March 26: Testing the Limits of Domestic Air Travel
The early morning hours continued until finally it was time to go. We were supposed to meet in the main lobby at 5:30, but Dee and I decided to head over early to get some coffee and hot chocolate. We had been using the stairs the whole time since they were right outside our door, but we went in search of the elevators with our massive amount of luggage.
As we got off the elevator, we saw one of the grocery carts from the commissary. Instead of simply leaving it to clutter up the front entrance, Dee and I happily loaded up our bags and headed out into the cold morning. It was an ingenious idea by our trainer! The ground was still slippery, so we carefully made our way across the playground, the road and into the hotel.
We were the first ones there, so we got our beverages and sat down to wait. I am sure that the staff was going to be glad to see us go, as we kept them busy filling that fabulous free coffee/espresso/latte machine. Soon, the girls started to trickle in and the bus rolled in. Again, the bus was able to pull up in front of the hotel, so we didn't have to worry about dragging our stuff to the front gate.
Soon, we were on our way. At least, I'm guessing we were. All that lack of sleep caught up with me as soon as the wheels started to roll. Due to the silence of the bus, I'm thinking I wasn't the only one who checked out the inside of my eyelids during the excursion. A little over an hour later, we pulled into Venice's Marco Polo Airport.
We were a very interesting looking group. Due to the weight restrictions on our checked luggage, Maj Filzen suggested that we layer our clothes and wear the heavier items during the flight. So, some of the girls had were decked out in a long sleeve shirt, tee-shirt, sweatshirt and jacket.
Anyways, we got checked in and grabbed some breakfast. We had to wait for Maj Filzen, because, as the OR, he had to pay for all of the fees that came from our extra, overweight bags. And the airline was not going to give him his ticket until he had given them some money. When he was done, we headed through security and to our gate.
After wandering around the shops by our gate, we settled into the seating section closest to our gate. It looked as though it was going to be a very full flight, so I still find it amazing that we were all able to get on the same plane considering that the coaches had purchased our tickets the day before.
Anyways, I think we all dozed for a little bit and soon realized that we weren't leaving on time. I can't remember how much of a delay it was, but I do know that we were still sitting at the gate area when we should have been taking off. Finally people started lining up, so we followed and got on the plane. Yup, it was crowded.
I took a few photos out of the window before falling asleep ... and then we landed in Catania. Sorry, but that right there is my entire account of the flight. We headed over to the baggage claim and watched as these little "under 40-kilo" suitcases rolled around. Soon, our big black Nike bags (that can comfortably fit a small athlete) started rolling out and we piled them up on the floor. It's amazing how quickly we can take over a place when our luggage is involved.
Tim (who made the trip to Sicily with us) found the bus driver. Together we all headed out ... to a school bus. There were a variety of reactions to the sight of this little white bus, but it was the generalized groan that best summed it up. Luckily for us, the first few seats behind the driver had been removed and replaced with a luggage rack.
Using the main door and one of the emergence exits, the girls developed a conveyor system of sorts get the luggage onto the bus. They somehow managed to get everything in, while still leaving enough seats for us. We had to double-up and hold at least one of our carry-on bags, but somehow we all made it.
It was about a half hour drive from Catania to Naval Air Station: Sigonella. It could be called a cautious drive, as everyone in the front had to keep an eye on the bags that were precariously perched in the luggage racks. Since it was a bus from the base, we got to the Navy Lodge without any problems, although the hotel was only a couple hundred feet from the main gate, so walking wouldn't have been a problem this time.
During the check-in process, we were given keys ... not the usual key-card, but an actual key. Those are so much easier to keep track of than a card (plus, they don't deactivate if you have it near your phone). Anyways, the coaches had taken the girls to lunch at the food court, so once Dee and I had gotten our room we headed out to find them.
The buildings had a really modern look to them and along the way we found the post office (although Dee's completed postcards were back in the room), as well as an Applebee's. Since we weren't sure where the team had gone, we stuck our heads in there. It had to be the largest (and nicest) Applebee's I have ever seen.
However the team wasn't there, so we continued on to the Naval Exchange (NEX). We found the team enjoying lunch at one of the many food court offerings (Taco Bell, KFC, Subway, etc.). I jumped in line with a group that was at an Italian fast food place. It was a fairly quick meal, since we only had a little bit of time until we had to leave for our match.
