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FALCONS #BGVBEuroTour Blog:

May 15 – Day One

The start of our European tour did not begin like I had planned. In the morning when I woke up I could not find my passport. Macie and I had searched high and low for it; tearing apart the dorm room and all of my belongings. The only other spot it could've been in was the dorm's main trash since I had cleaned my bag out the night before. I had to call Coach Tomic to let her know I could not find it. At this point I was so nervous that I would not make the trip my hands could not stop shaking. She placed a call to campus police to come to the dorm to help us get into the trash room.

While waiting at the dorm for the campus police to come Alyssa, Madeline and Katie all kept upbeat attitudes in hopes of finding it. Katie and Madeline were doing cheerleading moves and chanting "Tony, Tony, come around, somethings lost and needs to be found," while Alyssa was yelling out for the campus police in Spanish.

A man had come to unlock the door for us to get into the trash room and soon after that my teammates were alongside me with black rubber gloves on dumpster diving for my passport. Within five minutes we found it and we all screamed and jumped up and down in excitement and sprinted to the car to get to the Stroh Center since the bus was leaving at any minute. Needless to say, I will never hear the end of this mistake for my next four years at BGSU.

We then drove to Toronto and waited to board our 7-hour flight. Following that flight, we took two more flights that were both an hour each. When we landed in Bosnia we were greeted by the warm and smiling faces of Coach Tomic's family and also Jelena's family.

Once we loaded the buses up with our bags we quickly got to the hotel to check in so that way we could go eat. We went to a place that had an assortment of types of Pitas, the ones filled with potatoes and meat were the best.

To wrap up the day we had a light practice and concluded with a team dinner in downtown Bosnia!

Celena Kanagin, Freshman

May 16 – Day Two

We spent the beginning of the day sightseeing in Sarajevo, Bosnia. We started off the day with breakfast provided by the hotel and it was very different than what most of us normally eat for breakfast. The type of breakfast that I am personally used to is usually very sweet, but this breakfast wasn't sweet and it contained a lot of vegetables and different breads. The coffee tasted better and was less bitter.

After breakfast we split up in groups and went sightseeing on our own. My group was Delaney, Alyssa, Celena, Jess, Macie, and Kallie. We wandered around the town and then a tour guide came up to us and told us about a cafe that was up the hill that he could take us to that had an amazing view. We went up the hill and didn't realize how far it was going to be and how steep the hill was so by the end of the walk everyone was dripping sweat and very out of breath.

The cafe was called Bibana and we sat and drank coffee there for about 45 minutes while looking over the town.

At night we played our first match against one of the local club teams and they were good competition for us. Jelena's parents and Coach Tomic's family were there to cheer us on!

After the game, we went out to dinner with the team we played and spoke to them about their lives in Sarajevo. Most of them spoke English, but they were very nervous when speaking because it was their second language. They taught us a bunch of words and about how their lives are different and similar to ours.

Overall, we learned a lot about Sarajevo, Bosnia and it was all through exploring the city on our own and through meeting new people so it was a very unique and priceless experience.

Madeline Brandewie, Sophomore

May 17 – Day Three

We started out the day sleeping in and then traveling to Coach Tomic's hometown of Kakanj.

We first went to the Franciscan Monastery in Kraljeva Sutjeska where we were given a tour of the library and museum located there. We were also given a tour of the church where we got to see Bosnia's oldest organ.

Coach's sister and three nieces met us at the Monastery and then rode back with us to their house where we enjoyed a home cooked Bosnian meal. Afterwards we headed to the elementary school playground and played volleyball with coach's nieces and some of their teammates.

Finally we headed to coach's mothers house for desserts and coffee. The desserts were absolutely amazing and all homemade made by coach's mother. There we just sipped on coffee and ate desserts, and picked fresh cherries from their cherry tree.

Katie Scholten, Junior

May 18 – Day Four
We started the day off right with yet another fantastic breakfast, packed our suitcases and headed off to a different area of Bosnia. The way there was breathtaking. It's hard to keep ourselves from coming off as complete tourists because I can't seem to keep my camera down. We stopped at a lookout sight where we saw a bridge that had to be torn down to keep Nazis from getting in.

