May 15, 2009
Editor’s note: During the Notre Dame women’s basketball team’s 10-day foreign tour of Europe, senior guard Melissa Lechlitner will file a daily diary after talking by phone with the South Bend Tribune’s Curt Rallo. Following are Lechlitner’s thoughts on the trip.
Today was actually a lighter day. We woke up and left Lake Como and took the bus. It was about a six-hour drive to Florence. I slept through most of it. We took a tour in Florence with a guy named Fabio. It was very funny, actually. What’s hilarious is he looked the opposite of the famous Fabio. This Fabio had a beard, was short, and had short hair. He was not what any of us were anticipating.
The tour was walking around the streets and doing some shopping. We toured a Cathedral in Florence.
I bought some souvenirs. I got my mother a nice mother’s day gift, straight from the streets of Italy. People on the team are buying leather purses, t-shirts, authentic soccer jerseys. That was cool.
Everybody is kind of dragging. We’re a little tired. That’s why it was nice that today was a calm day.
Every day, we’re waking up early, getting to bed late, traveling, people get grouchy when they’re tired. When people get grumpy, we distance ourselves and do our own thing. Everybody has an ipod or a portable DVD. I read some. But still, travel can take its toll.
Some people have said they’re ready to go back home. They want American food and they want to sleep in their own bed. I’m not ready to go back home. I love Italy. It’s so gorgeous. I’m having a great time.
Some random guy in the street just whistled at me and hollered, `Ciao, bella.’ You get a little bit of that over here.
We’re playing a team in Rome (on Saturday). I don’t know who. It doesn’t matter. We just show up ready to play.
This has been a great trip in terms of bringing us together. The biggest thing I’ve noticed, you get to see a side you don’t normally see with the strength coach (Craig Cheek), the academic advisor (Chad Grotegut). You get to see them joking around. It’s great to see another side of their personality.
OK, tomorrow Rome and a game.
Arrivederci!