Thank you SO MUCH for following along on all our adventures as we traveled around Europe! This trip was a once in a life time experience. We learned about different cultures, foods and got to see some of the most beautiful sights and places in the world. We are so thankful for everyone who helped fund this trip; as it would not have been possible without your support. THANK YOU and GO NOLES!
July 1 | Graz, Austria #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"Today we got a chance to sleep in a little bit before we travelled an hour and a half to Lake Bled, Slovenia! Once we arrived to Lake Bled, we took 2 row boats out to the church that sits on top of the hill and we learned the history of the church as well as the tradition behind the steps leading to the church. In Slovenian culture, after a couple is newly wedded, the husband carries his new wife up the stairs in hopes of good luck in their marriage. After ravaging the church souvenir shop, we all went for a swim in the beautiful lake! Following the refreshing swim, we took the row boats back to the mainland for lunch at Vila Prešeren. Furthermore, we wandered to the market and ice cream shops while we waiting for the bus to pick us up. Once loading the bus, we voyaged 3 hours to our hotel outside of Venice, Italy. Upon arrival, we checked into our hotel and walked to dinner at Colazioni where we were served 3 courses that included spaghetti, chicken and lastly a salad. Concluding our long day, we walked back to the hotel to get a good night’s rest in preparation for our departure in the morning! This trip has been such an amazing experience building chemistry and competing with such an astounding group of girls! I can’t wait for the season! Go Noles!!- #23 Lauryn Burrows
June 30 | Graz, Austria #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"Today we drove to Graz, Austria! We only spent 2 hours in Graz, but it was really fun to see! Not a lot was open because Sunday’s are off days for the people there, but we still got to see a castle and eat really good pizza and sandwiches! Then we drove back to our hotel in Maribor, Slovenia to rest up for our volleyball match against the Croatian team! After the game, (which we won all 4 sets that we played) we all wore our nicest outfits to go to the Doppler Winery! Let me tell you - we are one good looking team!! At the winery, we learned that it has been a family owned winery for generations! We even got to taste some of their finest wines! After the winery tour, Coach Jordana asked us all the say one thing that we have loved about this trip. My favorite moment, along with many of my teammates, was when we were touring the city of Maribor, Slovenia and our bus was late because of some parade... but it turns out this parade was a Pride Parade and it was one of the coolest/most special moments of my life. It was such a touching moment when we came together as a team to be supportive for Deja! We all broke down together with her and it was just so amazing. It gives me goosebumps just writing about it! This team is definitely something special to already have a family/supportive atmosphere! I am sad that our Europe trip is coming to an end, but I’m so excited for this season! Go Noles!!" - #5 Caleigh Morrison
June 29 | Maribor, Slovenia #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"Today, we woke up bright and early to go eat a yummy breakfast in the hotel. Next we had a quick workout with Tosh, and then headed to our rooms to get ready for a day in downtown Maribor. We rented bikes, and took a three mile scenic route to our destination. Once we got there, we shopped, had lunch and enjoyed music for two hours. We returned to the hotel, relaxed and then headed down to the gym to warm up and play the Croatian teams. After our matches, we had dinner on a boat in downtown Graz, and we danced, took pictures and enjoyed a beautiful sunset." - #16 Emma Clothier
June 28 | Maribor, Slovenia #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"After practice this morning, we all headed up the mountain for some amazing views, food, and fun. We each took the ski lift up to the top of the slope and on the way up, behind us was a stunning view. I’ve never seen anything like the city from way up there, the mountains surrounding us and all the tile-roofed houses in the valleys. After getting up the slope, there was only one true way to get back down—the alpine slide! At first it looked intimidating just looking down at it winding down the side of the mountain and cutting through some of the surrounding forest, but it was so much fun! The whole team got to speed down the tracks in their little carts, including the staff and coaches. Then, later that evening after playing the Norwegian National team, we all headed to the city center of Maribor. We had some time to look around before heading to dinner, so we all walked along the river and took some amazing pictures. The city is so beautiful and even though Slovenia was never on my personal bucket list before, I’m so happy to be able to experience it with FSU volleyball." - #12 Loren Scott