From there we went to Mostar, Bosnia where we walked around town. There was a bridge where divers have been jumping off into the water for over 50 years and some of the guys have been jumping for the last 23 years. Having them jump comes at a price though. They ask all the tourists for money - 1 euro for one meter. They jump when they have about 25 euros. We had girls give money because the guys asking for money were dressed for a summer swim and the water was very cold. When it finally came time for someone to jump, a man in a wetsuit appeared... They tricked us, they are good at what they do. (Video)

We then went to Jelena's house in Metkovic, Croatia (where we got our fourth passport stamp in three days ??). Meeting Jelena's family was an awesome experience. She has been a great friend of mine these last three years and I was finally able to see her culture and where she came from. Her mom had such a huge heart and was very happy to have us. She cooked a delicious meal and I ate some of the best desserts I have ever had. They tell you not to fill yourselves up before the main course comes around, but it's hard when everything is so delicious. We do more than eating, but man food is a great way to learn about cultures. Rey was the guest of honor for all he has done to help Jelena so he was fortunate enough to get to eat the lamb head (A scary task he wasn't quite up to). At Jelena's house we also had a special guest dilajla who played music for us on his accordion. He started with traditional Croatian songs, which Izzy (Isabel), Coach and Jelena all sing along to. It was awesome to see them in their natural element and so happy. He also played some songs we could join along with like "When the Saints Go Marching In" and we danced around the table, clapped and sang along. (Video)

Lastly, we went to a museum and saw some statues from Roman times and everyday objects that have been found in the area from hundreds of years ago. We took a ladja boat out onto the river and enjoyed the night's views.

It's hard not to be so happy in such a beautiful place with your best friends. Today was a great day!

Alyssa Maloney, Senior

May 19 – Day Five
Today was quite an interesting day. We got to walk around Split, Croatia, and what a beautiful place it is. My favorite was getting to the top of the mountain and seeing the city from above.

Split brought much shopping for many of us. We were able to walk around a beautiful city right by the Adriatic Sea. Some of the boats docked were massive and beautiful. Jessi, Celena, Macie, and I were able to enjoy lunch together right by the sea.

After heading back to the hotel for about an hour we traveled five minutes to our match. Jelena and Isabel had their parents present, so it was a really special occasion for both of them.

Prior to the match Isabel's mom had asked me if I had a cold and unfortunately the answer was yes. After the match Isabel's mom had serval different cold medicines for me and I was completely overwhelmed by her kindness.

After spending time with both Jelena's and Isabel's families, I've noticed that Croatian families are so loving, caring and welcoming. This has been such an awesome trip for me to see because they do not get to see their parents like I get to see my parents.

Another day full of memories in Europe!

Ryann Cox, Sophomore

May 20 – Day Six
The day started off with packing up at our hotel in Marina Kastela and leaving for my hometown of Zadar. We were going to meet my parents there and have them take us sightseeing around one of the oldest cities on the Adriatic Coast. However, some of the girls on the team haven't been feeling well, including myself, so my Dad told me he was taking me to the doctor the moment we got there. Maddie B. was to come with us as well since she's been ill for a little while now.

We arrived and I was greeted by my dear puppy of eight years old with kisses, as well as my parents, both of whom I had seen the night before at the game. Maddie B. and I left for the doctor right away and the team was in the hands of my Mom until our return. Because the healthcare in Croatia is socialist, the doctor's visit was basically free, and so was the medication Maddie B. and I received for our sinus infections! (High five to Croatian healthcare)

We drove back downtown to meet the team for lunch and as we walked through the old city we stopped and showed Maddie B. around on a quick tour. Then we met the rest of the team at lunch which was delicious, accompanied by panna cotta for dessert (traditionally Italian, but Croatian homemade at the restaurant we ate at). As we left, I said goodbye to my parents who would be at the game again tonight.
Some quick facts about Zadar: it first started to prosper when the Romans took over most of the Adriatic coast, making it about 3000 years old. The downtown itself is still surrounded by stone walls built around the 11th century during the crusades. Many of the churches still standing are still very functional and the oldest one dates back to the 9th century and was built on top of the Roman temple ruins. Today it is known as Europeans no. 1 destination and the first and only sea organ is built on its Riviera.

We drove to the island of Pag, which is connected to the land near Zadar by bridge, for about an hour and a half. We say many sheep during the drive as well as stone walls, which separates the land each person owns.

We met with the Croatian Junior National Team and headed to a cheese factory, as Pag is world renowned for its sheep cheese. As we entered an overwhelming smell of cheese filled the rooms and we saw shelves on crates with stacks of just cheese! We got to taste six different types of cheese, a couple of which beat out some of Wisconsin's famous cheeses for a gold medal in the world.

In the evening we played our match against the Croatian Junior National Team and it was very competitive with the final score of the friendly game being 3-1 in favor of us! It was very fun to play side-by-side with my current teammates against another team that I grew up playing on.

I met with my parents for a final goodbye after the match as this was the last time I would be seeing them until the end of this amazing trip!

Isabel Kovacic, Sophomore (native of Croatia)

May 21 – Day Seven
Today is our seventh day on tour and we're still out experiencing how beautiful Croatia truly is. We departed Pag early this morning as we needed to make it to Rovinj for our evening match. We traveled by ferry across the sea and for our team this was an amazing site that we don't often sea (pun intended!) We were able to get up on deck and take in the view. Once we were back on shore we had a four hour ride to Rovinj.

