#euromavs Italy Blog: Post #6
by Zach Pirog and Tim Smallwood
Part 1 - ZACH PIROG
Hello all, my name is Zach Pirog. For those of you who don't know me, I'm going to be a freshmen at Omaha this year.
Italy has been such a great experience for our whole team so far. We have been to Milan and Florence and just today arrived in Rome, where we will stay for the next four days.
We woke up this morning packed and ready to go to Rome after being in Florence for two nights, which was amazing. I got lots of gifts and a soccer jersey (or fútbol jersey, as they say here in Italy). This morning's drive on the bus was not bad at all; I listened to music and read a book, "American Sniper" by Chris Kyle. We arrived in Rome around 2 p.m., got checked into our hotel and then had some time to see the central part of Rome before dinner.
Rome is massive, and we barely touched the surface this afternoon. We walked a little and saw a fantastic church surrounded by many shops. The church was huge, and it's not even that big compared to some others in Italy. We then had a team dinner at a nice restaurant, where we had platters of different meats, salad, potatoes and bread to share.
After dinner we got the chance to walk around some more on our own. We saw the famous Spanish Steps, which were crowded no matter what time of day or which angle we took. We also shopped around some more, seeing designer stores, small shops and well-known chains.
I am extremely blessed to have received this opportunity to travel abroad for basketball. Thank you to all who helped make this happen for our team. Go Mavs!
Part 2 - TIM SMALLWOOD
Hi everyone, Tim Smallwood here with part two of today's blog. Italy has been a great experience for me so far, and we still have four days left. There are a lot of cultural differences between Italy and the United States -- the main aspect I've noticed is the food, which has been a big part of our trip. Even down to the fast food, McDonald's here has the same taste but is more expensive and is sold in smaller portions.
Walking down the streets, I've noticed a lot of artwork being created on the ground by local artists using chalk. One individual drew a portrait of the Mona Lisa. I was surprised by how accurate and detailed he was able to make it with simple chalk.
The local stores in Italy are also different. As I first walk in, I always notice how small and crowded most shops are. In order to make up for the lack of space, most of the stores have two or more levels. One store even had see-through stairs, which made me nervous.
My favorite part of the trip has been spending time with my teammates and coaches. I have had a lot of fun with all of them. I think it has been especially great for the newcomers to be able to bond with everyone well before the season starts.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has made this amazing trip possible, including the coaches and sponsors. I want to give a special thanks to Coach Eberhart because if he hadn't recruited me to Omaha, none of this would have been possible for me. It has been an incredible blessing to experience Italy, and I will never forget it.
Check out previous entries from the #euromavs blog below:
#1 -- Benvenuti a Milano! (Aug. 13)
#2 -- Lake Como and Gameday #1 (Aug. 14)
#3 -- More Exploring in Milan (Aug. 15)
#4 -- Next Up, Florence (Aug. 16)
#5 -- A Free Day in Florence (Aug. 17)
Browse our ongoing trip photo gallery from our Facebook page: #euromavs photo album.
