Bucknell University Athletics
Postcards from Europe 2014: Day 1 in Ghent
5/21/2014 6:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GHENT, Belgium -- Greetings from the beautiful city of Ghent, located at the confluence of the rivers Scheldt and Leie in the East Flanders province of Belgium. This is Day 1 of the Bucknell men's basketball team's 10-day excursion through Belgium, France and Switzerland.
The Bison will be playing five basketball games during this jam-packed journey abroad, but Wednesday was a day spent acclimating to the new surroudings and the six-hour time difference. The team's flight landed in Brussels around 8 a.m. local time, and the traveling party was quickly met by old friend Jason Sarkies of Basketball Travelers, Inc., the company that has helped arrange the trip.
This is Jason's third time going overseas with the Bucknell men's basketball team. He accompanied coach Pat Flannery's team to Italy and Croatia in 2000, and four years ago he was with coach Dave Paulsen and the Bison crew in Italy. Jason is an experienced chaperone and has been on this particular trip before, so it is great to have his local knowledge and support.
One of our first missions was to sort out the proper spelling of our first destination. "Ghent" is the accepted English spelling, while "Gent" is used in Flemish, a dialect of Dutch, which is a very common language spoken in this region. We have decided to use the English spelling to be consistent, but the difference in spelling calls to attention the many different European cultural influences on this small nation. In fact, local school children learn four languages in their curriculum: French, Dutch, German and English.
Once we arrived in Ghent, a terrific tour guide named Mariel gave the team a walking tour through the city. The team hotel is located in a great spot just along the banks of the Leie, and Ghent is a neat town with modern amenities, even though its history dates back to midieval times.
We walked past the Gravensteen Castle and the stunning St. Bavo Cathedral, which houses the famous Ghent Altarpiece. For those that have seen the recent movie "The Monuments Men," the Ghent Altarpiece plays a prominent role in the film. In fact, "The Monuments Men" takes place in part in Ghent, Bruges, Normandy and Paris, all locales that Bucknell will be visiting on this trip.
We will have some more time on Friday to go back inside the castle and see more of Ghent. Today, however, the long redeye flight followed by the two-hour walking tour and a wonderful team dinner has practically wiped everyone out.
With a tour of Bruges followed by the first game of the week against the Ghent Hawks set for Thursday, everyone was headed to bed early tonight for a good night's sleep.
One other special note about this trip is that the Bison team has the honor to be joined here by two Bucknell legends, both of whom are enshrined in the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame.
President emeritus Gary Sojka accompanied the team on the flight to Belgium and will be with the group all week. A handful of the younger Bison players had not had an opportunity to meet Dr. Sojka, and it was priceless to see the look on their faces when they shook the hand of the namesake of the very arena in which they practice every day and play their games.
This afternoon Bill Dearstyne '62, an NCAA qualifier and multiple record-setter on some of the all-time great Bison swimming teams, joined the team after taking a train from his home in Austria. Mr. Dearstyne continues to be an avid and loyal supporter of Bison Athletics, and it is great having him here with us in Belgium.
The trip is just getting started, so enjoy some photos (and coming soon, video) from Day 1, and be sure to check back with us throughout the next nine days as we chronicle the Euro Trip 14 on BucknellBison.com.
