Euro Summer, Getting Settled in Ludwigsburg, & Rehabbing - Blog #47 (August '26)
Updated: 11 hours ago
Basketball Update:
Preseason has been a grind! But not in the way you might think. My back has been acting up, so most of my preseason has been pretty mentally challenging. It has been difficult having to watch practice or spend time on the side/in the weight room to rehab my back. I would much rather be on the court, especially at this time of the year to be with my teammates. It is an important time of the year to gel on and off the court with all of your new teammates. That part has been unfortunate. However, I am starting to feel much better and should be back very, very soon. My workouts getting back have been very hard. Lots of conditioning on the air bike, on the court, and in my workouts. I am definitely feeling ready to play and get back to doing what I love, which is competing :D!
We finished the preseason 3-2 after playing a few German teams and one French team. We have played pretty well for the most part and have a different style of play that I am not as accustomed to. We play full-court defense and really focus on running in transition. I am really looking forward to playing this style because I feel that we will be able to win some games on our style alone. Also, watching our games so far, I really think I will bring a nice boost to our team with my skill sets of shooting and posting up.
Leadership Lesson:
Something I have learned during my time overseas is that having experiences outside of your work, in my case basketball, is very important to having success on the court. Whenever I go on a trip, go see a new city, check out a museum, or do any type of off-the-court experience, it gives me a different sense of perspective about basketball. It paints my job in a better light, and it makes me appreciate what I do much more. Stepping away from the grind of whatever it is you do, will give you a more appreciative view of your job and also make it seem not as Important. Now, basketball is very Important to me, but it is by no means the most Important thing in my life. Doing other things helps me to remember that, and in turn, take some unnecessary pressure off of my
performance.
Top 5:
Forms of Chicken
Wings - One of my favorite foods and one of the things I miss most about being in the US. Dipped in ranch, preferably.
Nashville Hot Chicken - This can be in just tender form or sandwich form. So much great flavor and a little kick. Delicious.
Nuggets - Not the healthiest list so far, but you can't go wrong with some nuggets. McDonald's might honestly have the best ones. BBQ sauce for dipping.
BBQ Chicken - My dad makes some stellar BBQ Chicken. It is basically just grilled chicken in all different forms with BBQ sauce. The char from the grill with the sauce is outstanding flavor.
Chicken Curry - This could honestly be way higher on this list, but I just haven't had really good Indian food in a while. Really one of my favorite foods though.
What Did I Do Off the Court?
My two big European trips of the summer were in Valencia and Albania. Both were amazing. Going to Valencia was my first time in Spain. Nikki had to work in Valencia, so we went a few days early to check out the city. Nikki's two work friends, Jenny and Sam, also joined us, and we had a great time. It was extremely hot, but it was an awesome city. We biked around an awesome park and saw their museum district. My biggest regret was that we never went to the world-renowned aquarium in Valencia. Apparently, it is the best in Europe. Hopefully, next time, I can make it. But the city was very cool. It was small enough to walk around but big enough to
have lots of things to do and see. Also, we got there just three days post España World Cup victory which was pretty cool.
I came back to Ludwigsburg for a couple of days to do my medical checks while Nikki was working in Valencia. Then, we met each other in Albania. Albania? What's in Albania? Why would the two of you go to Albania? Albania, like the country from the old sitcom Cheers? Albania, like the place those guys in the movie Taken are from? Yeah... you heard me right. And let me tell you, it was the coolest place I have ever been.
After landing, we left the chaotic airport and picked up the car. The driving in Albania was pretty crazy. The drivers themselves were wild, but the roads were very narrow. I was able to get used to it even with just a few comments from Nikki in the passenger seat. We went straight north toward the mountains. We stopped in this town up on a mountain on the way there to see a chapel and have lunch with an insane view.
Our night in Shkodra was amazing. We actually stayed right outside the busier city and walked up and down the waterfront. There were a ton of nice bars and restaurants along the water, all with outstanding views. We enjoyed a couple of drinks, and then, we got a great dinner before calling it a night. Nikki and I brought Monopoly Deal along with us, so we played that a lot throughout the trip.
