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).
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).
Great sites, great flans, great volleyball!
ReplyDeleteWhat else is there in life!
Congrats!
(When you get back to Winthrop, the bathrooms
will seem huge!!) :)
Ha, just as I suspected, the awsome energy stored in bodies fueled by Peach Puddin' Power can hold its own against Pasta Power ever blesset time! Do look over your shoulders every once in a while however - you know the reputation! At least you're not in Sicily. . . I don't think they like to lose at anything. I'm glad somebody grabbed a holt of Ginnie and pulled her back up the cliff so you can continue to keep us updated. Thanks to you all for taking turns at being a scribe and know that it gives us all a great deal of pleasure. Continue to have fun, learn that the world is big but principles and values, for the most part, are commonly shared and observed. Keep your eyes on the ball, talk to each other (for all kinds of reasons), follow the fundamentals (in all things) and remember that, after all's said and done, flan is . . . chow, y'all. Guacamole Man
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