Day 1

The taxi ride from the airport to our hotel was filled with so many different sights poured into one scene. Huge majestic mountains like the Rockies, beautiful shorelines and salty air like the beaches of Florida, narrow valleys lined with green hills just like you'd find in Roanoke, Virginia. Even the greatest of pictures could never do this beautiful land justice. I'm convinced that this is what heaven looks like: the favorite places of the world all piled into one. It was like a dream.


It's funny to think that a place with so many similarities to America can still have it's own special quality that makes it its own. Something about this place provided an enigma that I knew I would never figure out, but that I also knew I loved. Simply breathtaking. With this new land to explore, I couldn't wait to continue this adventure, especially now that I had met the team I would spend the rest of my time here with! My favorite part about this place was that all of the houses had the same look. They weren't identical, as they all had their own uniqueness, but each had tan walls and orange roofs.

We got to experience some sights and shops in the city. There is a fountain in the middle of the city that has spouts where you can drink straight from or fill up your water bottle.

Filling up my water bottle in the fountain.

After grabbing some ice cream (it's everywhere!) to hold us over until dinner, we all purchased tickets to go walk the ancient wall, a fortress, that surrounds the Old City of Dubrovnik and borders the Adriatic Sea. We walked around the entire city, experiencing sights so perfect that I can't even begin to describe. It was on this wall that we began to get to know each other as well, bonding and swapping stories and taking countless pictures. (you can click on the pictures to make them bigger)

The entrance to GRAD - fortress/castle

GRAD - fortress surrounding the city of Dubrovnik.
From L to R: Me, Genna Locke, Madison Soxx, Lisa Dunleavy,
Shelly Stumpff, Lexi Potter, and Rachel Harper

After what felt like hours, we finally made it to the top of the fortress and the end of the wall. By this point, most of us were ready to eat our stomachs. We came across a cute little pizza (of course) restaurant that had seating solely outside. My first European meal was a success, and not only because pizza happens to be my favorite food. We all devoured our pizzas and learned more about each other. I was beyond excited to begin this journey with these girls! I know it sounds cliché to say that I just met them but feel like I've known them for ages already, but it feels so true! I can tell we are going to have so much fun together.

After a nice relaxing (but scary - there are not an abundance of lights surrounding the narrow sidewalks leading back from Old City) walk back to our cute little hotel, I for one was beyond ready to get some shut eye. Tomorrow, we will be heading down to Bar, Montenegro where we will train with a team that will eventually join us on our way to the tournament. Time for some volleyball!