Day 9 - Vienna

This is our last day in Europe. Breakfast was the same as usual - buffet style. Afterward, we headed to the amusement park to ride the famous ferris wheel. It was pretty neat. Each car on the ferris wheel was real big and could hold a lot of people an it went slow so when we got to the top we could take a lot of pictures.

We rode a few other rides, too and got some videotape while on the rides. One of them made you lay on your stomach like superman the whole time. I rode by Cara Wright on that ride and she was so scared that I couldn't stop laughing. I got the whole thing on video. It was great.

We won our game too. The competition was younger so we used the opportunity to run through and learn our offenses against a defense. We ate dinner after the game and hung out at the restaurant for a while before heading back to the hotel.

The whole trip was a great experience for our team and we grew up a lot both on and off the court. Thanks to everyone involved in making this trip possible!

Day 8 - Vienna

We went shopping this morning on the one street downtown that seemed like it was at least two miles long and lined with shops and cafés. We had from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to shop and eat on our own and we took full advantage. Most of us got at least one pair of shoes today so we spent the ride back to the hotel showing each other our purchases.

When we got back to the hotel, most of the girls took a short nap before we left for our game at 4:30 p.m. The ride to the game wasn't that bad, almost 1 ½ hours. The court itself was really different. It was dark green and made of this cushioning, rubbery material. We didn't play our best in the first half, but came out more energized in the second to end up winning by over 20 points.

After the game we went to a food festival with the opposing team and ate Croatian, American and Portuguese food brought to our tables. We all ate until we were stuffed.

Now its time for bed. Good Night!

Day 7 - Vienna

Hello from Vienna, Austria. Oh yeah, "J" says Hi again! After breakfast in Bratislava, we checked out and loaded the bus before going shopping. Jewelry was a hot item today. At 1 p.m., it was back on the bus to head to Vienna. The ride wasn't too bad, only 1 ½ hours. Then we checked into the hotel and went to Schonbrunn Palace and took a tour. They gave us each a cell phone looking thing that guided us through the palace and gave us a history lesson. It was cool. Then we walked out back to the garden which was huge and really pretty. We took lots of pictures there.

Dinner was at a German Pub. Shane Jabir was served the biggest rack of ribs I have ever seen. Oh yeah and today was Coach Jabir's birthday so he was served a surprise dessert while we all sang to him. We were really loud and the rest of the restaurant was looking at us funny. We had fun though and we ended up being there for over two hours.

We walked back to the hotel and couple of the girls jumped in the pool for a bit. Now we are winding down and getting ready to hit the sack.

Goodnight!

P.S. - I love Vienna. It is a beautiful city and I am looking forward to seeing more of it tomorrow.

Day 6 - Bratislava

Hello from Slovakia! The wake up call came at 7:30 a.m. for our 8 a.m. breakfast. The breakfast buffet was pretty good. I know Pete (Amber Peterink) was excited because they had CoCo Puffs cereal. They also had real crepes with fruit and caramel topping.

At 9 a.m. we left to tour downtown Bratislava. After climbing a hill that seemed to never end we reached a castle. The view from the castle was really pretty as it overlooked the Danube River, Slovakia and onto Austria. Also on the trip we went to St. Martin's Cathedral. Personally, that was the highlight of my entire trip. It was so beautiful inside that you couldn't help but be taken back by it.

Lunch was as at Italian restaurant. We ate ALL of the garlic bread in the place. We had a hard time ordering from the menus because there was no English, so our guides had to do it for us. The food was very good and we had a good time singing Whitney Houston and the new Beyonce CD that was playing throughout the restaurant. In think the people working there enjoyed our singing (HA HA).

We walked back to the hotel to get ready for the game. The bus ride there took two hours, but the scenery was neat on the ride even though it seemed to take forever. We got off the bus and into the gym. We won our game again and are now 2-1 on the trip. After some Slovakian pizza we headed back to the hotel to enjoy our last night in Bratislava.

See ya!

P.S. - Hello to my family and Eric. Miss U Guys!

Day 5 - Bratislava

At 8:30 this morning, breakfast at the hotel consisted of lunch meat sandwiches (again), fried eggs, hot dogs (at least I think so) and cereal. The cereal was good and the apple tea was really good, too. At 10:30, we loaded the bus for Bratislava. What was supposed to be a four hour trip turned into an eight hour journey after five bathroom breaks and lunch with shopping.

