March 18, 2009

March 16

After a looong flight, 13 hours to be exact, we finally got to Venice. We were all pretty tired and grumpy. The time change kind of threw some of us off. it was 9 am in Italy, but 3am US time, so u can imagine how some of us were after we got off the flight. we got to our hotel room in Pordenone about an hour later and practiced for about an hour. Afterwards, we came back to our hotel room and showered to go out to dinner. We walked down a couple of blocks to get to the restaurant. we were starving! We ate from a buffet which of course had pasta and pizza...surprise, surprise. Afterall, we are in Italy. Anyways, afterwards, we went down the street to get some gelato. some of us girls picked up on some words real quick. We walked up and down the streets for a while and then it was time for bed. we had to get a good night sleep for the following day. We were excited to go do some more sight seeing and about our first international competition.

- Rebecca Toddy

March 17

Hey Bronc Fans!

Charity Cucancic

Its Charity and today is our second day in Italy! We spent last night at the Hotel Damodoro in Pordenone and we woke up early this morning for our first Italian breakfast. After breakfast we walked down to the train station and headed to Venice. When we arrived we got to roam around the city and shop and take tons of pictures of the old historic buildings. Some of the alleys are so small and there is pizza and gelato on almost every corner. After we had a little lunch we went on a Gondola ride through some of the small canals in the city which was nice even though Nicholla (our gondala "driver") wouldnt sing for us like you see in the movies. It was beautiful weather most of the morning and we went through what seemed like the longest maze through the alleys in Venice to the famous Sam Marcos plaza where I got attacked by pigeons!! After we finished our sightseeing we took a boat through the grand canal back to the train station and headed back to Pordenone. When we arrived we had a short break before we headed to our first match with the Italian girls. After our match we met up with the italian team for some pizza and got to experience a little bit more of their culture. After dinner we headed back to our hotel and were getting ready to spend our first day shopping in Pordenone tomorrow. Ciao : )

-Charity Cucancic

March 18,

Deanna Schneyer

This morning we had the opportunity to sleep in or see the beautiful city of Pordenone. Most people spent the morning exploring the city and shopping. People filled the streets as we walked in and out of boutiques. On the way we dodged bicylces and Italians making their way to work. There was an abundance of places to shop and places to get gelato. Down one of the streets was a farmer's market thing that called our attention. Produce looked delicious and the displays of clothing, sunglasses, and shoes caught our eye. We enjoyed some Italian fruit and got into shopping mode. We soon realized that we needed to meet back at the hotel to depart for the beach. We loaded up the vans and everyone took the opportunity to nap, or at least try to. After a long drive I could finally see the ocean, immediately I was awe struck. The Adriatic Sea was incredible. It was a beautiful day and the sun sparkled as it hit the surface of the water. We walked uphill to the entrance of the castle taking plenty of pictures along the way. We quickly made our way up to the castle where our groups splitt off.

The castle looked breathtaking overlooking the Trieste Gulf. It was the perfect summer home. Some went inside the castle for a tour, and others ventured outside to the mulitple courtyards and gardens. We spent a few hours getting lost in the gardens filled with strange birds, caves, gazebos, and ponds. It was the ultimate pre game nature walk. I enjoyed the sun and breeze as I ate lunch in one of the courtyards filled with statues and plants. After hours of castle exploration the group was reunited to return home.

People rested in the vans saving energy for the game. We got back to the hotel just in time for another nap and a snack.

Once again, we piled into the vans to head to the match. We arrived and played against the Italian Junior national team. We played a lot better than last night, but not good enough to end up with a win. However, we did end up steling a game off of them. The game was enjoyable and we all looked forward to dinner.

Dinner was served buffet style at Woody's, a stylish cafe in Pordenone. We had pizza, tomatoe and cheese salad, ribs, pasta, veggies, sandwiches, and all kinds of crazy Italians dishes. Like the last few nights, we finished late. Some people disappeared to sleep while others are at the hotel enjoying each others company.

Tomorrow we leave early for Verona and Milan. Looks like the Broncs will have see what kind of adventures await them tomorrow morning.

Till then Ciao!

Deanna Schneyer