FOLLOW ALONG AS THE REBELS DOCUMENT THEIR EUROPEAN ADVENTURE!
FRIDAY, MAY 24
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
Thursday. Our first official day of the trip, and we hadn't slept in 36 hours (give or take a few on the flight). After finally arriving at our hotel, we took time to explore the city, get some lunch, and fight off the jet lag. We did some sight seeing and got to experience authentic Czech cuisine in the famous 'goulash dish.'
The food was 🔥.
One of the things I was most excited for was the opportunity to experience and try the different foods of the region. That’s what I look forward to most when traveling because I love to try new things. The gelato did not disappoint!"
AUBREY
The food was fire, but the views were 😍.
We got to participate in a city-wide pastime; spray painting the famous 'John Lennon' wall (it's totally legal, we promise!) And the sights were the perfect background for some insta worthy photos.
But perhaps the coolest thing was coming all the way to Prague and being reunited with another member of Rebel Nation! We enjoyed getting to hear some stories and get some tips from junior women's tennis player Terka Janatova, a Czech native who lives close to Prague!
See you guys tomorrow!
SATURDAY, MAY 25
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
We started the day playing some volleyball, facing the Olymp Praha Juniors. Then we climbed to the top of the Prague Eiffel Tower, which is 300 steps and 1,060 feet in the air!
It was beautiful.
What I've loved most about this trip is that I’m able to experience all these insane places with both my family and my teammates/best friends while playing the sport I love!"
EMILY
SUNDAY, MAY 26
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
We had a free morning, so the whole team could choose to spend it however they wanted. A lot of the girls went to sight see and some even went and attended church at the cathedral we went to Saturday. We chose to explore the city with our moms, which was actually really awesome, even though it might not sound like it haha
We took a canal tour through Prague and got to learn more about the St. Charles Bridge. Construction on it began all the way back in 1357! While waiting for our tour, we found some of our support staff and coaches riding paddle boats on the Vltava River, which is a prime Prague tourist activity. They looked like they were definitely having a good time 😂😂😂
And how about this dessert from our dinner tonight?
The Czech version of the banana split-- Neapolitan gelato with chocolate syrup and whipped cream in between to bananas.
😍😍
Wrapped it up by playing some volleyball, of course. Tonight we played the Olymp Praha Senior Team, the highest level in Czech. And we taught them a little something afterwards.
Next stop, Vienna and Maribor!
MONDAY, MAY 27
VIENNA, AUSTRIA and MARIBOR, SLOVENIA
Three cities, three COUNTRIES, in one day!
That's how we can sum up Monday in one sentence. After leaving Prague, we headed to Vienna, Austria, and got to spend a few hours taking in the city and some very famous landmarks and historical buildings.
Vienna was so beautiful!"
ANNA
In Vienna we saw where the president and national government live and work, as well as the Spanish Riding School, the fourth-best ranked riding school in the world.
My mother and I have also been huge fans of the Lipizzaner horses since I was a little girl, going and seeing a show in Texas. It was so cool getting to come to Vienna and see where they are from and seeing the horses up close in the stables!"
LEAH
After a quick lunch, it was back on the bus and on to Maribor, where we'll spend the next couple days. Our hotel looks like something from a painting, overlooking a beautiful hillside. What a great view and a place to call home for our time in Slovenia!
But the best part of tomorrow? Back on the court 💪
TUESDAY, MAY 28
Our first full day in Slovenia was pretty awesome, despite the rain that came in overnight. We went into town and got to explore and walk around Maribor.
We got to see the world's oldest grapevine, literally called The Old Vine, and had lunch in the city, where there some surprising meals and surprising coffee.
I loved getting to walk around Maribor today and getting to try different food and coffee. It’s so pretty here. I love how green everything is and how there are mountains all around."
LAUREN
We came back to our hotel and played a match... yes, in the hotel, taking on the Slovenian Junior National Team. It was a really competitive and fast match, and the reward was getting to take a gondola ride from our hotel to the top of the mountain for dinner and some incredible views from the sky.
My favorite part of today was walking around the town of Maribor. I loved that it wasn’t super crowded and all of the locals were super nice to us! The buildings and river were so pretty. I also loved the gondola ride to the top of the mountain. Slovenia has been so pretty and so fun!"
