June 21-Final Day of the trip in Rome!

Our last day in Rome (last day of the trip) and we had so much to conquer!  The whole group headed out together on the metro and we ran into our first pick-pocketing incident.  Sierra’s Aunt Sherry got her passport stolen in a matter of seconds!  Beware if you are every in Europe and especially crowded Rome, these young unassuming girls and boys work together and are good.  Luckily Sherry had a copy of her passport and was able to get a new temporary one from the U.S. Embassy in no time. 

The tour of the Colosseum was incredible!  Built almost 2,000 years ago the structure is just massive and has so much history. It was sort of eerie walking up the same steps that the gladiators before they fought to the death.  We then broke up into groups to take on the town.  Many went to tour the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, but we decided to jump on an open-air bus tour to squeeze in as much as possible.  (Plus we were sick of walking around in the sweltering heat!)

Throughout the day we saw it all—the Colosseum, Roman Forum, the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, and I don’t know what else.  The architecture is gorgeous, but “after awhile it all looks the same,” according to the girls.  It was an exhausting and hot day, but we definitely got a complete look at Rome and all that it has to offer.  

 That night we did one last team dinner and decided to take another adventure on the metro.  We made it to the Trevi Fountain, which is even more beautiful at night.   

Finished a little souvenir shopping and had our last gelato…I’m pretty sure that was the girls’ favorite thing.  Then back to the hotel to pack and to figure out how to fit all of our new treasures into our one 50 lb. suitcase!  Including my favorite…the bobble-head pope that Jenn Oppio bought for me!

June 19 and 20, Florence and Rome

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Thursday, June 20 – Rome Day 1

Today was our first whole day in Rome and it was a day filled with volleyball!  We started off the morning headed to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour that just happened to be in Rome when we were there.  What an amazing setting!  The sand courts were set up in the middle of all these Roman statues, and there was even some shade…thank goodness.  We watched some men’s doubles (crazy good) and the women’s Italian doubles win their match, and then were lucky enough to get a photo opp with one of the Italian players after her win.  

 We had a small window of time between the sand matches and our own matches in the afternoon, so we hopped in a cab to the Trevi Fountain.  After singing our Lizzie McGuire song, making our wishes, throwing in our coins, and of course some gelato, we hiked it back to our hotel.  On the walk, we randomly ran into another NNJ family on a street corner that was in Rome vacationing on a completely different trip.  I would say small world, but since there are close to 4 million people in Rome, I thought that was a bizarre coincidence.

On a bus and off to our volleyball matches, it was yet again “Bikram Volleyball”.   After many pounds lost in sweat and some good volleyball games, the girls were surprised with an awards ceremony afterwards from the Roma coaches.  All players were announced and received medals, plus the girls exchanged jerseys and took pictures with the Roma players.  We then ALL went to dinner, which I think is one of the best parts of the whole trip.  Watching the girls interact with each other, despite the language barrier, is very cool to see.  There were probably 100 of us players, coaches, and families from both the NNJ and Rome teams all mixed together, and it was a loud and fun group.  The hospitality was overwhelming and a great way to end our volleyball experience abroad!

July 19—First night in Rome by Jensen Oppio and Hannah Kip

After a long day of traveling through Florence and on the bus, we finally arrived in Rome! We all hopped off the bus with our luggage and began walking to our hotel, Hotel Dei Mille. It is a very small hotel with one elevator that only fits two people. However, we are across from two pizzerias!  Once everyone was checked into their rooms we met for dinner. We walked two blocks until we were seated at an Italian restaurant. We were served tons of bread, pasta, and potatoes. Then, Jason decided to take all of us to watch a beach volleyball match! [note: The FIVB World Tour was in in Rome when we were, so we couldn’t pass it up!] We were all split up into many little taxis. The ride to the match was long and hot, but it was worth it. Finally, we got out of the taxis and all took pictures in front of the beach volleyball tournament sign. 

There were three volleyball matches going on when we arrived but we watched the American team! We all sat on the huge steps surrounding the arena and watched the American team play. It was the perfect temperature and the perfect way to end our first night in Rome.

