NUC Volleyball

My parents had a lot of fun on their visit but before they left, they were able to see one more game. This game was against Kanti Schaffhausen. For the past couple of weeks I'd been working hard on being a more effective hitter. In the beginning of the season, I wasn't scoring how I used to before I got hurt and not really playing like my normal self. Well that all changed in this game! I finally was able to get in a good rhythm with my setter. I had a lot of kills and I was the go to person for the match!

Action shot!! I'm the girl farthest to the right in the red! And my number is 18, just like in high school.

The first set we played pretty well and beat them 25-16. In the second set they came back fighting and this one was a lot closer. We ended up pulling out the set winning 25-23. They came out with a lot of fire in the third set but we won again with the scores 25-23. At the end of the match they always announce the MVP of the match... well this match I was the MVP! I was really proud of myself that I'm finally turning things around with my play. Hopefully I'll continue to get better and better.

Here I am accepting the MVP award!

A picture after the match with my parents. I'm sure you are curious why I'm holding this big stuffed cow.. well the nickname for my team is le vache which means cow!

It was hard to see my parents go but I'm very thankful that they were able to come visit. It's been over a week since they've been here and it's weird not having them around the apartment. Hopefully they will be able to visit this spring!

We also had another game this past weekend verses Volley Toggenburg. I didn't play at all because our coach wanted to give some confidence to the other players. I'm definitely ok with that because it gives my knee more time to rest. We ended up winning the match in three! The scores were 25-18, 25-16 and 25-18. I think our whole team is pretty strong and this game proved that. We have a big match this Friday against Koniz, which is one of the top teams in the league! Should be a lot of fun!

Third stop.. Gor du Vauseyon!

On Saturday, the day before my game, we were planning on making the trip to Geneva but that didn't exactly happen so instead we tried to find something else to see. My Dad was looking through the guide book again and saw that Neucahtel has a gorge and water mills. He loves going to dams so this was right up his alley.

It took a little time for us to get there because the gorge was right in the middle of some commercial buildings so we almost missed it. We finally made it down to the gorge and it was pretty cool! The mill was built in the 1537 and was used to make flour mill. They used the flowing water to power the grinders for the mill. There were actual water mills working and a beautiful water fall.

Here are some troughs that are used to transport the water to the mill.

At first all we could see were the troughs carrying the water. My mom soon discovered some stairs that lead us to a tunnel. In the tunnel were some water mills. Apparently above the mills where we were first standing was where the original house stood but now only the floor boards were left. All of the water was underneath the plant and then by rotating shafts they were able to power the mills up above. I don't understand it completely so here is a picture of what it used to look like when the mill was in action.

That same wheel in the above picture is in the picture right below.

There were stairs leading in the opposite direction so we decided to take those and see where it led to. We ended up walking a bit and found the end of the river. The river then goes into a tunnel so that it can pass through the city underground.

This picture is when we walked further down the trail. The window is the same window where the water mill was located just pictures before.

My Dad and I by the tunnel where the river flows into.

We came to a dead end so we followed the trail back to the original mill. We didn't explore the other side so we started walking in that direction. We came upon a beautiful waterfall. My Dad said that this time of year the water was pretty low but he was still surprised with how much water was still flowing. He also said that when there has been a lot of rain, the rock next to the water fall would also be covered and it would be one big water fall.

We followed some more troughs and it led us to a tiny tunnel! The tunnel was so low that I had to duck the entire time we walked through because I was just too tall! In this picture I'm standing straight up and not on my tiptoes. I also think its cool how the date of the tunnel is also etched right above it.

On our way back to the car we found a information desk and this cute old man started telling us all the details about the mills. We were able to understand him because he was a retired professor and spoke pretty good english. He was so passionate about the mills that we ended up talking to him for over 30 minutes! He gave us a lot of interesting information and I couldn't help but smile when he was talking. It was a fun afternoon but we headed home so I could rest up for Sunday's match!

Second stop.. Chaumont!

The day after we visited Bern, we decided to spend another afternoon exploring the town, but this time closer to home. My parents had picked up some brochures of different attractions that were close to Neuchatel but there were so many to pick from. Laura, one of my teammates, suggested we go to Chaumont because it is so beautiful and we were sold.

My mom noticed in one of her brochures that there was a scenic funicular that would take you right up the hill to the top. A funicular is a cable railway car that can take you up and down the side of a hill. This one is especially cool because the ride is about 15 mins long and the views are absolutely beautiful. There are other funicular's in Neuchatel but they only take about 5 mins. Some of them even go into the hill so you can't see anything but the tunnel.

We decided to take the bus to get to the funicular and it ended up working out great. This was the first time my parents had used public transportation over here since I had the car. They thought it was interesting how you have to push a button on the side of the bus to open the door when you want to get on. The great thing about the bus is that it took us right to the funicular station. The only downside was that we had to wait 45 mins for the next funicular because they don't run as often as the buses. We ended up getting snacks and the time seemed to pass quick.

