The Meiners, season-ticket holders, accompanied the women's basketball program on the 2001 European Excursion. They went with a few members of the party to Normandy on Monday. Here are their thoughts as the trip ended Tuesday.

"We definitely liked Normandy best just because there was so much history there. Seeing Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower was great, too. We liked Brugge and Brussels, too, but Normandy was the highlight of the trip. If the war areas were in the US, everything would be roped off or behind fences. We like the fact everything was left the way it was during the war. You could walk around in the bunkers and crawl through a pillbox. It was fantastic.

The whole trip was really nice. We got a letter in the mail as a season-ticket holder and decided to go. Steve had recently retired so it seemed like the thing to do. This trip is a good way to end his working years.

We had a great time meeting the players and the coaches. It's one thing to see them on the court but to be able to interact with them on this trip added to the experience."