University of Richmond Athletics
Women's Basketball Euro Trip Update - Paris
08/07/2015 | Women's Basketball
PARIS - The Richmond women's basketball has continued its journey through Europe over the past few days, more particularly through Paris before moving on to Valkenburg on Thursday evening. The team saw many of the sights that Paris had to offer and were able to experience a bond as team that few programs have the privalege to receive.
In the coming days the Spiders will visit various cities throughout Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands where they will see more sights and even take the court for a few games against local club teams.
Fans can follow Richmond women's basketball in Europe on Twitter (@RichmondWBBall) and on Instagram (@RichmondWBBall) for a constant stream of content throughout the duration of the trip. Fans are encouraged to use #EuroSpiders in order to interact with the Spiders easily. A full video recap of the trip will be posted to RichmondSpiders.com in the days following the Spiders' return home.
Junior guard Olivia Healy, with the help of her teammates has put together a blog site to chronicle the trip through the eyes of the student-athletes. The website can be found here.
Tuesday Aug. 4, 2015
I don't think that any of us could really keep track of when August 3rd ended and August 4th began, but it didn't matter because we made it to Paris today!
We have amazing tour guides who are so kind and have so much information about the city of Paris that they love to share. Most of us struggled to stay awake when we first boarded the bus, but we found our second wind when it was time to explore the city for lunch.
Our bus dropped us off in front of the Palais Garnier opera house. It was spectacular. We stepped off of the bus in groups of five and six and scurried off to find the perfect cafes in that section of the city. We were able to shop and get some great pictures, which you can look at in our gallery!
After lunch, we went on a tour off Paris via bus. For two hours we explored the city, passing the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the list could just continue on.
It was a beautiful sunny day in Paris with clear blue skies that soon after turned into dark.
My roommate, junior Dazia Hall, and I were able to debrief in our hotel room as we sprawled out onto our beds with exhaustion.
"It was a long day of traveling, but when we finally stepped off the tour bus and sat down to eat in a cafe and actually take in Paris, it was worth it," Hall said. "I'm very excited for Versailles and to revisit the Eiffel Tower tomorrow!"
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will be waking up early for breakfast in the hotel before we head to Versailles. In the afternoon we will have some free time to shop before heading up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset.
Wednesday Aug. 5, 2015
Today our team used every hour, minute and second to take in Paris.
From 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. we never slowed down. We headed straight to the Palace of Versailles for a guided tour after our breakfast. We were able to learn about the artwork, architecture and history behind just about every square inch of the palace.
On the ceilings there remains the priceless artwork that extends to all four corners. Most of the furniture was auctioned away many years ago, but when there is opportunity to buy some of it back, the pieces are bought and put back in the mansion.
In the bedrooms, most of the furniture was still there and many of us couldn't believe how magnificent the pieces were.
After the guided tour we headed into the beautiful gardens. We were able to roam the property this afternoon. There were fountains, gardens, statues and mirrors throughout the grounds.
The views were breathtaking and the flowers were vibrant.
After the Palace of Versailles we headed straight to dinner where we roamed the streets near the Notre Dame Cathedral. Along the river there was beautiful artwork and cafes, and through every alley there was a new adventure.
We didn't stop there!
We hopped back onto the bus and drove straight to the Eiffel Tower for our elevator ride to the second level. We overlooked Paris at sunset before heading back to our hotel.
Thursday Aug. 6, 2015
Yesterday on 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, we visited the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur.
As a group we climbed up the nearly 300 steps to the front entry of the church. From the moment we stepped into the Basilica to the moment we walked out, our eyes could not stop wandering.
The ceilings were fully decorated with beautiful blue accents throughout. There were opportunities to light prayer candles which some of us participated in. Others continued their walk in awe with big eyes that light up from the sun shining through the stained glass windows.
After the visit, we had two hours to grab lunch and shop on our own in the town center.
There was an art shop that everyone stopped in! It had simple, beautiful and colorful paintings of the picturesque Paris that we came to know and love.
