Editor’s Note: Anna Heise of the University of Maine has agreed to write a blog during the Black Bears women’s basketball team’s trip to Italy. The senior center from Halle, Germany, will provide readers with a student-athlete’s perspective on the experience as the team enjoys the history and culture of Italy while playing a handful of games.
ROME, Italy — Rome is a favorite city for a lot of people and after Saturday I can understand the reason for that. We started off our first full day in Rome bright and early. The bus left the hotel at 8 a.m. and the first destination was the Vatican Museum, followed by the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s.
The Vatican is its own country, which was quite surprising for a few of us. After several people assured us that we didn’t need a passport to get in, we started the tour with our local guide, Francesca, in the museum. I don’t think I ever saw that many people in one place. Nevertheless the Vatican was amazing — so many details, it was impossible to take everything in. It almost seemed like you could discover something new around every corner.
Probably my most favorite part of the Vatican was the Sistine Chapel. In it you are not allowed to take pictures and you are not even allowed to talk. It was impressive to see how people followed the rules to show their respect.
After we finished the three-hour tour we had free time for about four hours. The first thing everybody did was to find a restaurant that was not only cheap, but had also a good location and preferably good coffee and wifi. Actually wifi was the most important thing for probably all of us.
An hour later we were ready and strengthened to explore Rome on our own. The first stop was the Piazza di Spagna, the Spanish Steps. It counts as one of the most famous images in the world.
Unfortunately, the Trevi Fountain was being renovated, so we weren’t able to see it. We continued our exploring with the Pantheon, the most preserved building of ancient Rome. After almost two hours of sightseeing it was time for a reward. Since we are in Italy there is no better reward than ice cream or how an Italian says: “Gelato.”
After an exciting morning/afternoon it was time for our last game of the trip. Our opponent was Belize SRB and the game was scheduled for 6:30 p.m.. From the center of Rome it took us about 45 minutes to reach the gym.
The game started off really slow for both teams. After everybody shook off their tiredness, we got better and better into the game and especially our defense got more aggressive with a lot of easy steals. We won the game and after signing and taking pictures we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was scheduled for 9 p.m. in a restaurant in the center of Rome. The food was delicious and it was a great way to end a beautiful day.
On Sunday, we are going to visit the Catacombs in the morning and the Coliseum in the afternoon. It is going to be our last day and we are determined to make the most out of it.
About the author: Anna Heise is majoring in journalism at UMaine with a double minor in child development and family relations and creative writing. She enjoys hanging out with her teammates, traveling, reading and watching movies.