This is the funicular station.

The tracks leading up the hill.

The funicular finally arrived and it was time to leave the station! Another interesting thing about the funicular is that people are allowed to bring bikes along too. There are a couple benches in the front, then room for bikes and then more benches in the back. The reason they allowed bikes to come aboard was because the Adventure Park that my team went to for welcome weekend has dirt bike paths! The trip up the hill was very beautiful. We were able to see Neuchatel lake and we lucked out that the weather was good!

The funicular!

These are some of the views we had in the funicular. It was a really beautiful day!

Once we got to the top we noticed that there was an observation tower where you could look overall of Neuchatel. So the next thing you know we climbing all the steps and we finally made it to the top. Well it was definitely worth it because the sight was beautiful! You could see Neuchatel lake, Neuchatel itself and even Marin. If the day would have been clearer we would have been able to see the alps too!

A close up of Marin!

Here is a short clip but it's much better in person!

We had a lot of fun but of course I had to get back to practice! More adventures coming soon!!

A recap of my Parents visit.. First stop Bern!

While my parents were here, we decided to do a lot of day trips because I was still busy with practices. One of the first things on the list was the tour of my town, Marin. I took my Mom on a hike to see the lake which was about 10 minutes from our apartment. She thought it was very beautiful and took a bunch of pictures. We ended up taking the long way home and walked for almost an hour! My Mom also really enjoyed looking at all the old houses. The houses back home look very different than the ones they have here. No one really has shutters and the roofs are different too. Some of the houses had plaques on the side so you could see how old it was and these homes are way older than the homes in Downers Grove. Next I took her to the mall, Marin Centre and showed her where I would sit and skype with her. We then spent about two hours in Megro's, checking out the different food. She was so curious to see everything because most of the food is completely different than back at home. My Dad was happy they had burritos so he could have them for lunch. Finally we headed home because I needed to get to practice.

The next day I took them around Neuchatel. I showed them the two gyms we practiced in and had a nice walk by the lake. Both of my parents were impressed with how clear the water was. The next stop was Place Pury. I showed them the Chateau or castle, the church and all the shops in between. My parents just liked walking around and experiencing a typical afternoon in Switzerland.

The following day we had more time so we decided to visit the capital of Switzerland, Bern. I've never been there before so I was eager to go explore a new place. We got directions from Bryn on how to get there by car and at first the ride was easy. Once we got closer, there were a lot of exits for Bern and we didn't know which one to take! Unfortunately I took one that was pretty far from downtown. We had no clue where we were going so my Dad told me to follow the electric bus lines because hopefully that should lead us to town.. And luckily it did! We finally arrived with only a few extra grey hairs on our head! We decided to just walk around since we were already running a little late.

Having street names this long definitely doesn't help when you're lost!

One of the churches right next to the train station

Public transportation is huge over here and really easy to use

Bern has a lot of clock towers. This one even has a tunnel where trams can go through!

Some old men playing chess in the street.

This building is the Federal Palace of Switzerland and houses Parliament.

We walked through the Federal Palace and we came upon a great view. Earlier that morning that sky had been cloudy but it was clear enough so you could see the Alps!

Aare is the main river that runs around Bern. In the summer time, a lot of people float down the river!

A really really long street, lined with shops.

My favorite clock tower we came across.

Bern was a lot of fun but it was time to head home to get ready for practice again. The next time I go hopefully I won't get lost! Another mini adventure with my parents will be posted soon!

My Parents are in Switzerland!!!

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while.. my parents decided to come visit! They got here last Thursday on a direct flight from Chicago to Zurich. They figured out which train went to Neuchatel and I picked them up right after I was done with my afternoon practice - it couldn't have worked out easier! I think they are really enjoying themselves! We did an afternoon trip to Bern which is the capital of Switzerland on Tuesday. On Saturday we are planning on a trip to Geneva. Hopefully when I have more time, I'll write detailed blogs about our trips.

One of the main reasons my parents wanted to come over at this time was because it was one of the few weekends where we played two matches instead of one. Our first match was against Biel-Bienne and we won in three!! It was the first time playing at home and we had a great crowd! We killed them the first two sets 25-14 and 25-12. In the third set it was a bit closer but we still pulled it out 25-20. We were killing them so badly that our coach was able to play everyone which was nice. On Sunday we played against Dudingen and this game was a lot closer. We ended up winning in three 29-27, 25-16 and 25-23. In sets 1 and 3, we were down almost the whole set before we pulled it through in the last couple of points. I'm glad my team can fight even if we are down but hopefully next time we attack them from the beginning!

I love having my parents here and I'm so happy they are enjoying the Swiss culture. They have been so supportive in all my different volleyball careers and I wouldn't be the person that I am today without them. And they are the best because they brought over some new volleyball shoes and some candy!! Thanks so much Mom and Dad!!

I'll be writing more when I have the chance!!! Chow!