UNLV REBELS

The UNLV volleyball team will get an early start to the 2009 season as it will travel across the Atlantic Ocean for a 12-day jaunt to Europe. The team's trip will begin on Sunday, May 10 and last until they return on Thursday, May 21. In all, the team will visit five countries and play five exhibition matches. View the team's itinerary.

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Jesssica Walters' European Blog

Europe Entry #7 (May 22, 2009) - Travel Home

This was literally the longest days of my life.  I awoke at 7:00 am, which was 10:00 pm, back on the west coast.  We got on the place at 11:00 am and settled in for a nine-hour flight.  I probably slept for 45 minutes of it.  I think half of the team was sleep deprived, as well.  We were all up and excited with cell phones in hand, as soon as we pulled into the gates in New York.  We were so excited to be in the States again.  We went through the long process of customs and then jumped on a five-hour flight, which arrived in Las Vegas at 8:30 pm.  We had been up and traveling for over 20 hours.  It was well worth it to come back to the comfort of my own bed.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  I will always hold it close to my heart.  I want to thank the coaches, staff, boosters, parents and especially the girls, who made it a trip to remember!

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The trip was made possible by donor and private contributions and money raised through camps offered by the coaching staff and student-athletes throughout the year. No state financing was used in the funding of the excursion. 

The girls found their way around easily and spent the first part of the day buying gifts for loved one.  I don't want to let any cats out of the bag, but I will say Venice had many stores with a variety of beautifully blown glass and masquerade masks.  After shopping and wandering we met at San Marcos Square, in front of this gorgeous church that looked like a decadent, enormous palace with golden depictions of Biblical scenes.  The coaches offered to take us on gondolas.  We jumped at the chance.  There were six of us to a gondola.  Our Italian "gondola man" whistled as he directed the vessel through the large waterways and narrow canals so tight we could reach out and feel the stone.  The experience was so relaxing and enchanting.  We could have drifted in the boat for hours.  The rest of the day was filled with more shopping and sight-seeing.  We had a nice dinner with all the pizza we could eat for our last supper at nine.  Then all the girls, plus Zach and Nick, went out to the popular disco near our hotel.  We expected to dance the night away and were a little disappointed that it was more of a socializing lounge with laid back music than a dance club.  The place was very chic.  We still had a good time chilling with the locals.

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The trip was made possible by donor and private contributions and money raised through camps offered by the coaching staff and student-athletes throughout the year. No state financing was used in the funding of the excursion.  

Today, we took a four-hour bus ride to Vienna. After a little detour and help from Erin Greenwood's mom, Nancy, we found out adorable little hotel. It was tucked away on a side street and is modeled after the traditional style of European hotels. That's right, no television and no internet. We are completely isolated from the outside world. We can't make calls, text, email, Facebook, Skype, MySpace or watch MTV. I feel like someone dropped me into the fifties. I know my grandma is saying, "It's good for you" right about now.

We wound up going to a little traditional Austrian restaurant down the street from the hotel and enjoyed our interesting meals. After eating we began what will probably be the greatest adventure on this trip...The Amazing Race!

Our tour guide gave us an all-access pass to all the trams and underground metros in Vienna. He then grouped us into teams of three and gave us a list of seven destinations in Vienna. On a side note about our volleyball team, we are all very competitive and took this very seriously.

We had to find the palace, a cathedral, the opera house, the national library, Rathaus, the Donau River and conclude at the Mozart Café. We had to take a picture in front of each check point. We spent two hours sprinting through the streets and metro cars of Vienna.

We used maps and figured out the underground train system. Luckily, we found friendly people that barely spoke English that helped us. Jeralynn (Makaiwi), Leah (Maurer) and Sam (Noland) won. The rest of us are still very bitter about the loss. If you ask any of the losing teams they will let you know that they should've won and how the winners had cheated. All in all, it was a great experience and helped us get acquainted with Vienna quickly. I had a lot of fun even though Tabitha (Mabrey), Jessica (Mojica) and I came in third.

The rest of our time in Vienna we were allowed to go explore. Vienna is absolutely gorgeous. There is so much wealth. High-end fashion designer shops like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace and Dior lined the streets. The architecture, statues, monuments, park and everything else was so incredibly elegant and prestigious. I am definitely coming back here in the near future.

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The trip was made possible by donor and private contributions and money raised through camps offered by the coaching staff and student-athletes throughout the year. No state financing was used in the funding of the excursion. 

We started day five, at 7:00 am, with an eight-hour train ride to Hungary. Going by train isn't so bad. In fact, it might be my new favorite way to travel. It was a very spacious and smooth ride. Not to mention the scenery was unbelievable. I figured the Bohemian oil paintings we saw in the castle exaggerated the lush landscape. The paintings came to life as I looked out the train windows. Light green rolling hills were interrupted by clusters of leafy green trees, so tightly grouped together. They looked like a mini enchanted forest. I never knew so many different shades of green existed. Majestic mountains and cliffs rose up from the land only to dive into glassy rivers and lakes. The ride went surprisingly fast, as we dozed in and out.

