Northwestern University Athletics
2010 Italian Tour Player Blog
9/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 7, 2010
Bonjourno Wildcat Fans,
As I write this, we are on our way back from our tremendous trip touring Italy. I apologize in advance for any grammatical or improper English usage, as we had our wakeup call at 3 a.m. this morning (or it could be the baby across from me who seems to be attempting the world record for the loudest and most constant noise on a plane).
We spent our final day in beautiful Lake Como. The scenery is gorgeous, as the entire town is surrounded by mountains and the stunning lake is right in the middle of the city. We started the morning with another tremendous breakfast, and then we were off on a boat tour of Lake Como. We were extremely fortunate with weather on this trip, and like all of the other days we avoided rain, which led to a great boat ride around the lake. While riding on the boat we were able to see the villas along the lake. We saw George's villa (Clooney for all of those who aren't on a first-name basis), and the two other properties he purchased next to his villa to ensure he had more privacy. Another villa we saw cost 12,000 euros to rent it for just a single day. Besides all of the elegant villas, another highlight of the boat tour was the waterfall in a cave that we were able to view from our boat. Overall, from the villas to some of the mountains which looked like we were going to be entering Jurassic Park to the amazing waterfall, the boat tour of Lake Como was incredible.
Following the boat tour we were given free time to see the shops in Como (aka gelato time!). Besides the shopping and plenty of gelato, a small group of us took a rail car to the top of a mountain to enjoy an even better view of the city. The view did not disappoint, as we took a plethora of pictures looking down upon the lake. The panoramic view from the mountains is one that words cannot give justice. After a long day of sightseeing we returned to our hotel, where a group of us enjoyed some laughs around the frigid pool. (If you were wondering about the baby don't worry he's still right on pace for that world record)
Then for our last meal of the trip we enjoyed another outstanding dinner. The food here has been incredible, and it's going to be extremely difficult to go back to my limited cooking skills at my apartment (I do make a mean Easy Mac though). While on the topic of food, I am making a plea for Crispy M&M's to make a return to the United States as I think I purchased the chocolate treat every bus stop we made.
Our tour of Italy was an incredible experience in which we had great success on the basketball court, and had even better memories bonding with one another and taking in the astonishing sites. The success of this trip is hopefully just the start of an exciting and successful upcoming season. I'd like to thank all of the supporters and people who helped make this trip happen, as it is one I'm sure everyone will remember forever. I'd also like to give a shout out to my Mom and Dad for all of their support. Also, a special shout out to my sister, Laura, and Mal. Thanks again for everyone's support.
Go 'Cats!
