DePaul University Athletics
Sports Blog: Deanna Ortiz Checks in with Women's Basketball Fans from Nice and Monaco
8/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Aug. 23, 2010
Women's Basketball Travels to France
Hello Blue Demon Fans, this is Deanna Ortiz, writing from beautiful Nice!
WOW! What a great day! Picture this: not a cloud in sky, an amazing drive up the mountains of Nice with an ocean view, and a tour of both the Fragonard perfume factory and the principality of Monaco.
Let me start our day by saying that this trip has made me realize how much I love coffee -- not that I need any more energy! Anyway, after breakfast, we headed to the bus and began our tour. On the way to the perfume factory, we saw Sir Elton John's French house on a mountain top. When we got to Fragonard, our tour guide explained the process of making their unique fragrances. This was a great opportunity for me to show off my fluency in French, and I impressed our tour guide with my vast knowledge of the French language. When the tour ended, we got to smell some of their different products, and we got to buy perfume.
After leaving Fragonard, we headed up the mountain to Monaco, the world's second smallest country. It's about the size of Central Park, about 500 acres. What the country lacks in geographical size, it more than makes up for in beauty. The buildings stretch across, up, and down the mountainside, offering a gorgeous view from the top of the mountain near the royal palace. We got to see the houses of Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie, as well as the cathedral where Grace Kelly in buried. With a crime rate of almost zero and unemployment just as close, I am definitely putting Monaco on my list of future homes!
After leaving Monaco, we came back to the hotel and enjoyed a little leisure time. Several of my teammates and I went to the beach and swam in the Mediterranean Sea. Oh my goodness, it was awesome! The water was refreshing since the sun was blazing hot. Tonight, we had a team (family) dinner at the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. It had a spectacular view of the beach and ocean and we enjoyed our meal in the sunset. The food was great, and the restaurant gave us a great background for one of our famous photo ops.
After dinner we walked around Nice, and we even had the opportunity to check out our hotel's casino.
I have tried seafood and French cuisine, and I saw so many famous places here in France. We have done so many things on this trip that have been new to me, and my advice to anyone who gets an opportunity like this is simple: CLOSE YOUR EYES AND OPEN YOUR MIND.
Only a few days left in our adventure,
Deanna Ortiz #34
| Women's Basketball 's France Blog |
| July 22 - Katherine Harry Previews DePaul's Upcoming Trip to France |
| Aug. 12 - Deirdre Naughton Prepares for France and Writes about her Sixth Year of Eligibility |
| Aug. 14 - Jennifer Juergens Checks in Before Departing for France |
| Aug. 15 - Jasmine Penny Writes about Day One |
| Aug. 16 - Katherine Harry on starting the Saint Vincent DePaul trail |
| Aug. 17 - Maureen Mulchrone, the Blue Demons and the Eiffel Tower |
| Aug. 17 - Sam Quigley recaps DePaul's win over Reims |
| Aug. 18 - Keisha Hampton recaps DePaul's win over Le Havre |
| Aug. 19 - Taylor Pikes checks in from Bordeaux |
| Aug. 20 - China Threatt recaps the Blue Demons time in Bordeaux and DePaul's win over Perpignan |
| Aug. 21 - Anna Martin, its nice to be in Nice |
| France Trip - Game Recaps (3-0) |
| Aug. 17 - DePaul def. Reims, 75-70 |
| Aug. 18 - DePaul def. Le Havre, 78-45 |
| Aug. 20 - DePaul def. Perpignan, 93-61 |
| Aug. 23 - DePaul at Cavigal Nice - 11 a.m. (CST) |
| Along with the Daily Blogs, Follow Coach Bruno on Twitter - twitter.com/CoachDougBruno |