We drove into the city of Shkoder, which has a lot of restaurants and people out & about. We booked a 3-day hiking excursion through this hostel in Shkoder, so we just hung around Shkoder. It was my first time ever in a hostel, and it was a unique experience. Nikki and I had two roommates who were coincidentally both from Perth, Australia. They were super friendly, but it was a bit weird bunking up with two complete strangers. I also wasn't even close to fitting in the bed which I probably should have anticipated. It was karaoke night at the hostel, so it was fun to watch a bunch of the other residents sing and dance around. It was remarkable how many Australians we encountered on this trip. To be honest, I was sick of the accent by the time we left. Anyway, we couldn't hang around too long at karaoke because we had to be up super early to catch our bus for the first leg of our commute to our big hike.
We took a bus, a ferry, and another bus all in the same day to get to Valbone for the night. We did have a 3 hr layover along the way for lunch and beach relaxation. We got to our guest house and rested up before our hike the next morning. We got up at around 6 am to take a short shuttle to the start of the hike. It was absolutely outstanding. The hike was decently challenging but some of the best views I have ever seen. There were a couple of cafes on the way up and on the way down that served as potential rest stops. We took advantage of one stop on the way down that was gorgeous. Another fun thing about the hike was that we had met a couple from Chicago, and we spent most of the hike up with them. We ended up getting a bit ahead of them and planned to wait for them at the first rest stop on the way down. Well, we waited for a long time and right when we were about to leave, they finally showed up. Turns out they got engaged at the top of the mountain! It was pretty cool to be the first people that they told and to celebrate a little bit with them. We made it to the guest house and hung out with this newly engaged couple for the night. We played card games and enjoyed being in the amazing city of Theth.
We left the next morning for the two-hour shuttle back to Shkodra to grab our luggage, get to our car, and book it to the wine region of Albania for our night at a winery. This was also absolutely unreal. The winery was gorgeous. The wine tour was great. I was anointed the toast guy, so I had to make 3 separate toasts for the whole group of about 25 people. I stole a line from Elaine in Seinfeld for my first toast, "Here's to those who with us well, and those who don't can go to hell!" We had great wine, and the dinner was outstanding. We met a different couple from Switzerland and France. They were a ton of fun, and it was such an unexpectedly awesome experience.
The next morning, we went back to Tirana to explore the capital city a bit before I had to leave the next day. On our way though, we stopped in Berat to walk around and check out the unique vibe that it has to offer. Tirana is also a really cool city, but the highlight of Albania is its natural beauty. It is truly stunning and without a doubt the most beautiful country I have ever been too. One of the best parts about Albania is the prices. It is way too cheap for how drop-dead gorgeous of a country it is. I predict that it will only be like that for the next couple of years, as it is already booming in popularity. It does lack some of the Infrastructure and Western vibe of living that many of us Americans may be accustomed to. For example, about 80% of the toilets could not handle toilet paper. There was a little trash basket next to the toilet for used toilet paper. Also, all the showers were open in the bathroom. Then, they give you a squeegee to clean up the water. The driving is also pretty crazy and tough to get used to. However, if you embrace all the uncomfortabilities, then it is kind of fun and part of the adventure.
I headed back to Ludwigsburg the next morning to start practice, and Nikki stayed to finish off vacation with her friend, Jenny, who met us for our last day in Tirana. Nikki and her went south to the beaches to enjoy some relaxation.
Ludwigsburg has been great so far. I have done a little bit of exploring around the city, and there are a few great restaurants, a beautiful market square, and an enormous Baroque-style castle (3rd biggest in the world). I think my next blog will be more Germany-focused. You've heard enough about my life already this blog.
Top Meal In Albania:
The best food we ate was most definitely at the winery. The place was called Alpeta Agrotourism, and the dinner & breakfast were both outstanding. After our wine tour, we just asked our tour guide/waiter for his recommendation after seeing the menu, and he told us he would bring us a bunch of dishes that he thought we would like. Everything was magnificent. Our breakfast the next morning was also great. We had delicious coffee, fresh fruit, eggs, etc. Chef's kiss!
Also, I have to give an enormous shoutout to this affogato we had at a gelateria in Shkodra. It was insanely delicious!
Cultural Difference In Germany:
The German stare is definitely a real thing. I want to be clear that I do not think German people are as rude or lack humor as stereotypes may suggest. However, they will stare at you without embarrassment. Even when you look at them, they will not look away like they were being rude for staring. They just keep looking at you. Pretty weird but part of the culture.
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