Daily Journal: Alabama European Team Tour Day 1
5/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Alabama volleyball team is on a 10-day, three country tour of Europe. The Tide is traveling to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovenia and will play five matches while visiting. To keep the fans informed, the Alabama players are writing daily journals about their trip of a lifetime.
Alabama European Team Tour
Day One, Budapest Hungary
Amy Pauly
Freshman, Libero
ROAD TRIP!!!
This trip is going to be so exciting! This next week and a half we are embarking on a journey through Eastern Europe (Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic) that is so great that it may change many of our lives. And even before we got on the plane those changes began!
The drive to Atlanta was short and easy...I’m kidding. Our bus driver was crazy. I fell asleep and almost fell out of my seat about 15 times. But we eventually made it there. Well, when we got to the ATL airport we stepped inside and got that V.I.P. treatment. You know how the Alabama volleyball team does it! We got our bags checked right away and then headed into the food court. We hit up Atlanta Bread Company and then headed to our terminal. Here is where the life changing experience takes place, and his name is...ANDY RODDICK. That’s right. We met and took pictures with the one and only HOTT tennis player, A-Rod. Thanks to Meg-Hud noticing his sock tan line, and me shouting his name through terminal E., M.B., Berg, Mud and I got to chat it up and take a picture with him. On the other side of the airport Fuentez, Binks, and Fet met THE BIG SHOW! So, we were basically surrounded by celebrities.
So it’s 10:55 P.M. (3:55 P.M. at home) and I am finally getting into bed! This one-day journal entry has really turned into a two-day journal because we haven’t really slept. The 8 HOUR plane ride over to Budapest wasn’t that bad. We got some good laughs in by trying to learn the Hungarian and Czech languages. Daisy got the word guy-dog and guide-dog confused, and some funny things came out of her mouth. Then the Hungarian, Greek, and German men tried helping us learn different languages. It did not work too well. When we finally landed in Budapest it was a quick trip to Hotel Rubin. And again...we got V.I.P. because we were allowed to go to the Wellness Center and go in the saunas, Jacuzzi, and aroma therapy rooms. Coach Green was going crazy and kept going in the cold tub before going in the sauna. After that, we had our first Hungarian meal. It was pretty good. Then, we went straight to practice. Our gym was crazy! It’s not like the typical gym at home. Instead, the wood floors were cracked and dirty and the whole place echoes. It sounded like everyone was throwing their voices. This kind of atmosphere is going to help us so much because we need to learn to play better under different circumstances. We had a pretty good practice and then finally got to come back to the hotel to shower for the first time since our flight took off.
We ended the night with a dinner cruise, thanks to our hosts Cory, Brooke and Heni. By the end of the dinner cruise everybody was dancing! Before that we had some great food. I couldn’t tell you what anything was but it all tasted good. And the dessert was amazing. Along the river we saw some beautiful buildings and a gorgeous castle. When it got dark and all the lights were lit-up it looked so pretty. I have a few awards:
Best Dancers: Sandy Pauly (my mom) Bobbie Kaplan (my aunt) & Coach Green because they did the twist so well. Haha
Cutest Dance Couple: Juice, The Old Foreign Man, and Bones because not only did they slow dance but Juice got a little kiss on the cheek at the end.
Most Embarrassed: Fin & Snoop (Merideth) because each of them turned bright red when they had to dance.
So the cruise ended, and we got back on the subway (where many of us were falling asleep) then took the bus, got to the hotel, had a quick meeting, and are finally getting some SLEEP!!!!
Amy Pauly a.k.a. Leroy
#10
