Tag Archives: Belgium

In Europe: Off to Germany

Posted on by

Chris McDevitt is part of a group of Division III players (and three Division II players) traveling to Europe as an All-Star team this month. His latest blog entry follows:

Day four was time for us to say goodbye to Mechelen, and pack our bags for Germany. On the way to Dusseldorf we stopped in the city of Cologne to do some more sightseeing.

We saw the world’s second largest church, which was unbelievable. After a few pictures near the church we went to eat down by the Rhine River.

Our tour guide for the week suggested I get a schnitzel. A schnitzel is tender pork lightly breaded. The restaurant we ate at had many different types of schnitzels. I decided on the Mediterranean schnitzel which had a tomato sauce and cheese on top. This was by far my best meal of our trip.

Once we finished touring in Cologne, we were off to Dusseldorf. When we arrived we checked into our hotel and headed to our game. We definitely played better as a team this game and ended up winning by around 30 points. The opponent was not as talented and organized as the previous team but we stressed to just play hard and have fun. After our game we enjoyed dinner with the opposition then went out in Dusseldorf to explore the string of over 250 restaurants and pubs in the Old City area.

Next time I check in we will have competed in our fourth game and experienced more of Germany.

D3 stars in Europe: Landing in Belgium

Posted on by

Our first full day in Europe was spent in Mechelen. Our flight landed around 730 a.m. Belgium time, which was around 130 a.m. in the U.S. Most of us on the team were very tired due to the struggle for sleep and the time changes.

Players in Belgium.

Once we arrived in Mechelen we went on a quick tour of the city. The city was a fairly small town with an interesting underground parking lot. The main part of Mechelen had an incredible cathedral with many restaurants and shops surrounding it. The first unusual sight we saw was a crew digging up human remains to make room for a new underground parking lot. That was definitely an interesting sight.

After that experience we all went our separate ways to get lunch. I ordered spaghetti carbonera. My decision was quickly criticized by my coaching staff because it was not a cultural meal. Anyways, it was very good and we had a great lunch.

After lunch we were able to rest in the hotel for a few hours and catch up on some sleep. When we woke we headed to a local recreation center for a quick practice. We went over a few sets and basically just talked about the style we will be playing and how to adapt to the game in Europe. Shortly following our practice and a quick meal we made our way back to the hotel to prepare for a “night on the town”.

Tomorrow we play our first game. We will be in Bruges.

On my next post I will summarize our first night in Europe and the sights we saw the following day in Belgium.

Chris McDevitt