European Trip 2007 Picutures
Aug. 3-4
Travel Day. After a long time on the plane, we finally landed in Munich. We then loaded up the cars and set off for Salzburg. The drive was picturesque, but everyone was happy to finally arrive at our hostel in Salzburg, having traveled so long. Once we had checked in and set down our bags, we immediately went on a team run around Salzburg in order to loosen up our legs and acclimate as quickly as possible to the time change. The run gave us a glimpse of how beautiful Salzburg and the river running through it are, and the weather was definitely much cooler and more pleasant than what we had been accustomed to in Memphis. After the run, we walked to a neat restaurant sitting above the center of town for dinner, which is where everyone got their first taste of authentic Austrian food—we quickly realized that we would be eating lots of pork, potatoes, and apple strudel for the next several days. The hike up to the restaurant involved climbing what seemed like hundreds of steps, but the views of the abbey and the castle at sunset made it worthwhile. The team and coaches returned to bed at the hostel shortly after dinner.
Aug. 5
Following breakfast and teambuilding exercises, the team practiced on a field adjacent to the hostel, just below the mountains and castle of Salzburg. I think that practice offered the first realization that we were actually in Europe. It’s not everyday you look up as your stretching during the warm-up and see a castle.
The group traveled just outside of Salzburg to visit Hitler’s Eagle’s nest after practice. Eagle’s Nest, one of Hitler’s houses, was given to him as a 50th birthday present, and Hitler went there on occasion to meet with his top political advisors to discuss plans of his Nazi regime. The house sat perched in the Alps on one of the tallest peaks in the area, lending itself to spectacular views that stretched for miles. It became easy to forget because of the magnificent views that Hitler deliberated on a number of terrible political and military strategies here. We then went to lunch in one of the surrounding villages at the bottom of the mountain and got a good taste of local, genuine Austrian culture.
Once we had returned to Salzburg, we went as a group to the abbey that is in The Sound of Music. It was an absolutely beautiful chapel placed in the center of the abbey’s many impressive green spires. After yet again another long hike up an entire mountain on cobblestone streets, we made it to the castle, which proved well worth-while for its incredible views of the town and river below. A bit of free time before dinner followed, so we got a brief break to walk around town, look in shops, or just enjoy some gelato.
Dinner was at a biergarten just west of the center of town. It was a beautiful night to sit outside, and everyone really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to rest our feet. We also exchanged a number of stories from the day and from memories past, which left everyone laughing by the time we left.
*Sidenote: Car trouble befell us on our way to Eagle’s Nest. This, however, was a little more dramatic and terrifying than the typical car problems one might have in place like Memphis. The excitement of today’s car trouble derived primarily from the fact that we were on the side of an extremely steep mountain in the Alps. Bobby’s lack of experience driving a stick-shift also contributed to the sense of fear that accompanied the car trouble. As Bobby’s van went to turn around (we needed to turn around because we took a wrong turn…imagine that), it stalled. For a moment, it looked as if the van might not make it. Reports from terrified passengers in the van also suggest that the van was about to topple down the mountain. Fortunately, as a result of Bobby’s sheer determination, the van managed to keep from rolling down the mountain. This story may be a bit exaggerated, but nonetheless the event supplied some excitement and a never-ending source of entertainment.
Aug. 6
We woke up in the hostel in Salzburg and left shortly thereafter for Vienna. We stopped briefly on the way to take pictures in font of a beautiful lake. This stop came around the time that I was beginning to think Austria could not have gotten any better, but the lake assured me that it could. With a few stops on the road (to see beautiful lake and have lunch), we made it to Vienna in roughly 4 hours.
The sports complex in Vienna where we stayed was ideal for training. It was really neat to be around so many other young athletes who devote so much time to their sport, and with that being said, we had a practice as soon as we arrived. Dinner was then provided by the sports school, and we spent the rest of the night just hanging out and having fun with some really fun and helpful teambuilding activities. In fact, the night produced the birth of a now legendary member of the Rhodes Women’s Soccer Team affectionately known as Ludwig. For those of you who have not been granted the pleasure of meeting Ludwig, he is a wooden duck with an Austrian accent. He now resides with the team at Rhodes and serves as our main source of inspiration and guidance.
Aug. 7
We woke up, enjoyed another typical breakfast of an orange sports drink, dinner rolls, deli meats and cheese, and cereal (Germans and Austrians seem to really enjoy this combination in the morning), which left us feeling good for a solid practice on the facility’s nice field.