AVERY
Our dinner tonight was literally held in a restaurant prominent during the ski season, where a Slovenian couple prepared the entire dinner- sausages, chicken, ribs, pork, grilled vegetables, skillet potatoes, and Slovenian beans. To top it off, we had homemade cheesecake and fresh strawberries. 😍🤤👌
Plus the chef was so kind and sweet!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29
Wednesday was a recovery day. We spent the morning at the health and wellness center up the hill. SPA DAY 🤗
It was really relaxing! We spent time in the sauna and got to rest our bodies from all this volleyball. We had a rematch with the Slovenian JNT, and all these exhibitions have been great for us as incoming freshmen to figure out how our system works and how this team plays together.
The town has been so nice and so kind. Even though it's been rainy pretty much the whole time, you can tell how beautiful this city is and how cute it is as a little mountain town. We can't imagine what it would look like in the winter covered in snow.
We got to get dressed up and go to a fantastic dinner at a vineyard on the other side of Slovenia. The vineyard is family owned and has been around for decades. Like all the food has been in Europe, tonight was no exception! The two women in charge, the owner and the primary server, were so nice and sweet!
THURSDAY, MAY 30
VENICE, ITALY
VENICE IS AMAZING.
That's really the only thing to say. After leaving Maribor and battling some traffic, we hopped on a train and rode into the island of Venice. The minute you step off the train and into the city, you are awestruck.
It seems like everywhere we go the food has been 🔥, and this was no exception!
Even though there was a lot of walking involved, each shop that we were able to go into was unique in its own way, and the food tasted great! I loved everything about Venice and what it has to offer!"
NAYO
FRIDAY, MAY 31
VERONA, ITALY
Verona was so beautiful and it was the perfect size!
After leaving Venice we headed to Verona on bus, and took a short walk into the town. It was cool how you see the coliseum as the first thing when you really enter into the city limits. Our amazing tour guide, Erienne, explained that the coliseum is one of the four oldest in the world. They were actually setting up for a concert later tonight. That would be one cool show to attend.
As with the rest of this trip, the city is just gorgeous to look at and the food was yummy to eat!
Did you know that 'Romeo and Juliet' is based in Verona?! We went to Juliet's very balcony and the wall of love!
I got to try macaroons and they were delicious! Softer than I expected them to be. The city definitely is a city of romance with the presence of Romeo and Juliet everywhere!"
LEAH
Tomorrow we get to go into Milan and we also get to finally play some volleyball again!
SATURDAY, JUNE 1
MILAN, ITALY
It's true. Milan is definitely the fashion CAPITAL of the world. After riding a tram into the city, we were met by the Milan Cathedral, which is the fifth largest church in the world (but only the second biggest in Italy!).
Milan was interesting because although there was some architecture and historic buildings like on our previous stops, this was different because of all the high-class couture that exists. On one corner alone stood Gucci, Prada, Versace, and Louis Vuitton!
Today was big because we played the toughest competition we have faced on the tour so far, the Italian U18 Junior National Team. They were very talented. It was great because we got to be challenged and elevate our own game!
SUNDAY, JUNE 2
LAKE COMO, ITALY AND MILAN, ITALY
Lake Como: 😍😍😍😍
Lake Como was absolutely stunning. Our tour guide, Erienne (who totally rocks, by the way!) compared it to the Italian version of the Hamptons. We've never been there, but this place was beyond words. Gorgeous buildings, a beautiful and vast lake, and incredible views.
We were glad that Lake Como was the last day of our tour, because it wrapped up all the beauty Europe has to offer into one."
NAYO
The team was very complimentary of us and that is motivation for us heading into our fall season.
This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We learned about different cultures, got to taste and try different foods, and see amazing sights we could have only dreamed about before.
Words cannot express enough the gratitude and fulfillment we experienced on this trip... Europe definitely did not disappoint!"
NAYO
We also have to give a HUGEEEEEE shout out to Bring It USA, Erienne, and our city guides Markeyta (Prague) and Corey (Slovenia). Erienne kept everything in order and through our entire trip and all of our stops, she was on top of it and always had information on the best places to go for shopping, food, and sightseeing. You're forever a part of Rebel nation now. 👌