The traveling took up a big chunk of our morning, but we then checked into our hotel and had lunch as a team. This was by far the most excited I've been since we arrived at a hotels. Near the restaurant where we ate lunch there is a beach open to the guests and it is a breathtaking site. We spent a half hour there before heading to the main city of Rovinj to sightsee.

Naturally this trip consisted of some coffee and ice cream by the water. This area was welcoming and very much geared towards tourists. A few of my teammates and I went to explore the area and get a better feel for the city. Some of the other girls went to visit the tower that overlooks the city. I guess they really wanted to get their steps in because it was a lot of stairs, but I'm sure the lookout was worth it.

From there we went straight to the gym to take on the Zok Roving alumni team. We came out strong and took four sets off them. It's been a great experience for us to play European teams because their style is different than what we play against every day and that makes us better.

Then it was on to dinner where we ate a cute place near the hotel. The best part was just embracing the time we have together as a team. We also had a birthday, Ryann Cox turned 19, so naturally that came with some loud singing and you guessed it - more dessert.

Thanks for everyone that has been following us and helped to make this trip possible. I never imagined I'd get to experience some of the things that I have and it's an opportunity I truly won't forget.

Delaney Arkeilpane, Senior

May 22 – Day Eight
Hi falcon fans! We spent this lovely Sunday doing many different things!

First, we played another Croatian volleyball club from Rovinj.

After the game, we ate lunch then spent a couple of hours on a rocky beach on the Adriatic Sea. The water was a little chilly but not too bad!

Following our time on the beach, we watched the Croatian National Volleyball Team play the Slovenian National Volleyball Team. It was a very exciting match! I loved watching these teams play such a high level of volleyball!

Kallie Seimet, Sophomore

May 23 – Day Nine
Europe has been absolutely amazing! We are so thankful to have the opportunity to explore new places and cultures.

Although we have had a blast roaming around Bosnia, Croatia, and Italy, we have also had the opportunity to play volleyball. Today we were able to play the Croatian National Team, which is a game that we will never forget and an opportunity that will only come around once. Competing today was a very cool experience because this is a team that could qualify for the Olympics. We played well together as a team and continued fighting throughout the whole match. The girls were awesome and pushed us to be better, making us extremely excited for the future of BG Volleyball!

Madeline Garda, Senior

Today we visited the one of a kind city of Venice. It was beautiful, with canals that snaked all throughout the city. It was very easy to get lost there, but if you followed the signs to the train station or San Marco square, you could find your way out. When we first arrived we all walked to San Marco square to take a team picture and then we were free to do what we wanted to do.

In my group (Izzy and Trish) we went up to the top of the bell tower in the square. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain and very windy, so we couldn't take many pictures. Once we reached the bottom we just walked around shops out of the rain. Thankfully the sun came out again and we went to ride a gondola. It was an amazing experience to take one of those boats through the canals of Venice and I would highly recommend it to anyone who visits! Just be careful you don't get ripped off!

By the time we finished the ride we had to head back to San Marco square to meet up for dinner. Once everyone was there we set out to find the restaurant we were going to. We ended up getting lost trying to navigate the small alleyways, but we found it eventually!

Dinner was amazing and then it was time to head back to the hotel because we head to Verona and Milan tomorrow!

Nicole Slimko, Junior

May 24 – Day Ten
We started out day 10 in Verona, Italy which is famous for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, as well as the Colosseum. After a lot of shopping and gelato we made our way over to Juliet's balcony. We entered into this beautiful and crowded arch where people wrote their initials with hearts and messages about their loves. You emerge into this court yard that had the statue of Juliet and up above was her balcony. It was really cool so see this historical sight in person.

After a long bus ride we arrived at our final destination of Milan, Italy. We took the subway to downtown after checking into our hotel and saw the breathtaking Duomo di Milano. This fashion capital of the world had more shopping than us fourteen girls could even dream of. From H&M and Zara to Gucci and Calvin Klein, we were all in heaven.

You can't go to Italy without having pizza and pasta so we had our final dinner together eating just that while sharing our favorite parts of the trip and each other's company. We finished off with even more gelato and made our way back to the subway station to go home.

But the day doesn't end there. After trying to maneuver ourselves around the subway station and figure out which stop to get off at, we all rushed off the subway except for one… Meghan Horn (our academic advisor). We all watched as she waved and passed us by into the night.

We waited for Meghan for about twenty minutes then decided to head back to the hotel. A few minutes after we arrived, Meghan showed up at the hotel which followed with an applause from the team.

After 10 days of traveling, playing, shopping, walking and doing a lot of eating our trip has come to a close. All the memories that we have made here will stick with us for a lifetime. This trip has inspired many on our team and we are so thankful for our coaches and all the people that made this trip possible.