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