On top of that, the food was very tasty! A few of us had hotdogs with cheese and some had crepes, but it was not just that simple. It was delicious!
While we were sitting street side, Micaela, Alicia, Karleigh and I had our portraits drawn by local artists. Each one is different in its own way and it is a treasure that we will always have as a keepsake.
After that we headed to the Champs-Élysées for our final round of shopping. The Nike store was an obvious major stop for all of us, but we all stepped outside our comfort zones and peaked into the expensive and rare stores that originated from or are only found in Paris.
Friday Aug. 7, 2015
After a day and night of exploring the city, we woke up the next morning dreading to say au revoir to Paris.
After our breakfast, we headed to our rooms, collected our belongings and loaded the bus (well Robert and Matt did). Before heading off to the next destination, we paid a visit to Le Louvre, the famous museum that holds the Mona Lisa, Nike, da Vinci paintings and the list continues.
We all scrambled to get in a picture of the Mona Lisa which was not even bigger than a pizza box. BUT, it was spectacular. It was a purposeful feeling you got when roaming the different halls. I even had to set some picks on other people for Coach Shafer to get to the front of the line
Us players had Beatrice as our tour guide. She was amazing. Dressed from head to toe in pink, she was so funny and sweet yet so knowledgeable about history behind Le Louvre.
"I really enjoyed it," sophomore Micaela Parson said. "It wasn't like a museum you would see in the United States. It was interesting seeing how the people and the culture respected the pieces."
After Le Louvre we had a five hour bus ride to Hotel Voncken in Valkenburg, Germany. Everyone including the coaches slept for the first portion of the trip, but once we stopped for food, it was all fun and games.
A few small games broke up among different groups throughout the bus, but then us players were called to compete against the coaches in a game of charades.
Players vs. coaches.
Each member of the team had one minute to act out whatever the other team brainstormed. We had a variety of challenges like Shakira for Coach Miller, Smurfs for Coach Shafer, Hoosiers for Micaela, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and bacon for me.
We laughed the entire road trip!
In case you were wondering, the players definitely won.
Once we reached the hotel, we had a fantastic dinner! There was pork, cod and chicken options with tomato minestrone in our hotel restaurant. Our dessert was a tasty tiramisu!
In the coming days the Spiders will visit various cities throughout Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands where they will see more sights and even take the court for a few games against local club teams.
Fans can follow Richmond women's basketball in Europe on Twitter (@RichmondWBBall) and on Instagram (@RichmondWBBall) for a constant stream of content throughout the duration of the trip. Fans are encouraged to use #EuroSpiders in order to interact with the Spiders easily. A full video recap of the trip will be posted to RichmondSpiders.com in the days following the Spiders' return home.
Junior guard Olivia Healy, with the help of her teammates has put together a blog site to chronicle the trip through the eyes of the student-athletes. The website can be found here.
Tuesday Aug. 4, 2015
I don't think that any of us could really keep track of when August 3rd ended and August 4th began, but it didn't matter because we made it to Paris today!
We have amazing tour guides who are so kind and have so much information about the city of Paris that they love to share. Most of us struggled to stay awake when we first boarded the bus, but we found our second wind when it was time to explore the city for lunch.
Our bus dropped us off in front of the Palais Garnier opera house. It was spectacular. We stepped off of the bus in groups of five and six and scurried off to find the perfect cafes in that section of the city. We were able to shop and get some great pictures, which you can look at in our gallery!
After lunch, we went on a tour off Paris via bus. For two hours we explored the city, passing the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the list could just continue on.
It was a beautiful sunny day in Paris with clear blue skies that soon after turned into dark.
My roommate, junior Dazia Hall, and I were able to debrief in our hotel room as we sprawled out onto our beds with exhaustion.
"It was a long day of traveling, but when we finally stepped off the tour bus and sat down to eat in a cafe and actually take in Paris, it was worth it," Hall said. "I'm very excited for Versailles and to revisit the Eiffel Tower tomorrow!"
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will be waking up early for breakfast in the hotel before we head to Versailles. In the afternoon we will have some free time to shop before heading up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset.
