PARIS, France - To call today incredible would be an understatement!

This morning we had an early wake-up call in Marseille where we watched the sun rise while we ate breakfast on the terrace of the Hotel Sofitel. We then headed to the train station to board one of the fastest trains in the world to take us to Paris in less than four hours.

After some impressive teamwork to unload all of our luggage from the train, we were off on a guided bus tour of the city with our guide, Johan. We went around the city seeing the sights and learning the history of Paris. We stopped for lunch at the Champs-Élysées and had time to shop and eat before meeting at the incredible Arc de Triomphe.

From there it was off to the Eiffel Tower where we had time for pictures and a little bit of shopping before checking in to our final hotel of the trip.

After freshening up, it was off to the Latin Quarter where we had a chance to dine on authentic French cuisine and browse some of the unique stores in the area. Most of the players tried escargot or frog legs and almost all were impressed!

The best part of the day, however, was sunset. We boarded a boat on the Seine River for an hour cruise to see Paris' sites from a different vantage point. The views were magnificent as the sun was setting behind the Eiffel Tower and we watched it begin to light up. The banks of the river were lined with people enjoying the weather and sipping wine watching the boats go by.

As day turned to night, the views were even more marvelous seeing Notre-Dame Cathedral lit up or people salsa dancing and waltzing along the river. As our boat went under the final bridge, the Eiffel Tower came into view and it was lit up sparkling in the night sky.

It was the perfect ending to an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime day.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I just want to take advantage of it," said sophomore center Yazmine Belk (Queens, N.Y./Nazareth Regional). "Tonight was really nice, a lot of people don't get the chance to see Paris like this."

On the way back to the hotel, we ran into the Friday Night Skate in the streets of Paris. Thousands of roller skaters took to the streets to tour the city on wheels and enjoy the weather.

With just one day and one game left in Paris, our trip is coming to a close. However, as we prepare to return to the States, everyone is already in awe of the experiences we've had.

"The trip so far has been truly incredible," said junior guard Faith Woodard (Brandon, Fla./Freedom). "Seeing the history we've seen throughout the trip, and what it means is a wonderful feeling. I can't believe I saw the Eiffel Tower and that we've been to our third country in about two days. I'm just really excited and happy that the Athletic Department saw fit to give us this trip."