May 15, 2010
Written by Chelsie Sobieck and Andrea Millerbernd
Greetings from Montecatini! Today was another fun filled, rainy day. After eating another fantastic breakfast, we headed off to Pistoia. Pistoia is a town about 30 miles from Montecatini. It is home to the third largest domed church in Italy, which was a large attraction for the group. Along with the dome, there was a beautiful cathedral in Piazza del Duomo square. This was a magnificent building with amazing religious paintings, monuments, and architecture. The best part of Pistoia was the SHOPPING! On Saturdays, Pistoia has a special market full of bargains for most locals. We were able to experience the Italian culture, along with purchasing shoes, clothes, jewelry, and of course gelato.
After an exhausting day of shopping, it was back to Montecatini for ciesta! We were able to relax and prepare for our last game of the trip. Our game today was against Unione Pallavolo Valdinievole (UPV), a group of high school students who were very skilled for their age. This was also the same volleyball club team our tour escort, Claudia, played for when she was younger. It was great to go back and see where Claudia used to play volleyball.
The best part of the day was a VICTORY!!!! We beat team UPV in 3, the scores were 26-24, 25-18, 25-12. UPV was very skilled and pushed us all to play our best. We worked hard as a team and were able to succeed in our final match in Italy. After the game some of the Blazers talked with some of the UPV players. It was surprising to all of us how well they spoke English. They told us they have been studying English for eight years, along with German and French. The players were very interested in where we lived, when we started and ended school, and if they could come live in Minnesota!
After the game, we came back and had yet another four course meal that was delicious. Tonight, the Blazers are going from sweaty to sophisticated to dance it up at a local dance club. Tomorrow we are off to Florence bright and early and are praying for SUN!
We miss you all and hope all is well in the states!
Ciao!