Dawgs Abroad Day 11: Lake Bled
June 23, 2017 | Volleyball
From June 11 until June 24, Washington Volleyball is in search of competition and culture in four different countries in Europe. The Huskies are on their first foreign adventure since 2013, joined by many family members and donors, to share in a once in a lifetime experience outside of their comfort zones. Arriving inย Milan, Italy on June 12, the Dawgsย have visited Lake Como andย Venice before leaving Italy for Croatia (Umag and Rovinj) and then on to Slovenia (Ljubljana, Maribor and Bled) with an additional side trip to Graz, Austria, returning to Seattle on June 24. During the trip, the Huskies are scheduled to play seven matches against a mixture of senior national teams, junior national teams, and professional club teams.
While abroad, Husky players will be blogging about their experiences each day here on GoHuskies.com.
Day 1: Travel & Milanย |ย Day 2: More Milan And A Matchย |ย Day 3: Lake Como And Match 2ย |ย Day 4: Milan Farewell
Day 5: Veniceย |ย Day 6: On To Croatiaย |ย Day 7: Four Cities, One Dayย |ย Day 8: Up And Down Mountains
Day 9: Sidetrip To Austriaย | Day 10: Maribor Adventuresย
Freshman middle blocker Lauren Sanders recaps Washington's arrival in picturesque Lake Bled, Slovenia.
Hello Husky fans!
It's crazy to think that we're on the last few days of our trip. This morning, after a breakfast of croissants, peaches, omelettes, and my favorite, watermelon (although the instant espresso machines are a close second), we all got onto the bus en-route to Lake Bled. When we arrived, we were all amazed at the picture perfect scenery in Bled. The lake itself is crystal clear blue, surrounded by the Julian Alps. A castle sits on a hill overlooking the lake, and a small island sits in the middle with a quaint little church on top. After a lunch of a variety of salads and pastas, we checked into our hotel, changed quickly into swimsuits, and headed to the lake, beyond eager to escape the sticky heat in the cold, clear water!
Some coaches paddle boarded while most of the team (including myself) swam around in the lake. Some of the team laid out in sun, while Destiny, Jade, Avie, Courtney, and I all swam out to the middle of the lake and chilled on some floating buoys. In front of us was a perfect view of the castle, and the water was so refreshing compared to the heat that we have been in for most of the trip. It was definitely one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, and we all agreed that it was pretty surreal for us to be out on this bright blue lake with the mountains on one side and an actual castle perched on a hill in front of us. We sat there for a while just enjoying the water and the amazing scenery around us. Afterwards, we all met together as a group to get on a rowboat ferry to reach the island in the middle of the lake. Coincidentally, the man who was rowing our boat turned out to have been an ex-professional volleyball player and has been ferrying people for the past 20 years on this beautiful lake. Not a bad career in my opinion!
In some parts of the lake, you could see schools of these huge, blue-ish grey fish. It was definitely a little bizarre and some of the girls got a bit freaked out, but the water was so clear that it was hard not to be fascinated by these abnormally large fish just minding their own business below the surface. Once we reached the island, we grabbed some ice cream from a little café next to the church and enjoyed a pristine view from the middle of the lake, jumping in the water whenever we got a little too hot. I could have spent hours on that little island, just taking in the beauty of Slovenia and I think that my teammates could have done the same as well.
Alas, it was time to leave our little island, and we rowed back to a restaurant on the water. Nothing beats a good meal after a full day in the sun and this restaurant did not disappoint. Our day in Bled was by far one of the highlights of this trip and I continue to be amazed by the beauty of this country!
-Lauren
While abroad, Husky players will be blogging about their experiences each day here on GoHuskies.com.
Day 1: Travel & Milanย |ย Day 2: More Milan And A Matchย |ย Day 3: Lake Como And Match 2ย |ย Day 4: Milan Farewell
Day 5: Veniceย |ย Day 6: On To Croatiaย |ย Day 7: Four Cities, One Dayย |ย Day 8: Up And Down Mountains
Day 9: Sidetrip To Austriaย | Day 10: Maribor Adventuresย
Freshman middle blocker Lauren Sanders recaps Washington's arrival in picturesque Lake Bled, Slovenia.
Hello Husky fans!
It's crazy to think that we're on the last few days of our trip. This morning, after a breakfast of croissants, peaches, omelettes, and my favorite, watermelon (although the instant espresso machines are a close second), we all got onto the bus en-route to Lake Bled. When we arrived, we were all amazed at the picture perfect scenery in Bled. The lake itself is crystal clear blue, surrounded by the Julian Alps. A castle sits on a hill overlooking the lake, and a small island sits in the middle with a quaint little church on top. After a lunch of a variety of salads and pastas, we checked into our hotel, changed quickly into swimsuits, and headed to the lake, beyond eager to escape the sticky heat in the cold, clear water!
Some coaches paddle boarded while most of the team (including myself) swam around in the lake. Some of the team laid out in sun, while Destiny, Jade, Avie, Courtney, and I all swam out to the middle of the lake and chilled on some floating buoys. In front of us was a perfect view of the castle, and the water was so refreshing compared to the heat that we have been in for most of the trip. It was definitely one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, and we all agreed that it was pretty surreal for us to be out on this bright blue lake with the mountains on one side and an actual castle perched on a hill in front of us. We sat there for a while just enjoying the water and the amazing scenery around us. Afterwards, we all met together as a group to get on a rowboat ferry to reach the island in the middle of the lake. Coincidentally, the man who was rowing our boat turned out to have been an ex-professional volleyball player and has been ferrying people for the past 20 years on this beautiful lake. Not a bad career in my opinion!
In some parts of the lake, you could see schools of these huge, blue-ish grey fish. It was definitely a little bizarre and some of the girls got a bit freaked out, but the water was so clear that it was hard not to be fascinated by these abnormally large fish just minding their own business below the surface. Once we reached the island, we grabbed some ice cream from a little café next to the church and enjoyed a pristine view from the middle of the lake, jumping in the water whenever we got a little too hot. I could have spent hours on that little island, just taking in the beauty of Slovenia and I think that my teammates could have done the same as well.
Alas, it was time to leave our little island, and we rowed back to a restaurant on the water. Nothing beats a good meal after a full day in the sun and this restaurant did not disappoint. Our day in Bled was by far one of the highlights of this trip and I continue to be amazed by the beauty of this country!
-Lauren
Players Mentioned
MB
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