July 18, 2005
We arrived in Holland on Monday, and when we left the airport we had to go sightseeing. We weren't allowed to go to sleep because the coaches wanted us to adjust to the time zone change. It was 11 a.m. in Amsterdam and 4 a.m. in Chicago so I was very tired, but we went to Zaanse Schans, a small town in Holland. I saw how to make the wooden clogs that Holland is known for. The village was weird because it smelled like chocolate. Our hotel is off the coast of the North Sea, which is really cool. The food has been interesting but we've been enjoying it. On Tuesday we went to an island called Texel, a cute village with a lot of shops. We went there a couple of hours before we had to head to the sports arena where we play (The courts are unique in that they are blue!). We beat the Netherlands National Team by a lot, but it was cool working and playing together with everyone on the team. Instead of "Foamy" or "Foam" being my nickname, the All-Stars have re-named me "I" or "IO."
July 19, 2005
This morning we woke up at 8:30 a.m. to bus to Zwembad de Schots. We learned about how the Dutch created dikes to protect themselves from the ocean because the land is below sea level. They created a big hill high enough to protect their land. We went shopping, which was nice because the stores were cheaper! After shopping we went on a boat ride to an island where we saw a house of a typical Dutch family during the 17th century. After looking around, we went back to the hotel to rest before the game. We played the Netherlands for the second time and won. We ran a Northwestern play twice today!
July 20, 2005
We checked out of the hotel at Den Helder and traveled to Amsterdam in the morning. When we arrived in Amsterdam we went to the Reijksnuzen Museum where we saw many paintings by Rembrant, Van Haan, and other various artists. It was cool because there were no glass coverings over the paintings, so you could stand 2 feet in front of them.
There was one crazy incident that occurred at the museum. Our coaching staff told us to hold our bags in the front of our bodies because there were two pick-pockters following us and trying to get one of our players. They told us pick- pocketers are very common in Amsterdam.
After the museum we went paddling on boats around the city. It was fun for about 15 minutes until we got tired and about an hour later we realized we were a little lost. When we finally found our way back we ate at the Hard Rock Café. After we ate, we checked into our hotel, then left for the game. We played the Netherlands National team for the third and last time. We won again, but this time we had a fan. He was a U.S. Army reserve and was very excited to watch us play. We took group pictures with him after the game. It was cool to have a fan.