Walking back to the hotel, I finally thought about the fact that I was still wearing my `heavy' clothes, including the sweater and corduroys. Since we were now in the island off the toe of the `boot', it was much warmer than the north and yet, we were all still layered up from the flight.
After changing into our blue warm-ups, we headed back down to the lobby and onto a regular tour bus. Along the way, Tim said that we had a few hours to kill before our match in Modica and the town of Noto was nearby. (Apparently, we were supposed to have played earlier in the afternoon, but because we didn't have the early mil-air flight, the Modica club had pushed our match back.)
We had about a little over an hour in Noto, which is known for its churches. The bus driver had pointed out the shopping area, so most of the team had headed in that direction. Dee and I got off the bus and saw this church across the street. It was pretty, but didn't quite live up to the hype.
As we were taking a photo, this guy who was waiting for his tour bus started to talk to us. When Dee asked if this was the cathedral Noto was known for, he just laughed, said no and pointed us in the right direction. The town, which was located at the other end of this tree-lined park, was so quaint! A lot of the buildings were made of this yellow-colored stone, with little narrow streets separating them.
When we found the cathedral, it was definitely a `wow' moment. Climbing the stairs, we passed this dog that was just lying there, watching people go by. A couple kids were trying to get it to play with them, but he seemed perfectly content to lie there.
During our walking tour of Noto, Dee and I found a few other churches and little stores. On the way back to the bus, we ran into some of the girls, who had made purchases and found a gelato shop.
Passing by the cathedral again, the dog was still lying on the steps. Suddenly, as if his internal alarm clock went off, he got up and started to follow people. Kelly became one of his targets and the poor dog tried vainly to get on the bus with her. When it became apparent that wasn't going to happen for him, he quickly found a new `friend' and wandered back toward the town square.
Soon, everyone was on the bus and we were on our way to Modica. The team we were going to play - U.S. Volley Modica - is a B1 level professional team about to make the move up to A2 (the second-highest level in Italy).
As we got into the gym, I started to think about how we must look to our opponents. We show up with three coaches, one trainer, one SID, one chaplain, two managers and a team that doubled (or even tripled, in some cases) the size of the local teams. And because three of the girls who were still rehabbing from injuries couldn't play, we even brought our own ball-shaggers!
The gym was an ice box! There is no other way to describe how cold it was in that gym. They had a ledge at one end of the gym that I was going to sit on to stay out of the way, but it was cement. I ended up taking a seat on the one of the benches by the team. By the second game, keeping stats was difficult as I could barely feel my fingers.
There was an interesting layout for the gym. Although there was a running track on the second level, like Trieste, it had an incredibly low ceiling. And, as we quickly learned, the ceiling was considered out of bounds. We played close in the first and third games, but ended up being down 0-3. We played one last game and earned the victory in that set.
After the match, one of the club's representatives had picked a restaurant out for us. It was located in a place that is known as the `Grand Canyon of Sicily". But it was dark, so you really couldn't see a lot. To get to the town, which was located in the valley of the canyon, the bus had to take these narrow roads with ridiculously sharp turns. To put these turns in perspective, the car that was behind us on the straight part of the road was suddenly next to us (facing the opposite direction) on the turn. There were a few curves where we even had to stop, back up and try again.
The bus dropped us off a few blocks away from the restaurant and we walked through the narrow streets of another quaint Italian town. We got to the restaurant and they took us downstairs where they had set up this huge "G"-shaped table. The majority of the tables were set in a "U", but there was this one little section that stuck out at one end. The coaches sat there with a few members of the Modica staff, as well as the one player that joined us.
It was another dinner of pizza, so we tested the variety of options they prepared. After dinner, the girls started telling jokes, but our long day was quickly catching up with us. The jokes started to dwindle and soon the talking quieted down as well. I think the coaches decided to call it a night when people were nearly falling asleep at the table.
We walked back to the bus and began our trek back up the canyon. Again we led a procession of cars on the narrow road. The trip back to Sigonella was quiet and uneventful. Well, I had fallen asleep, so I know it was quiet and I think it was uneventful.
I think it was about one when we got back to the hotel, everyone dragged themselves off the bus and into the hotel. Unlike our nights in Aviano, there was no turning on computers or televisions. Since we hadn't more than a couple hours of sleep on busses and planes in nearly 48 hours, Dee and I basically walked in the room, dropped our stuff and fell asleep.
