DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Basketball in France - At the Beach and On the Road
8/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Aug. 19, 2011
Photo Gallery - Day 6 in France
DePaul's Moses Morgan checked in on Wednesday to look back at the second win during the tour of France and the trip to Nice. The Blue Demons play the final two games of the trip on Friday and Saturday before returning to Chicago.
Yesterday was a great day in Perpignan. We woke up and went straight to the beach which was right down the street. The whole team played football on the beach and jumped in the water for a little bit. After that it as time to play our game. This team as better than the last team and really challenged us at the beginning of the game. We were down 12 in the first quarter, but came back and won. It was a great team win.
Today we drove from Perpignan to Nice with a stop in Avignon. Watching the French countryside while we drove was pretty nice. We got to Nice this afternoon and our hotel is right next to the beach! We were pretty tired from the drive, but I'm looking forward to checking out Nice tomorrow before our game. Time for curfew here, but we will talk to you soon! Wish us luck in our game tomorrow!!
Photo Gallery - Days 4 & 5 in France
DePaul senior-to-be Jeremiah Kelly recapped the last day in Paris and the trip to Toulouse on Tuesday. The Blue Demons played their second game of the trip Wednesday evening.
Yesterday (Monday) we did another tour with Father Ed around Paris. It is nice to go around Paris with a guy that knows so much about it. We ended our tour at Invalides, which is where Napoleon is buried. His tomb is huge!! After that, we went out to get some shots up at the French National Training facility outside of Paris. It was good to get out of a bus and back in the gym. We finished the day with a team dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel. Some of the stuff was a little different, but overall it was pretty good and good to be eating together with the whole group.
Today was a travel day for us. We flew from Paris to Toulouse and then road in a bus to Perpignan. Once we got to our hotel, traveling all day was worth it. This place is beautiful. We are a short walk from the beach and our hotel has a pool. After dinner we all had a cannonball contest and raced in the pool until the pool closed. We have to get our rest tonight because we play tomorrow, so until next time, GO BLUE DEMONS!!
Photo Gallery - Days 2 & 3 in France
DePaul rising sophomore Edwind McGhee recapped the second day of DePaul's trip to France. DePaul won its first game on the trip over Charenton, 118-77, click here for the game recap. The third day saw the team take the St. Vincent de Paul tour. Upcoming blogs will get the perspective of walking in Vincent's footsteps at Notre Dame.
Today was our second day in beautiful Paris, France and we started our day with a great breakfast provided by the Concordia Opera Hotel. After breakfast, it was time for some more sightseeing. We had two options of where we wanted to go and the two options were the Louvre Museum or the Palace at Versailles. Half of the team went to the Louvre and the other half, including myself, went to the Palace of Versailles. This experience would stay with us for the rest of our life.
First, taking the Paris public transportation was an experience in itself. It's very similar to the CTA transportation back in Chicago, but it gets a little bit more difficult when you cannot read what stops to get off on. Once at the Palace of Versailles, we all were in immediate shock of how huge and beautiful the palace was. We were even more surprised of many people were out there waiting to get in the palace for a tour. There were thousands and thousands of people waiting in line, and we were right in the mix until we got blessed with an opportunity to go straight in the palace and also see the gardens behind it.
The Palace on the inside is as incredible as it is on the outside. There were so many rooms and halls, that it would be impossible not to get lost. One of the main attractions in the Palace that we all admired was the "Hall of the Mirrors," which was the place where the Treaty of Versailles was signed. After the tour of the palace, we all went outside to soak in the beauty of the Garden of Versailles. We shared a lot of knowledge and facts with each other that made the experience very educational. We also took many pictures and videos that our video coordinator Matt Fleming, will be putting together in a many project.
After the tours, it was now time for business. We left the palace and went back to the hotel so we could get ready and leave for our game. The bus ride to the game was pretty relaxing and the majority of the guys took a nap because the location of our game was two and half hours away from our hotel. Once we arrived at the gym, we immediately started to get ready for the game. With the help of our manager Ryan Ornstein, we were dressed and ready in good time. We started the game on a 9-0 run, holding the team scoreless for the first five minutes. We played with a lot of passion on the defensive end and held the opposing to team to limited scoring. Everybody got the opportunity to play and we got the win in good fashion. After the game both teams showed great sportsmanship. We wished them good luck on their season and they did likewise. All in all, today was very eventful and we all cannot wait to see what is in store for tomorrow.
Photo Gallery - Day 1 in France
DePaul director of baskeball operations Andy Farrell checked in to recap the first 24 hours of DePaul's trip to France. The Blue Demons will be in France until Aug. 21 to walk in the footsteps of St. Vincent de Paul and play four games. DePaul's first game is Saturday, Aug. 13 against Charenton in Sable sur Sarthe at 7:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. CT).
Wow! The past 24 hours (I think) have been such a blast! We left the Sullivan Athletic Center around 1:00 p.m. and got to the airport around 1:45 p.m. The line for Air France was very short, so we got our tickets and though security immediately. We boarded the plane at 4:40 and took off around 5:10! After that, the plane ride was easy. Well, as easy as an eight-hour plane ride can be! Most of the guys had an aisle seat and a lot of us even had the seat next to us open! A few movies later, we were landing in Paris at 8:15 a.m. (Paris time)! Going through customs was too good to be true, and getting the bags was simple! We met up with Jeanne & Joe, as well as Coach's brother and his family. Our guides from Basketball Travelers (Brian & Annie) met us right outside of the baggage claim, and we were all set to explore Paris!
Our first stop was to see the Eiffel Tower! Here, we all ate at a small café near the base of the Tower. We took a ton of pictures and it was really interesting to see the Eiffel Tower up close! It was fascinating to learn about why Eiffel erected the tower and how he rationalized keeping it as an attraction to Paris (for everyone wondering, Google it and learn with us!).
Our next stop was the Arc de Triomphe. Once we got off the bus, we were surrounded by tourists and locals that wanted to take pictures with us! It was a really fun photo experience for the entire team! We were instant celebrities! Here, we learned about Napoleon Bonaparte and why he wanted the Arc created, and the history of the names and sculptures on the Arc itself.
Our final stop before the hotel was the Louvre. We will have an opportunity to go back and inside the actual museum sometime tomorrow or Sunday, but today was just a chance to see it and understand the history of the Louvre! The glass pyramid on the outside was so modern, whereas the architecture of the Museum (and the paintings, etc. inside) is so historic. Our guides told us that in 1989 when the pyramid was first created (to mark the 200 year anniversary of the French Revolution), the French hated it and were outraged for that very reason. Now, it's one of the most recognizable landmarks of Paris!
In our travels, we also saw the Obelisque de la Concorde, the Academie Francaise, and Invalides (we will see this in much greater depth soon, as a part of the St. Vincent dePaul class).
The busy first day ended with a riverboat tour down the Seine River to see all of the sites of Paris.