June 27 | Venice, Italy #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"Today we woke up and had breakfast at our hotel then headed on a train to Venice! We got to walk around for so long, there were shops everywhere with venetian masks, purses, wallets, gelato and candy. Some of us really got to shop til we dropped. The streets in Venice are like giant mazes and I think me and my group might have gotten a bit lost and ended up in the more residential area rather than the main tourist streets and it took us a while to get there. We all met at the domo at St Marc’s square, we wanted to go into the church but the line was a bit long and the gondola ride awaited. Our gondola driver told us about how you need to get a special license to drive a gondola and they really turn those corners right. We were getting worried that we were going to hit a wall. The driver showed us the James Bond house, the house where the REAL Casanova lived, and some historical spots. The gondola ride was probably my favorite part of the day. After that we got a water taxi and headed back to the train station where we walked to a restaurant and ate some lunch/late dinner. It was a super awesome time in the city. Then we got on a train and went for a long bus ride to our next country Slovenia!" - #11 Marissa Stockman
June 26 | Verona, Italy #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"Today we woke up early to have a stretching and mobility session. After getting our bodies going for the day we returned to the hotel to fill up on croissants, cheeses, and fruit. Next we headed to the city center of Milan by Tram. Once there we split into groups and explored the Milan Cathedral as well as local boutiques. We met up 3 hours later to take the Tram to the hotel and rest before our match. After resting for a bit we walked to the volleyball facility and warmed up in preparation for our match against the Switzerland U23 team. We unfortunately lost the hard fought match. Afterwards both teams walked to a restaurant for dinner where we talked and ate. We had great pizza and chatted about the similarities and differences of our lives. To end the night we walked back to the hotel and parted ways for a good nights sleep." - #47 Deja Williams
June 25 | Milan, Italy #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"In the morning, we got up pretty early to have a stretching session. It was a light stretch, just to loosen up our bodies. After that, we all got ready and dressed super cute to go to Lake Como. It was so beautiful there. We got to experience new kinds of foods and delicious ice cream. After that was over, we went to the cathedral in Milan. It has over 3,000 man-made statues all over the building! My friend Payton and i went shopping in Zara, a super cute store here. We spent a lot of money, haha!! We all went around Milan looking at the history and architecture. I can’t wait to see what the other places have to offer!" - #14 Haley Frank
June 24 | Lake Como, Italy #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"This morning we woke up and had a morning stretch in the Olympic training center in Milan. Afterwards we ate breakfast and left for Lake Como. At Lake Como we took a tram up to the top of the city and enjoyed the beautiful views as we ate lunch and walked around. Next stop was in the city center of Milan where we walked around Duomo di Milano, a marble sculpted cathedral. We shopped all around the cathedral stopping at fancy stores that aren’t common to the US. The older architecture of Milan is so unique and mesmerizing, I’ve never seen anything like it. Tonight we also play a match against a team from Switzerland and I could not be more excited for it! Pictures will come soon!" - #10 Jessica Nunge
June 23 | Travel Day #NavigatingWithTheNoles
"Today was still a travel day because we had bad weather in Tallahassee, which caused us to miss our flight from Atlanta to Milan. It was a crazy day trying to rebook flights as soon as possible. Plans were constantly changing and they wanted to split half of us up on a flight to Paris; man it was a hectic day. Eventually we got the whole team on one flight directly from Atlanta to Milan, but we lost 6 hours of fun time when we finally got there. We checked into the Hotel Raffaello and went straight to dinner! Despite being exhausted and jet lagged form the last 48 hours of traveling, we still got on the bus and drive to play our match against Lurano! We played 4 sets against the team, and although we lost the match, it was a great experience and even longer day of playing our first foreign team." - #7 Lily Tessier
As you may have noticed, we have has a bit of a rough time getting out of the country due to weather. Because of that, we've made the most of our time and fortunately have been able to bond more with all the girls on the team and make more memories as we await our flight. But, during our delay in the Atlanta Airport, we had a wonderful group of young men ask to show us their moves and they gave us quite the performance! It was very cool, watch the video below to check it out ⬇
Follow along with your Noles as we navigate around Europe on all our adventures! We will update daily with quotes, pictures and videos from our time abroad! We are so excited, and we can't wait for you to Navigate With The Noles!