We arrived at our hotel at about 6:30 p.m. and it is awesome. The rooms are so clean and they even have flat screen TVs. The bathrooms are real nice too. McDonalds was for dinner. After dinner we bought calling cards and headed back the hotel for the night. We then crashed after a long night of travel.

Off to bed now - Goodnight!

P.S. - Shout out to Emily Williams! We miss you and wish you were here with us!

Day 4 - Strakonice

We won our game today! Everyone played great and it was a lot of fun. The day started with breakfast around 9 a.m. and then we loaded the bus to head to Strakonice. On the way, we stopped a toured a castle that had been home to many Kings. It was amazing. There was so much detailing throughout the whole building. One room had a ceiling that was so detailed it took four years to finish. There were many, many weapons that had belonged to the Kings and their men. One long hall was lined from end to end with rifles, including one that was used by a close friend - Napolean Bonaparte. There were also stuffed and mounted animals and antlers everywhere that had been hunted by the Kings, their families and their guests. I thought the most interesting part was the chapel. We were told that in the wall on the side of the alter was the heart of Charles II. The castle was a neat experience.

Next we checked into the hotel and ate cold sandwiches. Then it was game time! After the victory we hung out with girls from the Strakonice team. They were cool girls and we had a good time. Now off to bed.

Goodnight Y'all!

P.S. - "J" says Hi ---again!

Day 3 - Prague

The day started around 9 a.m. Some had the breakfast buffet and some got a couple extra minutes of sleep, holding off until lunch at 11:30 a.m. The group walked to Jagr's (owned by the hockey player himself). The restaurant was neat and very sporty. The waitress had a difficult time with a few of our orders so there were a few complications, but we all had a fun time and the food we did get tasted pretty good.

Next was shopping, shopping and more shopping. We spilt into groups and flocked to the stores. A few bought soccer jerseys with our basketball numbers on them. Shoes were a popular item to shop for also. We ate dinner on our own.

It was a laid back day and it was nice to spend and whole day in Prague with no specific agenda. We finally all made our way back to the hotel to hangout for a while and go to bed to prepare for another fun-filled day.

Day 2 - Prague
Authored by Brittany Holterman, Ashley Armstrong, Nikki Oakland and Jen Tisza

Yo - What up Americana? The call came at 9:10 a.m. The wake up call that is. We were tired...extremely tired. Breakfast was American style - a buffet. That meal was by far the best meal in Europe so far. Then we were off to the castle. We were impressed with the history of Prague. The buildings were beautiful, each constructed with the most ornate details. After posing with the ceremonial guards, who were not supposed to move or smile, we entered the castle area. Ironically, we then shopped along the Alchemist Street. The doors were small and we were big. Along this street there were shops selling various Czech goods. Then we moved on to see the amazing view of the city. It felt like we were in a scene from a movie when the violinist began playing. Then Coach Jabir slipped, which totally killed the mood. We then walked/slid down the steepest street that was lined with awesome shops and restaurants. Our pregame meal was at T.G.I. Friday's, which was a nice American comfort.

After a quick hotel stop, it was game time! The game was really physical and difficult, but it will only help us in the end. Unfortunately, we lost, but our sweet tour guides told us that we did really well compared to other American teams in their first game. Overall, minus the small food portions Europe is a blast.

P.S. - Hi Moms and Dads! We made it!

Day 1 - Prague

It has been a long day, but it has been fun. After 24 hours of travel we were all exhausted (and hungry!) We went from the airport to the hotel and after a quick shower, we ate some lunch. After a short nap to help us get accustomed to the time change (six hours ahead of Dayton), we all met and headed out on the town.

It was very different with all of the cobblestone streets lined with tall, beautiful, old buildings. Our tour guides - Maria, Jane and their parents - showed us around and taught us how to say "hello" and thank you" in Czech.

Next we had dinner at a small restaurant downtown. Everything seems to be served in smaller portions here, but the food is great.

Then with full stomachs, we walked through a few more shops and called it a night. We have made our way back to the Hilton to rest up for our tour and game on Sunday!