July 19, Pordenone to Florence

            Players hopped a bus and parents hopped a train to Florence this morning. We only had a brief stop of 4 hours to explore the great city. A lot of us were excited to explore the historical side---Florence is said to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, with incredible sights for art, music, theater, science, architecture, and other cultural shifts from more medieval cities. A few of us visited Galileo’s science museum, while others spent more time around Il Duomo, Piazza della Signiora and the David, and Ponte Vecchio. It’s amazing how much you can see in just a quick walk. 

Photo by Sasha Deming

            After walking for a long time through small city streets, we found a small restaurant across the Arno from the city center. The Osteria is typical of Florence and Tuscany; with only a small dining room and three or four tables, the restaurant has a family, at-home feel. We enjoyed caprese and brie salads, and some incredible ravioli.

            A steep hike past the old brick city walls led us to Michelangelo’s square, which gifted us with a panoramic view of the entire city. To say that it was breathtaking and beautiful is an understatement.

            After a quick ride back to town, we met up with the group in order to catch the bus to Rome. A lot of people found some beautiful leather ware from the market, and some great scarves and small wallets. We all explored Florence in our own ways, and I think we would all return there to spend more time if we ever get the chance.

June 15-Maribor, by Allyson Hunt and Makaela Davis and June 16—Maribor-Pordenone with a stop in Venice!—by Taryn Johnson and Jill Gunderson

June 16

We woke up on that Sunday morning knowing we were going to have a long, but exciting day of travel. After our abundant breakfast buffet we hopped on the big charter bus with tired eyes and hopeful souls. We arrived at the Trieste train station after a long and steamy bus ride .  With twenty minutes to spare we all rushed to the bathrooms only to find our porcelain throne replaced with a measly hole in the ground, it was the talk of the group. Soon we boarded the train and took our seats. After about two hours we arrived in Venice drenched in sweat and other unknown liquids. In the words of Jason Sterrett, the only way to describe our first thoughts on the sight of Venice is "a whole new world". Players and parents split off into smaller groups to tour this amazing city in simply four hours, what a rush. Everyone went their separate ways, but our groups first instinct was to find a quick snackie. Each holding a slice of pizza bigger than our heads, we walked down various allies routing our way to San Marcos Square. Along the way we enjoyed the authentic sights and interesting smells of Venice, Italy. Once in the square you can see shops, ocean, vendors,  St. Mark's Basilica, St. Mark's Campanile, the clock tower, and pigeons as far as thee eye can see. Immediately, we ventured up to the top of the St. Mark's Campanile, and for only 8 euros you can look down on the entire city of Venice.

Many pictures were taken of the breathtaking view, and it was definitely more than our money's worth. Next, we roamed the shops enjoying each other’s company and the sights around us. We picked up some refreshing gelato and shining new bracelets, and caught a ride on a water taxi to take us back to the train station. The S shaped Grand Canal is full of gondolas, taxis, and other various boats because it is the only form of transportation through the city.

Soon we arrived at the train station to grab some last minute cookies and hop on our last train to Pordenone. On the train we sighed a breathe of relief when we realized the air conditioning was indeed working this trip. The day tired most of us out so many of us relaxed and took naps. But you can always count on Taylor Forte to be as rambunctious as ever. After an hour passed we gathered our bags of newly purchased souvenirs and clothes and headed to the entrance of the train station.

The first step into Pordenone and the smell was captivating. We all agree that it should be a yankee candle scent. Once our group was together we learned that our hotel was a whopping five miles away...and we were walking. Of course we are super tough so this wasn't anything to cry about. Shockingly,  we arrived at the Damodoro Hotel in under thirty minutes. So not quite the trek we were expecting. At the hotel we unloaded our van filled with suitcases and proceeded to get our rooming situations figured out. Our room is very different from our previous one in Maribor. But there is definitely a lot of positives like bath towels as big as a fluffy cloud, reruns of old Disney shows, and very convenient outlets right next to our beds.

