Women's Soccer Team Arrives in Italy

FINALLY HERE!!!!!

So we finally landed in Italy yesterday after what seemed like days of traveling. It all started with an hour bus journey from Owings Mills to Dulles which was followed by a seven hour flight to Paris where everyone watched a lot of movies, played video games and some were more successful than others at getting sleep; Lauren Weitzman got six hours, I got none!!

We then had a four hour layover in Paris which was a struggle because it was 5 a.m., Paris time so it was bright and tough to find a comfy spot to sleep. The next flight to Venice was only an hour and a half so most of us slept.

After landing in Venice, we met our tour guide Antonella, who has been very helpful, and we finished the marathon journey with an hour bus trip to the hotel. The hotel is really nice, small beds, but the people here have been great. The beach is amazing, only five minutes away, and we also have a pool at the hotel.

We had our first practice yesterday afternoon just to keep everybody awake so we could adjust to the time over here. It was a shaky practice, but the girls worked hard considering the long journey and that it was hot.

We had a nice dinner at the hotel last night and celebrated a few birthdays on the men's side with some birthday cake. We did not want to be left out so we just told the hotel it was Kristin Giauque's birthday also so the hotel got her a little cake with a candle that would not blow out. We made sure to sing happy birthday to her and make her very embarrassed!!

Today, we just finished our pregame practice, then we have the beach or pool until 6:30 p.m. We play our first game tonight against Italian opponents followed by a dinner that is being hosted by the families of the Italian team and their coach so we are all excited for that. We will see what the conversation is like, but I do have my Italian dictionary!