The first day in Budapest was a whirlwind. After waiting at the hotel, we had to take a 45-minute tram ride to the gym. When we got to the gym we were given some little packed lunches that contained an array of Hungarian sandwiches.

There was a much different feel in Hungary. The architecture of the city was similar to that of Prague, but it held more of a bustling big, city feel. The country has had a rough past century. They once thrived as one of the top empires. We saw the pride they hold for their history when we went to Hero's Square. The area is an amazing monument that was built to commemorate the country's 1000^th birthday and honor the seven tribes that formed Hungary.

We took a ride up to Buda Castle, which was built back in the 1200's and later destroyed by the Nazis in World War I, but later rebuilt. Following the castle, some of us went to the House of Terror, which took us back in time. It opened our eyes to the horrible atrocities that occurred in the last 60 years. The Germans invaded the country in 1944 and later gave way to the Soviet Union. The Nazis and communists used the House of Terror for interrogations, imprisonment, torture and executions for those Hungarians fighting for freedom. After walking through the house, I got a better understanding of heaviness I felt when we got to the country.

UNLV swimmer Daniel Egly, who we affectionately call Donny, arrived and became our tour guide after his two-hour train ride to meet us. Daniel and our other Hungarian tour guides took us out on the town for a little dancing, which was chaperoned by Lisa and Peter Kelleher. We had way too much fun! Eight of us caught dance fever that night and spent two hours on the floor in this hot and cramped underground club. We loved every second of it. We sang loudly to each American song like we owned it. There were people from all over Europe dancing. Our favorite was a band of middle-aged English gentlemen. They told Sara (Nehf) that her English accent was so good that she should, "Take up acting and forget that volleyball rubbish". It was a great way to end our Budapest adventure. A special thanks goes to "Donny" for making it that much better.

The energy in the two matches we played was night and day. The match following our eight-hour train ride without any down time was a rough one. Shocking, I know! Nothing seemed to go our way. Fortunately, we still won! We played a group of older professionals that play all over the continent. One of the main factors in the victory was the resilience of Sam Richard, who fought hard the last game. Sam swung aggressively and played solid defense to help in the win. The following day's match was much better. The girls were fired up and maintained their positive energy through the match. Everybody had star-studded moments. Sara had an all around great match. She hammered the ball down the lines and cross court. Jessica Mojica came off the bench and directed the team with her setting. She provided steady and perfectly hanging sets.  

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The trip was made possible by donor and private contributions and money raised through camps offered by the coaching staff and student-athletes throughout the year. No state financing was used in the funding of the excursion. 

The next two days in Prague we packed as much in as possible. The whole team took a tour of the royal castles surrounding the cathedral. We took pictures next to the royal guards and tried to get them to give us some kind of recognition, only to find out if they did so they could earn themselves five days in prison. While once again looking at the beautiful architecture past Bohemian Kings had built for themselves, we listened to intriguing stories and myths about occurrences in history. The gothic style cathedral took our breaths away. It was grander than the rest of the palaces in every aspect. Our Czech tour guide explained that they made it this way to remind the people how small they were compared to God. The only thing more stunning from the outside of the church was the inside. No expense was spared. Four-storied stained glass windows filled the enormous church with an array of light, reflecting of the many gold flinted sacred relics. Intricate tombs adorned the flanks of the cathedral, as each has its own room and story to tell. The girls probably took pictures of every one.

The next day we took a hike to the top of this mountain where a replica of the Eiffel Tower was located. All of us girls opted to take the direct route, which we regretted almost immediately. The incline was so steep; we were out of breath just a sixth of the way up. Even though the track was rough on our calves, it was candy for our eyes. Every time we stopped for a rest we took pictures over looking all of Prague. The trek itself was overflowing with lush green vegetation. Baby green leaves and grass engulfed us as we disappeared into the mountain top. Half of us made it up the mountain first and celebrated like we had won a marathon. There were little cafes, a garden and a park to visit. Half of us went in the maze of mirrors, which was hilarious. Cursty (Jackson) almost ran flat into two of them. The last section was a room of distorted mirrors and you would have thought you were a five-year-old again, as we appeared short, fat, skinny and everything in between, we laughed until our sides hurt. After touring the top we headed back down a longer way and saw all the Embassies.

In the afternoon of both days we split up into groups and explored the city. Some went shopping, while others went to the torture museum, old town square, the Jewish cemetery, the inside of the royal castle or to view ancient Bohemian art work.

During the day, most of us ate at these little cafes that dotted the city, but at night we ate traditional Czech food together. The first night was Czech goulash with bread dumplings. It was delicious. Even Cursty liked it! For dessert we ate these apple streusels that melted in our mouths. The next night we had the longest dinner of our lives. It was a very authentic Czech pub, no tourists in sight. We sat there of over three hours, apparently they really believe in enjoying each others' company during meal time. We ate an unbelievable amount of starch. We had a baked potato-like appetizer with a spinach and tartar sauce, French fries, potato pancakes with chicken and sauce, bread, two kinds of potato dumplings, crepes and fried cheese. There was another cheese dish no one at my table really cared for that also included pork knee and sauerkraut. To be honest, I don't want to look at another potato for a while.

