Images of the team sightseeing in two Austrian cities and playing an exhibition match.

Aug. 15, 2006

The University of Notre Dame men's tennis team continues its tour of Europe and checks in with a photo gallery from Salzburg and Vienna.

You can keep up with the team's tour by visiting the official tour page - click here.

On Friday morning, the Irish boarded a train and headed east, across the border into Austria and the scenic town of Salzburg - known both as the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart (who would be celebrating his 250th birthday this year!) and the sight of the filming of "The Sound of Music." Here the group poses at its hotel, Itzlinger Hof. One unique feature of the rooms at Iztlinger Hof - as (from left) Ryan Keckley, Sheeva Parbhu, and Santiago Montoya show - was a window in the shower. It did include a set of blinds - placed on the bedroom side of the window! The team spent most of Friday sightseeing, first heading to see the stunning Mirabell Gardens (pictured) and eventually making their way all the way up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress (see upper center of photo).

Santiago Montoya, Stephen Bass, and Sheeva Parbhu pose with a man imitating a statue in the streets of Salzburg. Barry King (left) and Eric Langenkamp take time outside Hohensalzburg Fortress to pet a horse. Unfortunately, King's hand and wrist broke out in a rash shortly afterwards. After a long walk up to Hohensalzburg Fortress, the team was greeted by a breathtaking view of the city of Salzburg and the surrounding countryside, taken in here by Brandon Pierpont (left) and Stephen Bass.

On Saturday, the Irish made it five cities in five days, taking a train east to the capital of Austria, Vienna. There at the train station, they were greeted by their teammate, senior Irackli Akhvlediani, a native of Vienna. The Akhvlediani family is originally from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, so they treated the team to an incredible multiple-course meal at Vienna's only Georgian restaurant on Friday evening. In addition to the outstanding cuisine, the travel party experienced quaint, candlelit atmosphere and live entertainment, while also being introduced to both the Georgian ambassador to Austria and Georgian pro tennis player Irakli Labadze, who reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon last month. After an indoor practice on Saturday, the Irish took to the red clay courts on Sunday for a match against T-Lab, a team of Austrian professional players. Here (from left) Irackli Akhvlediani, Barry King, and Ryan Keckley relax before the action commences.

T-Lab and Notre Dame would take part in a vergleichskampf - or friendly exhibition match - at Tennis Point Vienna in nearby Fontana, Austria. The match was played on red clay - common in Europe, but seldom seen by most of the Irish players. T-Lab prevailed 6-3. Senior captain Stephen Bass won in both singles and doubles - defeating a player formerly ranked among the top 150 in the world in unpartnered play. The match attracted much attention from fans and media in the Vienna area. The team spent the day Monday taking in the sights of Vienna. Here they pose in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Photos by Bo Rottenborn and Brandon Pierpont.