

Once getting to Urbino, we arrived at our new hotel- The Hotel dei Deuchi. At this hotel, we sleep two, that's TWO people in a room (instead of 3 or 4) and we have a somewhat bigger room and bathroom. After resting for an hour, we took off to practice in a nice gym in downtown Urbino. There we saw some younger Italian boys playing basketball and older Italian men playing soccer. We drove back to the hotel to eat at 9 pm and our dinner consisted of rice and vegetables, meat and potatoes, and caramel creme. We were stuffed! After dinner, we all just hung out in the lobby and talked with our parents and teammates.

Tomorrow looks to be an exciting day! We play our first match tomorrow here in Urbino and we will do some sightseeing around the downtown area. Ciao for now!

Day 2 In Venice by Kaley Chrissie & Brittany

Ciao! This morning we woke up bright and early to prepare for a very adventureous day. We met in the lobby at 8am and we took a walk through downtown Pordenone. Although the shops on the streets were not open yet, we enjoyed the scenery. The building here are very beautiful. After that we walked back to the hotel and had some breakfast. We ate croissants, coco pops, cheese, and fruit along with other delicious foods. Then we all met in the lobby again and walked to the train station to head to Venice. The train ride to Venice was about an hour and a half long and we all had a lot of fun sharing stories and taking pictures with one another. Upon arrival in Venice we all piled out of the train and met in a circle while Tim talked to us about the area we were about to embark on. He told us about the meandering streets and how each town led into one another and if you just kept walking you would eventually find a sign to follow to the next town so it was hard to really get lost.

The first town that we walked through was Ferroviaría Santa Lucia. There we walked over our first bridge in Venice, the Scalzi bridge and took alot of pictures. Then we followed Tim, our tour guide, to the next town which was Rialto. We looked at shops along the way, but it wasn't till we reached Rialto when we all branched off in our own directions to shop and eat. Each group shopped till they dropped and tried their hardest to bargain deals with the vendors on the streets. Some were more successful than others on the whole bargaining deal. For example, Tim told us that we shouldn't pay more than 5 euros on a purse in the streets, but two of our teammates ended up paying 20-25 euros anyways...bargaining skills??

For the most part every group took a ride on the Gondolas at some point today! These rides were amazing! Some people had a gondolier who spoke some English while others got one who understood very little English, but none the less everyone enjoyed their rides very much. When in Venice! Every shop that we walked past had almost all of the same items. The most prevalent were carnival masks, key chains, and any glass item you could think of. We found out later that there are so many glass items in Venice because off of the coast there is a town called Murano where it is known as being a glass making paradise and is the home of Venice's glass making industry, which explains the amount of glass we saw in today. The last town that we made our way to was San Marco where we all met in the plaza around 3pm. When we met there we gathered for a while and took pictures. While we were standing in the square talking, a very excited pidgeon decided to fly right over Shannon Sitzmann ,and it was nice enough to leave a little present behind for her. This present just happened to land right in her hair. Shannon took this event very well while all of us were laughing and pulling out our cameras to take pictures of her. True friends right there!

After that we branched off and shopped again until 5:45pm. Many people took this time to go into the St Mark's Basilica if they hadn't gone already today. The Basilica was magnificant. The architecture is unbelieveable and undescribable. Luckily some of us are rebels and got some pictures inside of the Church even though it was forbidden. Oops! Also another major difference we figured out here is that public restrooms in Italy are not free like they are in the U.S.. The restaurants are free to use, but in order to use the public restrooms here in Venice, you have to pay 1,50 euros. And on top of paying, you are going to the restroom in the same room as the men are, but their stalls are on one side and the women's stalls are directly across from them. Lets just say this experience helped us become very cultured.

After our long day in Venice, we met back at the train station in Ferroviaria Santa Lucia and headed back on the train to Pordenone. When we got back, we walked to our hotel and then went to eat some dinner at a Pizzeria that is located right next door to our hotel. It was delicious food and we all enjoyed eachother's company very much. Our day was full of fun and excitement and we can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring when we take our 5 hour bus right to Urbino and take a stop in San Marino! Ciao!!

The team in la plaza de San Marco

The public restrooms: 1,50 euros.....

Using a restaurant restroom: 1 euro possibly....

Going at the train station in a hole in the ground: PRICELESS! :)

First Day in Italy by: Becca and KT

After a long plane flight and MANY swollen ankles, we are finally here. We arrived in Venice around 2:20 pm and yes, it is just as beautiful as we thought. It was almost like we were in a different world. We started off on the bus headed toward the hotel. The bus ride was filled with amazing scenery and tons of pictures. When we arrived at the hotel, there were even more surprises. The hotel rooms are much different than the ones in the U.S. There are four twin beds in each room. And the television is much smaller than what we are used to seeing. We also were surprised to see two toilets in our bathroom. We then realized that one was a bidet. We learned that this is something that is customary for the country's hygiene. (Not something we are used to, and will doubtfully use). After this experience we decided to go across the street to try our first gelato at gelateria. It was AMAZING. So amazing that we had it twice in one day! We then had a great practice at a local elementary school. Although it was a very different environment, we still accomplished a lot. We finished off the night at Woody's, a local restaurant. The food was great, especially the pizza.