Once in our rooms we realized how hungry we were. Lots of us decided on an Italian restaurant that had everything pizza and pasta. The owners spoke very little English so we put on our best Italian accents and tried to say our orders correctly. I don't think we were successful considering  we got the wrong items three times. Service was very slow and I think the owners were not used to this many tourists at a time. But we just talked and told jokes while waiting for a food to come. Once it finally arrived we inhaled our food in record breaking time. Noticing we only had eight minutes until curfew we quickly paid and rushed back to our rooms. There we showered and learned not to move your arms too wide for you will knock down everything in sight and create a shampoo explosion. Be cautious while opening the window, for it will fall on your noggin. Soon enough we were snuggled up in our twin beds saying our "buonanottes."

June 15

Our second day in Maribor started off when we woke up at 7 A.M. We rushed to get ready and went downstairs to eat breakfast. We all piled onto a charter bus and took a quick ride to downtown Maribor. When we arrived, we were surprised to see that it was not a tourist area. The first thing we saw when we got off of the bus was a farmers market. It sold many types of cheese, olives, and pastries. Down the road there was a wide variety of handmade goods such as necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. 
After exploring the area, we came across a dance competition in one of the squares. We saw many other performances throughout the day, such as a man singing a classic folk song while strumming on his guitar in the middle of the square.
As we were trying to find the oldest vine in the world we came across a beautiful river. The river looked majestic as swans gracefully swam on the flowing water. There was weeping willows that swayed over the water. Its was truly a beautiful sight. We found the oldest vine and learned some history about it.

After all the sight seeing we headed back to the hotel to prepare for our games later that evening. The older girls got to play in an arena and played more as a team than before. The younger team stayed and played in the hotel and didn't play with their full potential against the slovenian team.
Later that same day we were asked to dress in our nicest articles of clothing for dinner. We took our charter bus up a windy rode that led to a breath taking view with a vineyard at the top. We ate a spectacular meal at the vineyard while the parents were treated to a wine tasting. We sat down and enjoyed the view and each others company. That was the ending to a perfect day.

  photos by Lysa Johnson

Maribor! Friday, June 14—By Kelsie Hill

On Friday morning, we weren't sure as to what we should expect. Maribor welcomed our busload with its green scenery and sport inspired stadiums. After breakfast, we were lead to a mountain just across from Hotel Dras. We rode ski lifts up the mountain in pairs and were greeted with a magnificent view of the city. 

Ski lifts and alpine slides

Panorama view of Maribor and surrounding areas

Next came confusion, as we were taken to wooden beams and harnesses. The girls were split in half and harnessed up. There were two main attractions that awaited us. One was a tall wooden pole with metal stakes in it, which were used to climb to the top. One by one, we climbed the wooden pole, some failing and others prevailing to stand on the very top. The other event was nearby, where we were harnessed in and connected to ropes. On the operator's command, the rest of the girls took a rope and ran with it in order to suspend a teammate high in the air. On three, she let a rope go and dropped, left swinging until she came to a stop. 

Sierra getting in her harness

Narae conquered the pole!

Kelsie on  her way up the swing...3, 2, 1, PULL!

We were all then provided lunch of delicious sausage and salad, then guided to things that looked like yellow go-carts. They were connected to silver railings that winded down the mountain, an alpine slide! We each raced down the mountain; an exhilarating experience. 

Kelsie on the alpine slide

After, we prepared for our matches. Both teams began to play more fluidly and mesh better than the previous matches. Following that, we all got ready for dinner. We found ourselves in gondolas that carried us even higher than the ski lifts had earlier. The view was breath taking, extremely vast, and indescribable. We shared a delicious meal over the city of Maribor before returning to our rooms for a night of well-deserved rest.

Beautiful View

June 13—Prague --> Maribor with a stop in Vienna-by Kate Castro

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Today was unfortunately our last day in Prague and as we boarded the bus, we knew we had a long drive ahead of us. The journey went by surprisingly fast because some of us were so exhausted that we slept the entire way to Vienna, Austria. Thanks to electronics the rest of us were entertained for most of the drive.

