ELON, N.C. – Elon women’s basketball players Jess Luedtke and Gabby Oloye are spending part of their summer studying abroad in Europe learning about art, history and the culture. Jess keeps Phoenix fans up-to-date with a blog on their travels and experiences “Across the Pond.”

We started our Eurotour in Amsterdam and spent three days there. The big highlights of our time were the Anne Frank house and the Rijk Museum, where we learned about Dutch Art (we are taking an art history class, so its all art, all the time). We also got to wander around and experience the culture. One thing that we can say is that the pancakes are amazing! 

After Amsterdam, we went to Paris where we got to go to the Louvre and see all of the famous paintings like da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Nike’s “Winged Victory.” After the classes were complete, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then made our way to other well-known sites as the Arc de Triumph and the Champ de l’Essey. I also got my sports fix when I attended the French Open!

From Paris we made our way to Interlake, Switzerland for some playtime in the Alps. Being there reminded me of my home in Colorado. While we were in the Alps, we went to a chocolate factory and Gabby went paragliding. I on the other hand, went skydiving!! It was the most amazing experience of my life!

After the Swiss Alps, we ventured to Florence, Italy where we went shopping, visited the Duomo and saw a jazz concert. After two days in Florence, we made our way to Rome for one day. We tried to see as much as the city as we could and managed to make it to the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Coliseum and Pantheon. After that action-packed day, we went to the glass blowing island.

In Venice, we got to see the Wake House, the Guggenheim and the Academia Museum. In addition to all of that, we also got to see Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” We had the most amazing food in all of the cities in Italy!

From Italy we traveled across Europe to Budapest and spent three days there. We didn’t have any classes, so we really got to explore the city. The Gallop was occurring while we were in town. The Gallop is a horse race for locals, who were providing food and entertainment for everyone to enjoy! We also went to the baths, which is a tradition, and got to see a modern ballet.

After the three days in Hungary, we went to Prague for a day. There we basically wandered around to get a lay of the land. We went to the highest point in Prague and then stopped by St. Nicolas’ church.

We then went to Krakow, Poland. There was a heat wave that we had to endure, but it didn’t dampen our experience! We saw the numerous churches and Jewish ghettos before we got to Auschwitz. While this wasn’t the most joyful experience, it was very moving and worthwhile. We also got to see the first game of the World Cup while we were in Poland. Soccer (or football as they call it over here) in Europe is like nothing I have ever experienced. It is so amazing how one sport can bring together so many nations. 

From Poland, we went to Berlin and saw Charlie’s Point, the Berlin Wall, the Sony Center and went to the Berlin Zoo. Germany beat Australia in the World Cup while we were in Berlin, so you can only imagine how nuts everyone was that night! 

We made our way to Copenhagen where we stayed at a sports complex hotel. While we were there, we were able to play a pickup game with some of the other people on the trip. We also went to the Tivoli amusement park and to the Glyptotek Museum. I caught an early train from Copenhagen to watch the U.S. World Cup game before we went on our overnight boat to London.

Right now we are in London and have just four days left on the trip. So far we have been to Kensington Park and the British Museum. We just got back from a performance of “The Lion King” musical and have a full schedule for the remainder of our trip.

Both Gabby and I are excited to get back to the States, but aren’t ready for our Eurotour to end just yet. We have met some amazing people and have hopefully added a few more people to our already growing fan base!