Hello From Seat 21L

Greetings from Seat 21L on American Airlines from Milan to JFK.

TigerBlog has the window seat, which is great, except that the giant wing on the 777 is blocking most of his view. What it didn't block was the view of the Alps as the plane carrying the Princeton men's lacrosse team back from its Fall Break trip to Italy took off and climbed. 

For the rest of the flight, if he wanted to look out the window, he had to look through the one over his shoulder instead of directly in front of him. Ah, but the Alps. That made it all worth it.  

Giancarlo, who along with Alessia, Princeton's other guide on the trip is headed directly to the Tour Guide Hall of Fame, said that the takeoff out of Milan would be spectacular, and like everything else he said on this trip, he was spot on. 

The final night in Italy featured a farewell dinner, with a meal that defies description. TB might have to use pictures instead. 

Before that cake was served, Giancarlo spoke to the group about their "curiosity" all week. They weren't just interested in the food and the fun, he said. They were genuinely interested in learning — and there was a lot to learn. 

It's so easy to forget just how much older European culture is than that in America. The United States is just a babe in comparison. TB offered the comparison of Palmer Stadium vs. the Colosseum, and there are countless examples like that. What year was this cathedral built? Oh, the 1300s? That church goes back to the 1500s? 

TigerBlog was really struck by Giancarlo's comment about "curiosity." You don't usually think of college students with a week in Europe who are really dialed in on the history and the culture, but Princeton definitely way. Oh, and the natural and man-made beauty that was everywhere as well. 

Speaking of Hall of Famers, at one point during the week, TB asked men's lacrosse Director of Operations Drew Cottrell what he was going to do for his vacation when this trip answere. He was only half-kidding, but the man they call "Cotts" did so much this week to make everything go smoothly, make sure everyone was in the right place at the right time and see to it that the smallest travel details were taken care of at all times. 

It's impossible to truly describe just how important Cotts is to the men's lacrosse program. TB can say two things for sure: 1) there would have been no Italian trip without him and 2) there would have been no NCAA championship last spring without him either. 

Overstatement? Ask anyone associated with the program. And he manages to do everything he does with a great sense of humor (or at least he pretends to laugh at the things TB says). 

As TigerBlog has said, this was his fifth international trip with the men's lacrosse team. Of course he speaks for everyone who has taken one of these trips with any Princeton team when he says a huge "thank you" to those who made it happen. 

Each of these trips has been amazing. Through them, TB has gotten to see so many places he otherwise might not have, even as this was his 17th European trip in his lifetime. The world seems so big, but it really isn't. 

There are some who made this trip who had never been out of the United States before. There are others who are already seasoned travelers. 

They all came away with an experience that they will never forget, from seeing the sites to the food to the big cities and small villages they visited to the swapping of jerseys — and everything else that said Princeton on it — with players from the Italian and Swiss teams they played. 

And so what if the games weren't competitive. That wasn't the point. Nobody expected these small national teams to be able to give the reigning NCAA champion a good game. But you can ask anyone on any side who played and they'll tell you how much fun it was to be on the same field together. 

The entire week was exactly what you'd hope for when you schedule this kind of adventure. The work of Cotts, Giancarlo and Alessia, and so many others, made it a perfect week. Even the weather, after a forecast of rain every day, couldn't have been better, with sunshine and warm temps each day except for when the game against the Swiss was played and hey, even that wasn't so bad, considering how perfect it was 24 hours earlier for the boat cruise of Lake Como. 

In his farewell on the microphone, Giancarlo was sad that he was saying goodbye to the Tigers. He told them to come back and see him, maybe even bring their children with them when they have them. He loves his home country, and he definitely loves Princeton.  

As experiences go, the best ones are the ones that will stay with everyone involved forever. 

The week in Italy was all that, and more.