Members of Miami's women's basketball team at the Chateau de Chillon.  • Europe Trip Index Page

HiiieeE over there in America!

Wow, we are already into our third day in Switzerland. It has all gone so fast, but it has been a blast!

This morning we met downstairs in the lobby of the Hotel Eden au Lae for breakfast. Every time we are in the lobby area I notice more different and beautiful things. For example, today I saw the old time house phones, the chandlers, and the Victorian rugs everywhere.

Another thing I noticed about our hotel was increased security. Last night, returning home from our game after midnight, the doors were locked. We had to 'ring the doorbell' to get in.

After breakfast we got on the bus to go about five minutes down the road to Chateau de Chillon (a castle visited by Lord Byron). This castle was in the most beautiful setting on Lake Geneva and built into the existing rock. Here we toured the dungeons, kitchens, & courtyards. It was weird walking around in a place that was built in the 12th century. The castle took over 15 years to build, as the use of manpower was all they had. The team's favorite place was the dungeons where they kept prisoners. Here they hung people & used a trap door that lead to Lake Geneva to dump the bodies. Also on the dungeon walls there was a picture drawn by the soon to be executed prisoners of the crucifixion of Christ. That was pretty freaky! The rest of the castle had beautiful views & authentic decor.

Following the castle tour we had some free time to roam around Montruex. Most of us went shopping (what a surprise!). While walking the streets, a crazy Swiss driver almost ran over Jess after honking at her a few times. It is dangerous out there.

Eventually we made our way back to the hotel and into our bathing suits. Jana Pruett, Heather, Mel and I sat out by the pool.

While this was all going on poolside, Kim S, Kim L, Katie, Beth, Hillary, & Jess rented motorboats to cruise around Lake Geneva. Beth, Hillary and Jess went together and Katie, Kim L, and Kim S went together. Kim S. daring to go was quite the accomplishment; she went in WITHOUT A LIFEJACKET! She held on for dear life. While they were on the lake they took pictures of & swam out in the middle of the lake. A few of them had to do quite a balancing act to try and get back into the boat. It is not too stable, so it took a few tries and near tipped boats before all passengers were safely aboard again.

Around 4pm (10am Ohio time) we came down to pre-game meal in the hotel restaurant. Tonight we played the Swiss All-Stars again. The only difference was tonight we went into the game with a different attitude. We wanted to beat this team like we knew we could. We came out a lot sharper defensively & offensively. We pressed the majority of the game. Everyone was running the floor and sharing the ball, as a team we dished out 27 assists. Defensively, we improved as well getting 41 steals and deflections. Scoring was balanced with FIVE players in double figures. Leading the way was Colleen Day with 17, Kim Lancaster with 16, Melanie Kozlowski with 15, Heather Cusick with 13, and Kim Smith chipped in 10 points. Overall we played well and won the way we knew we should 92-70. Second game down, 2-0...bring on the Italians!

Nicki Motto

***The meals have been FABULOUS! Thanks to the Best Western for contributing to our dinner meals.