Once we had cleaned up from practice, we took a trip to Schonbrunn palace, where generations of Hapsburgs lived while residing in Vienna, along with a number of other notable temporary residents such as Napoleon and Marie Antoinette. We each took a self-guided tour of the palace’s numerous elaborate rooms and ballrooms with hand-held audio devices. It was hard to fathom that anyone had actually lived there—the sheer hugeness and extravagance of the house was overwhelming, like something out of a movie. Once the audio tours had ended, we broke off into groups to explore the ground’s huge and beautiful gardens. Up a hill, facing the palace at the opposite end of the garden stood a café, with great views of the palace and downtown Vienna. It also had good desserts, so lots of us stopped and got a snack and enjoyed the scenery.
Everyone recovered with a little break back at the sports complex, but after some rest we headed back towards the heart of old town Vienna. Here, the team split up into small groups and went to dinner and walked around the city before meeting back. Seeing the heart of Vienna, people got a good look at the city’s character. It is a beautiful city with lots of cultural offerings that manages to balance its metropolitan edge with the beauty and detail of old Europe.
Aug. 8
There was an excitement amidst the group today because it was the time we had all be anxiously awaiting and preparing for: game day. The coaches scheduled a game against an under-14 Austrian boys team. Heading into the game, none of us really knew what to expect, but following a light practice that morning we were all eager and ready to play.
It didn’t take much time before we discovered that the boys team we were playing was more like future Ronaldhinos than our annoying 14 year old brothers who occasionally played soccer with us in the yard. One boy’s perfect shot to the upper-90 confirmed these thoughts. Nonetheless, we played our hardest and everyone agreed that it was amazing to play against such skilled and talented players. We even had a few good shots on their goal. After the game, the boys spoke in what little English they could to us, and some even wanted to trade jerseys. Had it not been for Bobby, who informed us that 14 year old boys might be interested in trading jerseys for other reasons, we would probably all be sporting a new football jersey back to the U.S. The game was challenging and difficult, but we all agreed that it was not only a great learning experience, but also tons of fun.
That night we got to go into old town Vienna and explore in groups. It was a good time to see several of the old and magnificent buildings, palaces, and gardens of Vienna, as well as eat some tasty foods, which none of us ever have a problem doing. A big group of the team ended up going to a film festival with tons of different types of food from all over the world, and it was all delicious! We had a great time, enjoying the festival, sitting beneath a magnificent palace, and of course eating our fair share of food.
Aug. 9
Today we woke up early, practiced, ate lunch, and then had the rest of the day to sightsee in Vienna. Everyone broke off into small groups and did their own things, but the majority of people saw the major things they had not seen yet. Lots of people took tours of the opera house, museums, and palaces, but let’s be honest—all this cultural education spared plenty of time for most of us to fit some time in for eating and, more importantly, shopping. Chances are, after spending too much time in European stores, we replenished ourselves from all the hard work with an apple strudel or gelato in some sidewalk café.
Later in the evening we met back as a group and headed out in cars to a nearby town where we watched a women’s UEFA cup match between an Austrian team (Neulengbach FC) and a Scottish team. It was really interesting to watch professional women’s soccer in Europe and compare it with women’s soccer in the U.S. We were supposed to have played the Austrian team, but because of their advancement in the tournament, they were unable. Despite rain, it was a good game and a great atmosphere.
*Sidenote: We had more car trouble involving Bobby’s van today. It will sufficiently do to say that just because 2 small European cars fit into a parking garage, that does not necessarily mean that a large van will. Some damage was done the van’s side paneling, but this “international incident” could do little to stop us.
Aug. 10
Today was our last meeting at the sports complex in Vienna, so following a light practice in the morning, we said our goodbyes to our Austrian friends and started out for Germany. The drive was rather long, but to ease the monotony of a long road trip, we made the voyage a fun and educational journey in and of itself.
First, we stopped at a concentration camp known as Mathausen. During World War II, Mathausen served as one of the Nazi’s many centers of detention and torture for Jewish males and political dissenters. I think the first initial shock associated with the concentration camp’s implications hit us when we witnessed the camp’s geographic location. Situated atop a hill that overlooks a quaint village and the picturesque Danube River, the camp seemed an unlikely host for such a horrific catastrophe. However, as we stepped inside the gates, the ubiquitous sense of gloom seemed to overwhelm us all. Seeing the gas chambers and cabins that real victims of the Holocaust were subject to endure made the tragedy of the event more personal to all. I wish not to belittle the experience by talking about it too much. After all, it seems impossible to calculate the amount of suffering that occurred at Mathausen during the Holocaust. And while seeing it was undoubtedly a somber occasion, it is nonetheless an experience one needs to face in order to even begin to comprehend the magnitude of the situation.
Needless to say, the concentration camp put a damper on our spirits. Fortunately, shortly thereafter, we stopped somewhere that was sure to lift everyone’s moods—the Adidas outlet. In case you’re not aware, Adidas to the soccer world is the equivalent of the outside world’s Louis Vuitton. The looks on the coaches’ faces as they stepped inside suggested that they had found the Holy Grail. Seriously—a seemingly never-ending supply of Adidas excited Bobby and Coach Marcinko to no end. After a bit of shopping, we all felt rejuvenated in order to continue the trek to Munich. We arrived in Munich rather late, and since most of us were tired and eager to get an early start in the morning, we grabbed a quick dinner in groups and retired to bed at the hostel.