Once we got to Vienna, we split up into or groups and went our ways. My group, with Sasha Deming, her younger sister Elizabeth, and my mom, decided to go shopping. They had every store you could possibly think of in Vienna. We happened to stumble upon a carriage ride tour for just 55€ and we couldn't pass it up. The 20-minute tour consisted of everything from Mozart's home to St. Peter’s, one of the oldest churches. When we finished spending all of our money, we made our way back to the meeting stop to get back on the bus.

On the way to Maribor, Slovenia, we slept yet again so that once we arrived at the hotel, none of us were ready to sleep. My roommates Kelsie Hill and Kololia Atoa and I were awake for quite some time before we felt the least bit tired (and because we had to watch the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars). All in all, the day trip to Vienna was a fun-filled day and the napping on the bus helped us to bond and get rested!

Sasha Deming, Elizabeth Deming, Bernadette Flocchini and Kate Castro in a Viennese carriage

Elizabeth Deming, Sasha Deming, Kate Castro in Vienna

June 12--Prague Day 3 by Kololia Atoa

Today was a very interesting day. Beginning at nine o’clock this morning, we woke up to a grueling hike up what seemed to be a million stairs. With no shade to help us conquer the steps, we were forced to sweat through it. But the extra cardio was worth it because at the top of the stairs we were greeted by a panoramic view of Prague and a beautiful 13^th century castle. Standing hundreds of feet above us, the exquisite detail in the clay had the NNJ crew stunned. We strolled through New Town following the castle trip and then moved into separate groups. My group, the GoPro group, toured for a half hour than headed back to our hotel to pack up our bags and prep for the game. 

We had some great plays today but didn’t play to our full potential. With personal errors and a challenge to keep a high spirit we finished the last set on a more positive note. Completing the match we got the opportunity to eat dinner with the Czech volleyball team that we played against. Totally contrasting our initial opinions, dinner was so much fun. Kelsie, Kate, Haeli, Sasha and I sat with five of the funniest girls we’ve ever met.  It felt like we knew each other for years with the connection we made. We laughed so much and made some great jokes. 
I loved the fact that we got to know the real them personally rather than learn about Czech. Hands down, dinner with our new best friends remains the very best part about this trip to Prague. Leaving dinner we exchanged Facebook and Instagram names and took a couple of pics and said our goodbyes. Leaving the restaurant we wanted to turn around and hang out with them longer but we couldn’t. We seriously miss them so much, we can’t and probably won’t stop talking about them. My teammates and I are happy to say we are leaving Prague with friends that we’ve built an amazing relationship with and will continue to build. Kelsie, Kate, Haeli, Sasha and I are excited for the upcoming dinners with each of the teams and are hopeful for more connections as amazing as the ones we made tonight.

NNJ with members of the Czech Junior National Team

Photos from Kate Castro

June 10-Arrival in Prague by Monica Strohschein

So...our first day in Prague...

Some things I've noticed so far are that the houses are normally either orange, yellow, brown, black, or white. The roads here are cobblestone, and it's super cool! I'm gonna get some good shots in the morning when we tour around. Last night we went and had dinner at this place and everything they served us had bread. Bread for appetizer, bread in the soup, Four slices of bread on top of the meat. The dessert too might as well have just been bread. It was kind of like an apple pie thing but so much better with amazing crust. Their whipped cream had little to no sugar. It wasn't sweet at all. But it still tastes lovely. At the airport I noticed everything was primary colors. Like one huge red wall then a huge yellow wall then a huge blue wall. Given every once in a while there was a green or orange dot somewhere, but it was mainly yellow, red, and blue. Also the last thing I noticed was that the ladies either have very high fashion, or very little fashion. It was very funny.

 

Kelly our tour guide said that in Prague the drinking age is 18. They don't care too about people walking around with a glass of beer. And smoking is very common. 

We’ll see what tomorrow has in store!

Our first meal in Prague-steak, dumplings, gravy and cranberry sauce with fresh cream.