Bloggin' From The Boot: More From Kels & Tighe

August 17, 2008

After getting to sleep in until 10:30am we met our new tour guide Silvia...who will be with us for the rest of the trip.

We boarded the bus and drove for an hour before we reached the shopping capital of the world ... Milan!

Most of the stores were closed because it was Sunday, but there was plenty for us to do. We walked the streets, found a few stores that were open, got some food and also went into a huge Gothic Cathedral called the Piazza del Duomo that had stained glass windows and the most detailed ceilings.

At 2:30 we left Milan for our "training session" in Morbegno, a cute little town surrounded by mountains and granite hills. We could have sworn we saw Lisel from the Sound of Music up there.

After practice ended Silvia took our team to a local restaurant for dinner where we tried three of the local dishes ... they were delicious!

Following dinner we caught the second half of the men's game. Instead of the other teams fans booing ours, they actually cheered when our boys made a good play...especially when A.J. threw down a huge dunk!

We headed back to the hotel after the game for our last night in Lake Como. We head to San Marino early in the morning and will spend the day at the beach!

August 18, 2008

We left the hotel at 7:15am to spend a day at the beach on our way to San Marino. After a long bus ride we arrived at an umbrella covered beach along the Adriatic. Our relaxing day by the water quickly turned into a competitive volleyball match when the women's hoops challenged the men's team.

After a day of sun, swimming and volleyball we loaded the bus and headed to the Republic of San Marino. A 40 minute drive bought us to the mountain top country that we will spend two nights in. At 8:30pm we ate dinner on the top of our hotel, Hotel Titiano, which had the most amazing view.

When dinner ended we were all excited to see what the nightlife would be like in San Marino. Silvia gave us two different spots we could try, one with live music and one without. Of course we chose the live music. Little did we know that the live music would be a string quartet playing songs like Hotel California and Stair Way to Heaven. After the string quartet we made our way to "Brazil" where we enjoyed some techno and dancing.

Up early tomorrow for a guided tour of San Marino.

August 19, 2008

After a quick breakfast we made our way to the main square in San Marino to meet our tour guide Mickey. We started the tour out watching the changing of the guards. We then made our way up the mountain top republic and saw some of the most amazing views. Our tour was short but provided us with a great deal of information about San Marino.

After the tour we had free time until lunch at 1pm. The boys took off to explore while the girls followed Silvia up the mountain to shop for Italian leather bags. Clearly we were all in heaven because between all of us 28 bags were purchased. After the little shopping spree it was time for lunch and more free time. Some napped while others explored the towers and museums of San Marino.

At 5pm we headed down the mountain to a small town for the men's game. Obviously, we didn't want to spend all hours in the gym watching them warm up, so we took a stroll to a nearby shopping center. Gelato and crepes were eaten by all, and we enjoyed watching Kelly and some of the other girls on the team ride the bumper cars, usually used by five year olds. 

After time well spent at the mall, we walked back to the gym to cheer on the men. They were victorious against a professional Serbian team, and we all headed back up the mountain for pizza or pasta and a drink for seven Euros. The food was delicious and the company even better! An early wake up call and a four hour bus ride was on the agenda for tomorrow, so getting a good night sleep was in our best interests!

August 20, 2008

The four hour bus ride to Florence was taken advantage by most everyone as nap time. Traveling through the Tuscany region was a sight to see. The sunflower fields were gorgeous, and the view of the city upon a small hill was even more amazing.

Being 1pm already, most of us grabbed a quick bite to eat, and still had some time to spare before meeting at the Galleria dell' Accademia. At 2:30 we toured through the museum on our own. The statue of David by Michelangelo was astonishing, whether it was the size or the intricate detail that Michelangelo created for two years. Everyone had heard of this statue, since it is the most famous sculpture in the world, but no one could believe their eyes. We saw paintings and sculptures by other Renaissance artists as we traveled room to room!

We had free time until 4:30 before heading to our final game. Some shopped, some bought gelato, and all explored the wonderful city of Florence. We arrived at the gym to play The Milan Selection at 5:15pm. The team was better than the first and we played much better this time around. We ended up winning by about 25 points and even had a guest player in the last 5 minutes.

Post game meal at McDonalds and back to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow we spend the day in Florence and then have a 4 hour bus ride to Rome.

Ciao!

Kels and Tighe