Aug. 11
Bobby gave us the day off from practice so that we would have the entire day to sightsee in Munich. We took advantage of the public transportation and rode the subway downtown. Somewhat unexpectedly to most, the group actually managed quite well (meaning no one was lost en route). The area that we went to is known as Marienplatz, an upscale, historic, and happening center of Munich. Our meeting spot, in fact, stood just beneath the Rathaus Glockenspiel, a famous clock known for the life-size medieval characters that decorate its outside. With a meeting spot established, the team broke-off into smaller groups to sightsee and shop. The entire area was really neat, with an ample amount of shops, restaurants, museums, and governmental buildings. Because the shops would be closed Sunday, the following day, most people squeezed in some last minute shopping.
Later that evening, we met back in the square. Most returned to our meeting spot carrying an armload of goods and bags, clearly having performed a valiant shopping effort. We had to get rid of those Euros before coming back to the States, right? The team all ate dinner together at the legendary Hoffbrauhaus. Despite its massive size, the restaurant was still packed. It might as well have been the emblem of all good German things—a place where pretzels, bratwurst, and beer were the pinnacle of human existence. I think I speak for everyone when I say the team had a great time eating together.
*Sidenote: Our day in Munich greeted us with a special, if unexpected, surprise. Marienplatz was host to Germany’s national gay pride festival that just so happened to be taking place while we were there. The crowd of bustling festival-goers certainly added a dimension of excitement and “cultural education,” shall we say, to the atmosphere.
Aug. 12
Today was somewhat bittersweet because it was our last full day in Europe (well, for me, the prospect of leaving Europe was more bitter than sweet). Nevertheless, like all the other days, we had a great time. We woke up to beautiful, cool weather and went on a nice morning run through the area surrounding the hostel. Unexpectedly, we got a little more than we bargained for on that run, and it had nothing to do with getting in shape. A group of very, very intoxicated and scantily-clad Germans were swimming in the canal as we ran past. The happy bunch yelled at us quite clearly in English, but as if to ensure that we had heard them properly, Bobby ran past them again on the way back. When no one responded to their English inquiries, the group adjusted well and began talking to us in a number of different languages. This bizarre encounter serves as proof that every moment in Europe was educational, even if it was always in the most traditional sense.
Later, we went to Nymphenburg Palace. Naturally, getting there required a long walk across Munich during which we endeavored, perhaps vainly, to keep up with our fearless leader Marcinko. Nymphenburg was absolutely huge, elaborate, and ornate beyond reason. The group all learned a little more about the Palace’s history from the audio tour which led us through its incredible rooms and grounds. Most notably, the ballroom’s meticulous and ornate decor highlighted the proper and luxurious life led by much of Europe’s royalty. Coming to terms with the fact that people had actually lived here at some point required an expansive imagination. The palace proved incredible and like nothing you would ever see in the U.S.
That afternoon, following lunch and a short nap, the group traveled to Olympic Village. Some might argue that the hike up to the village could have sufficed as preseason. In other words, it was long and the terrain was steep, just as Bobby liked it. But once we reached our way to the village, it was definitely worth it! The complex was huge and the athletic facilities were top-notch. It is difficult to accurately depict the village, but the modern pavilion-like structure that housed an incredible pool gave way to a number of other sports grounds. We even saw some indoor soccer fields. In addition to the athletic activity, a large number of people crowded Olympic Village for a festival. The festival, similar to an American carnival, was full of games, vendors, food, and even a Ferris wheel. Accompanied by beautiful weather, Olympic Village, with its awesome facilities and entertaining festival, provided the perfect way to spend our last evening in Munich.
We returned to Marienplatz where we broke into smaller groups for dinner. Aside from being enjoyable for all, dinner was a final opportunity to stuff our faces with those wonderful German deserts such as apple strudel. We returned to the hostel full, happy, and prepared for the task that lay before us all: packing. The past two weeks, with its combination of soccer and travel, had done little to improve the order or smell of our luggage. Fortunately, everyone packed without too much difficulty and with time to spare! The team went out together later that night, hardly troubled by the early wake-up call that would come the following morning. The night, like the rest of time in Europe, was fun for the mere fact that the team was together.
While the team felt a sense of sadness upon leaving Europe the next morning, we left with a countless number of stories to tell. The trip, despite its minor mishaps, was a fun, exciting, and memorable experience for all.
*Sidenote: Bobby was not even questioned about the damage done to the van when he turned it in at the rental car place that morning. Coach Marcinko, however, was reprimanded for the pin-sized crack he caused on the windshield of his car.