Today's experience was great, and we cannot wait to tour Venice tomorrow and see what kind of great things this culture has to offer.

We Are Here!!!

We are here!!! We arrived about 40 minutes late but we are ready for the trip of a lifetime. Throughout the week, the Winthrop team will be adding different blogs so you can see all of Italy from there perspective. Who knows what kind of stories you will get, but just be ready to have fun and laugh a ton!!!

Hotel Websites

Here are some websites for the hotels we are staying in. I can't believe we leave Friday!!! All the hotels have an English version so you can read about the hotels. Check out the links, location, room styles, there is even a picture of the breakfast bar at one of the hotels. I saw some kind of meat and cheese on it:) We were also told not to even mess with bringing hair dryers because of the change in voltage, but don't worry, I checked and all the hotels have hair dryers in their rooms!!!!

Hotel Damodoro http://www.hoteldamodoro.it/

Hotel dei Duchi http://www.viphotels.it/ing/residence_duchi.asp *they have an indoor table tennis facility

Hotel Assisi http://www.hotelassisiroma.it/

Hotel dei Mille http://www.hoteldeimille.it/

Check out the websites, the pictures are awesome!!!

Did you know?

We had a meeting this morning after practice with our International Office in preparation for our foreign tour. They explained to us some information we need to know when traveling internationally. During this trip, we are going to see and be a part of so many things that are not part of our norm. This trip is going to definitely pull our team together because we are going to experience these things together and work to get through them. Here are just a few of the things that we take for granted every day that won't be available to us or we will have to accomodate in a different way on our trip:

Cell Phones: Our cell phones do not have coverage in Italy. Sally is going to be the only one who has a cell phone in Italy, but just for emergencies. This is definitely going to make us better communicators with each other. We won't have access to a phone to call someone to find out where they are so we must communicate early and often about our plans. Think about all the times you pick up and use your cell phone because it is convienent, something we will definitely have to work through on our trip.

Hairdryers, curling irons, and straightners: We have to use an adaptor and a converter to use our items in Italy. Right now we are working on getting some of these items and sharing them...can you imagine my hair without a straightner, that could be pretty scary:)

Money: The exchange rate for Euros to Dollars is about 1.27 to $1.00. We are communicating with our banks to make sure our ATM/Debit Cards and credit cards are going to work in Italy and if we use the ATM how much will we be charged. We are also discussing money and how much to take out because you don't want to have to keep exchanging it out because they charge you for it everytime you do that.

Language: No one on our team speaks Italian and although we will have a tour guide most of the time, as you can see from our itinerary, we are given time to go exploring on our own. I think this will probably be the most frustrating part of our trip is figuring out how to communicate in another country, but I think it will also lead to the best stories!!!!

Tentative Itinerary

Here is the itinerary for our trip to Italy. We split into groups and did research on each of the cities we are going to so we know some things about them before we go. Each group had to present it to the team. It is going to be a great trip.
March 13th: Depart for Charlotte Airport 7:00PM, Depart for Venice, Italy
March 14th: Arrive in Venice, Italy and Tour
Leave for Hotel in Pordenone *Practice that night
March 15th: Sightseeing in Venice
March 16th: Head to Urbino and visit Republic of San Marino
GAME DAY #1!!!!!
March 17th: Sightseeing in Urbino
GAME DAY #2!!!!
March 18th: Head to Comunanza, we have been told to prepare for amazing food!!! Do they
know the way to volleyball players hearts or what:)
GAME DAY #3!!!!
March 19th: Travel to Rome
March 20th: Tour Rome
GAME DAY #4 vs. Italy in the Olympic Training Center
March 21st: Sightseeing in Rome
March 22nd: Depart Rome, Italy and head home:(

What, Where, How, When and Why????

That's right...we are heading to Italy!!!! We leave on Friday, March 13th and will return on Sunday, March 22nd!!! This a spring break trip of a lifetime! The planning for this started in Jaunary of 2007 when Head Coach Sally Polhamus took over. The NCAA allows athletic teams to take a foreign tour once every four years. We decided to go to Italy because of the opportunity to play and the opportunity to sightsee and bond. We have been working very hard as a team to fundraise the money for the trip and we are leaving in only 10 days! It has been alot of work, but it is going to be so worth it. We hope you enjoy our journey and follow us throughout our tour of Italy!