Wednesday Aug. 5, 2015
Today our team used every hour, minute and second to take in Paris.
From 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. we never slowed down. We headed straight to the Palace of Versailles for a guided tour after our breakfast. We were able to learn about the artwork, architecture and history behind just about every square inch of the palace.
On the ceilings there remains the priceless artwork that extends to all four corners. Most of the furniture was auctioned away many years ago, but when there is opportunity to buy some of it back, the pieces are bought and put back in the mansion.
In the bedrooms, most of the furniture was still there and many of us couldn't believe how magnificent the pieces were.
After the guided tour we headed into the beautiful gardens. We were able to roam the property this afternoon. There were fountains, gardens, statues and mirrors throughout the grounds.
The views were breathtaking and the flowers were vibrant.
After the Palace of Versailles we headed straight to dinner where we roamed the streets near the Notre Dame Cathedral. Along the river there was beautiful artwork and cafes, and through every alley there was a new adventure.
We didn't stop there!
We hopped back onto the bus and drove straight to the Eiffel Tower for our elevator ride to the second level. We overlooked Paris at sunset before heading back to our hotel.
Thursday Aug. 6, 2015
Yesterday on 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, we visited the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur.
As a group we climbed up the nearly 300 steps to the front entry of the church. From the moment we stepped into the Basilica to the moment we walked out, our eyes could not stop wandering.
The ceilings were fully decorated with beautiful blue accents throughout. There were opportunities to light prayer candles which some of us participated in. Others continued their walk in awe with big eyes that light up from the sun shining through the stained glass windows.
After the visit, we had two hours to grab lunch and shop on our own in the town center.
There was an art shop that everyone stopped in! It had simple, beautiful and colorful paintings of the picturesque Paris that we came to know and love.
On top of that, the food was very tasty! A few of us had hotdogs with cheese and some had crepes, but it was not just that simple. It was delicious!
While we were sitting street side, Micaela, Alicia, Karleigh and I had our portraits drawn by local artists. Each one is different in its own way and it is a treasure that we will always have as a keepsake.
After that we headed to the Champs-Élysées for our final round of shopping. The Nike store was an obvious major stop for all of us, but we all stepped outside our comfort zones and peaked into the expensive and rare stores that originated from or are only found in Paris.
Friday Aug. 7, 2015
After a day and night of exploring the city, we woke up the next morning dreading to say au revoir to Paris.
After our breakfast, we headed to our rooms, collected our belongings and loaded the bus (well Robert and Matt did). Before heading off to the next destination, we paid a visit to Le Louvre, the famous museum that holds the Mona Lisa, Nike, da Vinci paintings and the list continues.
We all scrambled to get in a picture of the Mona Lisa which was not even bigger than a pizza box. BUT, it was spectacular. It was a purposeful feeling you got when roaming the different halls. I even had to set some picks on other people for Coach Shafer to get to the front of the line
Us players had Beatrice as our tour guide. She was amazing. Dressed from head to toe in pink, she was so funny and sweet yet so knowledgeable about history behind Le Louvre.
"I really enjoyed it," sophomore Micaela Parson said. "It wasn't like a museum you would see in the United States. It was interesting seeing how the people and the culture respected the pieces."
After Le Louvre we had a five hour bus ride to Hotel Voncken in Valkenburg, Germany. Everyone including the coaches slept for the first portion of the trip, but once we stopped for food, it was all fun and games.
A few small games broke up among different groups throughout the bus, but then us players were called to compete against the coaches in a game of charades.
Players vs. coaches.
Each member of the team had one minute to act out whatever the other team brainstormed. We had a variety of challenges like Shakira for Coach Miller, Smurfs for Coach Shafer, Hoosiers for Micaela, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and bacon for me.
We laughed the entire road trip!
In case you were wondering, the players definitely won.
Once we reached the hotel, we had a fantastic dinner! There was pork, cod and chicken options with tomato minestrone in our hotel restaurant. Our dessert was a tasty tiramisu!
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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