Day five: Memorable Trip to France for the Muskies

The team in front of the flags of the 28 member countries of the European Union.

Our fifth day in Europe took us to our fourth country of the trip as we spent a good portion of Thursday in Strasbourg, France. The basketball portion of the trip wrapped up last night, so these last two days are packed with sight seeing.

A few of the guys outside the massive Strasbourg Cathedral.

The two big highlights of Strasbourg were the incredible Strasbourg Cathedral de Notre-Dame, regarded as one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe. It is a massive building that dates back to 1015, and the detail around the cathedral is almost unbelievable. We had a few hours to walk around the medieval old city center surrounding the cathedral, and the group enjoyed the free time to grab lunch, do some shopping and soak up being in France. Most of the group loved watching a street vendor interact with Coach Aaron Aanonsen's wife, Brye, and junior Joey Burris' grandmother - there is a video of that below.

A bit of detail of the exterior of the Strasbourg Cathedral.

Stan and Mary McKenzie enjoy lunch at a picturesque Italian restaurant in Strasbourg.

After lunch, we had a unique opportunity to visit the European Union Parliament. This is a by-invitation only appointment, and our trip leaders from the Luxembourg American Cultural Society made this happen for us. The parliament, which works a lot like the U.S. House of Representatives, was not in session today, but we toured the building, sat in the viewing gallery of the parliament chambers and learned more about how the EU's system works in a conference room used by political parties.

European Union Parliament chamber.

Jacob Servais, Travis Kell and Mitch School in an EU Parliament meeting room.

We headed back to Luxembourg for dinner. We have eaten well all week, but tonight was a real treat! Two of our guides, Robert and Marianne Johanns, live in Luxembourg, and they've done an amazing job of scouting out places for us to eat. Tonight was an Italian spot in Rumelage in southern Luxembourg. The main course was a trio of pastas - spinach and ricotta ravioli with a cream sauce and bacon, penne in a light tomato glaze and beef filled tortellini in a hearty meat ragu. Dessert was one of the creamiest pieces of tiramisu I have ever eaten - and it had our players raving (one of our freshman notes it in the video below). We very much indebted to Robert and Marianna for the amazing hospitality. Their pride in their homeland shows, as well as their desire to make sure we have a great time (and get to the bus on time!)

Tomorrow is our last full day here, and includes what will be a moving visit to the American Military Cemetery in Hamm (which includes the burial place of General Patton), a hike through Luxembourg's Little Switzerland and a farewell dinner back at the hotel. It's hard to believe our week is almost done! It has truly been a memorable time with terrific people.

Here are a couple of videos from today: