From Rome to Home
August 19, 2011 10:01 AM | General
After spending nine days touring France and Italy, practicing and playing three games, the West Virginia women’s basketball team had a 6:30 a.m. check out of its Rome hotel, Thursday, departing on a two-leg, 24-hour journey back to Morgantown.
The Mountaineers went from Rome to Atlanta, Ga., and after a layover, took a flight from Ga., to Pittsburgh, Pa., before driving home. Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, senior Natalie Burton found time on the first flight, nearly 11 hours long, to fill Mountaineer fans in on the team’s experiences in Europe.
Of the major cities you visited in France—Paris and Nice—which was your favorite and why?
I really loved the city of Paris. Everyone has heard of the famous Eiffel Tower and has no doubt seen some great pictures, but the feeling you get when you are standing on top of the magnificent structure looking over the beautiful city is just breathtaking. The city itself is so grand and there are so many places to see that I definitely plan on going back sometime.
Same question for Italy—Como, Florence and Rome—which was your favorite and why?
While it was awesome to get a glimpse of ancient Rome and visit where the birth of the Renaissance took place in Florence, my favorite city in Italy was Como. It was just a small town, but you really got the feeling you were in the heart of Italy. The surrounding area was scattered with small traditional Italian villages which were built on the sides of the huge mountains overlooking Lake Como. The villages were so old and small that we had some close encounters with other cars on the narrow, winding roads. Luckily Fernando, our bus driver, was such a pro!
Overall, what was your favorite part about the trip?
My favorite part was seeing the Coliseum in Rome. It was so surreal to walk around the ruins and think about how thousands of years ago an entirely different civilization built such a masterpiece. It was also pretty cool to learn how the gladiators fought, often to the death, for the entertainment of Romans. It is such a famous structure and I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to experience it.
What was the best thing you ate during your time overseas?
When we were in Como, we took a two hour long boat trip along the lake and stopped at the small town of Bellagio. Sitting outside at a small café I tasted the best gnocchi I have ever had in my life! I also got the chance to try escargot, which are snails, in Nice. Jess Harlee and Crystal Leary also tried the traditional French dish, but neither of them seemed to enjoy it very much!
If you could change anything about the trip, what would it be?
I would spend more time in each place. It seemed like we were always moving in and out of hotels, sometimes only getting to spend one night in cities where there was so much more to see than time allowed. I know a lot of people would have loved to spend more time in Florence as it was such a beautiful city and they had some great markets for extra shopping.
How did the overall experience benefit the team on the court?
This trip gave us the opportunity to bond and really get to know each other both on and off the court. Getting to spend so much time together experiencing the different countries brought us closer, and we all got to know each other a lot better. This team chemistry we have already started to develop will benefit us on the court and really help us throughout the season. Also having the chance to practice and play together so early helped everyone gain valuable experience.
The Mountaineers went from Rome to Atlanta, Ga., and after a layover, took a flight from Ga., to Pittsburgh, Pa., before driving home. Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, senior Natalie Burton found time on the first flight, nearly 11 hours long, to fill Mountaineer fans in on the team’s experiences in Europe.
Of the major cities you visited in France—Paris and Nice—which was your favorite and why?
I really loved the city of Paris. Everyone has heard of the famous Eiffel Tower and has no doubt seen some great pictures, but the feeling you get when you are standing on top of the magnificent structure looking over the beautiful city is just breathtaking. The city itself is so grand and there are so many places to see that I definitely plan on going back sometime.
Same question for Italy—Como, Florence and Rome—which was your favorite and why?
While it was awesome to get a glimpse of ancient Rome and visit where the birth of the Renaissance took place in Florence, my favorite city in Italy was Como. It was just a small town, but you really got the feeling you were in the heart of Italy. The surrounding area was scattered with small traditional Italian villages which were built on the sides of the huge mountains overlooking Lake Como. The villages were so old and small that we had some close encounters with other cars on the narrow, winding roads. Luckily Fernando, our bus driver, was such a pro!
Overall, what was your favorite part about the trip?
My favorite part was seeing the Coliseum in Rome. It was so surreal to walk around the ruins and think about how thousands of years ago an entirely different civilization built such a masterpiece. It was also pretty cool to learn how the gladiators fought, often to the death, for the entertainment of Romans. It is such a famous structure and I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to experience it.
What was the best thing you ate during your time overseas?
When we were in Como, we took a two hour long boat trip along the lake and stopped at the small town of Bellagio. Sitting outside at a small café I tasted the best gnocchi I have ever had in my life! I also got the chance to try escargot, which are snails, in Nice. Jess Harlee and Crystal Leary also tried the traditional French dish, but neither of them seemed to enjoy it very much!
If you could change anything about the trip, what would it be?
I would spend more time in each place. It seemed like we were always moving in and out of hotels, sometimes only getting to spend one night in cities where there was so much more to see than time allowed. I know a lot of people would have loved to spend more time in Florence as it was such a beautiful city and they had some great markets for extra shopping.
How did the overall experience benefit the team on the court?
This trip gave us the opportunity to bond and really get to know each other both on and off the court. Getting to spend so much time together experiencing the different countries brought us closer, and we all got to know each other a lot better. This team chemistry we have already started to develop will benefit us on the court and really help us throughout the season. Also having the chance to practice and play together so early helped everyone gain valuable experience.
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