Aug. 21, 2002

Hi Everybody!

Well, we survived our long trip from the States after some turbulence shook us up. It felt like the wings of the plane were ripping off... people were screaming and I have bruise marks on my arms from Alex's (Gientke) fingernails digging into me out of fear.

We arrived at the most beautiful Italian city at the foot of the Italian Alps. We woke up this morning at 8 a.m. for a walking tour of Lake Como. Most of us had been wide awake since 4:30 a.m. anyway. After seeing the Duomo, some silken leather shops, and climbing a few midievil walls (with a few glares from the locals) , we boarded a boat that took us the length of Lake Como. Two hours later, we ended up in Bellagio to do some jet-lagged shopping. Kayla was the first person to find out how warm the water was in the lake and learned the hard way that the closer you get to the water, the slippier the stones are.

We crashed on the boat ride back to rest up before game one against the Starlight of Valmadrera. We pulled out a squeaker, 112-41. We raided the refreshment stand of Italian pastries and headed back to the hotel to sleep. Maybe one of these days, we'll have enough energy to enjoy the nightlife of Italy.