Our two matches were very different. I must be honest; the first one was not pretty. The other team was not very high level, but they did not make many mistakes. I could not say the same about us. Nothing seemed to click that first day. There were miscommunications, lots of missed serves, poor choices and many silly errors. We lost two out of three. I'm going to blame that game on the jetlag. However, Kela (Lau Hee) and Cursty played exceptionally well. Kela passed very well, which was tough in a new gym with the harder European ball. Cursty was smashing balls in the middle, which she did both games. The match on the second day was much better. The other team was much more advanced and athletic. We handed the first game to them, but came back with fire and a new found energy and took the second with ease. The third game was a battle to the finish. They won at 28. In my opinion, Sam Richard and Erin (Greenwood) stepped up this game. Erin was up for every set and led with a positive, completive attitude. Richard stepped up her intensity and played a great all around game, digging, passing, serving and hitting. Even though we didn't win, it was a relief to get over the slump of bad volleyball the day before. This next match will be even better!

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The trip was made possible by donor and private contributions and money raised through camps offered by the coaching staff and student-athletes throughout the year. No state financing was used in the funding of the excursion.

The day (Sunday, May 10) began at 7 a.m. We all met at campus ready to take the shuttle to the airport. There was a buzz in the air. I've never seen everyone so excited so early in the morning.

When we got to the airport everything went smoothly. Most slept through the first flight. The next flight was the killer, nine long hours. Some people slept, while others didn't, but the excitement never died down.

We finally arrived!!! We had to wait a little bit for the shuttle to come pick us up. It was this cute little retro bus. Apparently, it is the biggest bus that will fit into the streets leading to our hotel. The drive was beautiful and surprisingly green. I didn't see one blade of grass that was not brilliant baby green. Soon we were in Prague. All the buildings looked like they were out of a story book. Narrow cobble streets paved the way and were very close to the buildings.

We got to our hotel, which may be the quaintest one I've ever seen in my life. It's just a couple feet away from the famous Charles bridge, but tucked away to avoid the busyness. After we got our keys, Erin (Greenwood), Sam (Noland), and I found our way up to our room. We had our own little tower complete with spiral staircase, sitting room, bathroom and a very spacious bedroom. The décor is beautiful and quaint just like the hotel. Our ceiling is dark wood and is beautifully painted. Erin, Sam and I danced around feeling like we were princesses.

Corey, our tour guide, gave us the lowdown on Prague and then he gave us 200 Czechs (which is about $10). We went off sight-seeing and to find lunch. We walked along the notorious Charles Bridge. It is made out of stones with giant statues of saints, royalty and depictions of Christian scenes. Vendors lined the bridge, selling jewelry and paintings, while others played folk music.

Everyone was starving so we took a break to find food. Most of the girls went for pizza, but Erin, Jessica (Mojica), Sam, Monika (Karney), Tabitha (Mabrey) and I found a traditional Czech cuisine restaurant. We went underground to the adorable little mom and pop restaurant. The food was incredible. We all tried each other's and ate every last bit of it. We had filet mignon, beef goulash, and various chicken dishes. The owner was also the waiter. It was funny because we were given peanuts with these two glass bowls next to it. We began putting the shells in the glass bowls until the man walked over, rolled his eyes and emptied the shells onto a plate. Apparently, we were putting our peanut shells in the ash tray.

Then we walked all around town square. The buildings and sculptures are magnificent. They are incredibly detailed and hundreds of years old. We didn't see one plain building the whole time. There were tons of little shops everywhere we walked ranging from very high class to pretty cheap. Also, there were a lot of puppet shops everywhere we went.

We went back to the room to rest a while. Then we got on the tram to go to practice. The tram was crowded to say the least. After awhile, we started to notice the buildings change. No longer were they exquisite and decadent. There were no boxy and plain one. They were like giant bricks with windows. Corey explained to us that these where built during the Cold War when they were under the influence of the Soviet Union.

When we got the gym, the Czech junior national team was playing and we watched them for a bit. They were tall, but we can take them. Practice went surprisingly well. I thought for sure the girls would be too exhausted to move, but they did great!

We all showered and hopped on the train again to go to dinner. Corey took us to this place where they kept bringing out more and more pasta and pizza. As we walked through old town square lights lit up the 14th century castle like buildings and towers. Then it started to rain harder and harder. The last quarter of a mile we were too cold to soak up the beauty.

Finally, we got back, cozy in our rooms after very full and eventfully 30 hours.

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The trip was made possible by donor and private contributions and money raised through camps offered by the coaching staff and student-athletes throughout the year. No state financing was used in the funding of the excursion.