Bucknell University Athletics
Postcards from Europe 2014: Day 9 in Montreux
5/29/2014 5:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Previous Postcards: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
MONTREUX, Switzerland – Bonjour from beautiful Montreux! Yesterday's seven-hour bus ride from Paris into Switzerland was well worth it, as this has to be one of the most scenic places on earth. Montreux sits right on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps, and the snow-capped peaks are visible from anywhere in town.
Our accommodations, the Eden Palace au Lac, is a grand hotel located just a few steps from the promenade that lines the lake. It is a great place to take a leisurely stroll or people-watch while enjoying a drink or a gelato. Just a block or two off the lake is the downtown area with plenty of shopping. Of course, Swiss watches are the big item here, as are the chocolate and the abundance of local wine, which is hard to find in the U.S.
For those that were on the trip to Italy four years ago, Montreux is comparable to the Lake Como region where we finished up that trip. Both spots are absolutely picturesque, and the photographs can't possibly do it justice. The town faces west, which has made for some incredible sunsets over the lake the last two nights.
This morning the team took one final guided tour, this one of the 11th-century Chillon Castle, located just a few minutes away from our hotel right on the lake. This 1,000-year-old fortress was originally home to the Counts of Savoy and was later taken over by the Bernese. The castle is remarkably well-preserved, and we were able to walk through the residence and defense areas. One of the main halls was adorned with a mural from the 14th century. There were also exhibits featuring armor and weapons from that medieval period.
The famous poet Lord Byron wrote The Prisoner of Chillon in 1816 about a prisoner held inside the castle, and Byron's signature is engraved in a stone there.
After the tour everyone had a free day to explore this beautiful area. A small group took a train ride up into the mountains. Others shopped in Montreux, took a boat ride on the lake or simply lounged by the water on a pretty day. It was the perfect end to a trip abroad that has been fun, educational and productive from a basketball standpoint.
Tomorrow will be a long travel day, with a 6 a.m. departure from the hotel to Geneva for a 9:30 a.m. flight back to the States. The team will arrive in Newark just after noon Eastern time, and then will bus back to Lewisburg from there.
Before signing off for the final time, a few “thank yous” are in order.
First of all, Coach Paulsen and his staff did a tremendous job organizing and planning the trip. It is no easy feat chaperoning a group of 28 people overseas. This Belgium-France-Switzerland leg was on everyone's bucket list, and it more than lived up to the expectations. Manager of basketball operations Kevin Snyder and student managers Glenn Krebs and Ryan Sindelar played a critical supporting role, doing everything from handling the meal money to getting the uniforms washed to filming the games.
We had a few guests that joined us for portions of the tour. In an earlier post we mentioned having Bucknell Hall of Famer Bill Dearstyne with us in Belgium, and that was a big treat. So too was having Dr. Gary Sojka with us throughout the trip. Gary is one of the smartest and most charismatic figures in the history of Bucknell University, and spending time with him in Europe for 10 days has been a real honor.
In Belgium, we also met Peter Buyse and Bob Hubrecht, who helped organize the games, had great stories to tell and educated us on Belgian basketball and culture.
In France, Mike Gonsalves was a very helpful liaison and friend. Mike was a very successful player and coach in France for many years, and it was neat eavesdropping on his conversations about basketball with our coaches. On our first night in Deauville, there is no way we would have been able to get our order of crepes placed without Mike there as a translator.
We need to give a major shout-out to Jos, our bus driver for the entire trip, who was just terrific. During our stay in Ghent, the only way to get a bus to the front of the hotel was to back it in reverse for about half a city block on a narrow street lined with parked cars on both sides. He did it flawlessly time and again. Not only were his driving skills amazing, but he was also a really nice guy who felt like part of the team after only a day or two. When we get to the Geneva airport tomorrow morning, it will be the ninth time that Jos has loaded and unloaded all of our luggage, and every time it has been with a smile.
This trip would not have been possible without the help of Jason Sarkies at Basketball Travelers, Inc. Jason has led dozens of international trips with college teams through the years, and this is his third time with the Bucknell men's basketball team. Jason knows these countries so well and has great contacts in Europe for critical items like setting up games, dealing with hotels and restaurants, and arranging the tour guides for all of our sightseeing adventures. And he has been more than just an outstanding logistics coordinator, but he has become a great friend to the Bison program.
And finally, a note about the Bucknell student-athletes here in Europe. Bison fans, you should be proud to root for such a quality group of young men. Each and every player is polite and respectful and just a pleasure to be around. Most of them had never been to Europe before, and they seemed genuinely interested in soaking up the culture and learning about all of the different places that we visited.
On the basketball court, they gave every ounce of energy that they had, despite the challenges of jet lag, different rules, different basketballs, some new schemes and playing five games in a span of six days against unfamiliar, unscouted competition. They finished with a 4-1 record, and hopefully the five games and the 10 practices that preceded them will pay dividends entering next season.
Here are the boxscores and cumulative statistics from the five games in Europe:
- May 22 – Ghent Hawks 75, Bucknell 67
- May 23 – Bucknell 79, Antwerp Giants 73
- May 24 – Bucknell 91, Rouen 74
- May 26 – Bucknell 73, Poissy 62
- May 27 – Bucknell 99, Drancy 61
- Five-game stats
Thanks for following along with the blog and the videos, and one last time from Europe … Go Bison!
