Day 3: Friday, June 24
By Kelly Kramer `06 and Elizabeth Bishop `07
This morning, we packed up a bus and said ciao to Rome (but only for a week) and took a five-hour bus ride to Falconara. Our lunch en route was delicious. Most of us had pizza or pasta. When we arrived in Falconara we went straight to the gym for practice and a Howley workout (we love our travel bands). Our hotel is about four blocks away from the Adriatic Sea which is beautiful. Once in the hotel, most of us made an attempt at doing some laundry in our sinks-let's say it was amusing to say the least. We ate at a restaurant on the beach with great food, but the highlight was definitely the Nutella (chocolate) spread on pizza bread with hazelnuts on top. Then it was back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
Day 4: Saturday, June 25
By Kelly Kramer `06 and Elizabeth Bishop `07
 We awoke in Falconara and decided to go to the beach. From our hotel, we walked down a street as steep as Buffalo Street in Collegetown. The walk provided a wonderful view of the ocean and beach. We went to the same restaurant that we ate at last night and when we mentioned the word Pallavollo (volleyball in Italian) we received lounge chairs for the beach. It was a really hot day so we cooled off in the Adriatic Sea. The water was very shallow and we could swim out pretty far to some rocks. It was really fun to hang out with teammates and the other US team. Some of us then went to explore the town of Falconara and check out some shops. After getting back to the hotel, we went back to the gym for another practice. After practice we went to the beachside restaurant and had a lovely dinner. A Professional Italian Volleyball club president joined us for dinner. It was interesting to hear his thoughts about professional volleyball and how his team is very successful. He did not speak a lot of English, so we communicated through hand gestures and Coach Collins' Italian she remembered from when she played in Italy. We are having a great trip and we can't wait to play in the tournament.
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