Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and his wife Shae enjoyed international adventures this spring.
Harrison and Shae were married on July 8, 2023, and the couple this month celebrated a belated honeymoon by boarding Delta Airlines for a two-week trip to Europe. The Phillips' travels included sightseeing and meeting with devoted Vikings fans in Germany, as well as visiting Italy's Lake Como.
This is our sixth and final installment of "Offseason Diaries," which gives a glimpse into players' adventures with loved ones before football starts its voluntary offseason workout program on April 15.
Over the past two months, we featured Josh Metellus and his family’s trip to Disneyland, Camryn Bynum's international travels and work in the Philippines, Andrew DePaola's mix of business and family time at the NFLPA meetings, Garrett Bradbury soaking in his first offseason as a father and Kene Nwangwu's time with family back home in Texas.
Note: The below diary entries were written by Harrison from his perspective.
The three days we documented for "Offseason Diaries" happened to fall into a very special part of our trip. Below, you'll see three consecutive days that have very different vibes – but they were all absolutely amazing in their own rite and will be days remembered forever.
Meeting Sascha & his family
We flew into Nuremberg, Germany, from Amsterdam. When we arrived at the airport, we were picked up by an amazing family that lives in Germany and are dedicated Vikings fans. I had met Sascha when he came to our Monday night game against the 49ers last season.
Sascha told me how he founded and is president of the Vikings fan club of Germany, specifically the Bavaria region. We got to meet his wife Jenny, son Finn and daughter Lea, and we checked out his sweet Vikings man cave.
Sightseeing and German BBQ
During the day, Shae and I went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a traditional German town, and did some exploring and learning.
That evening, Sascha and Greg (co-founder of the Vikings fan club) helped set up an incredible night with more than 60 Vikings fans. We were able to BBQ their traditional way, break bread together, and of course we had a fun Q&A for every question possible! It was really insane to see support for us [in Germany].
Paying somber respects in Dachau
The next day, we made our way to Dachau, Germany, where we visited the Dachau concentration camp.
The Dachau concentration camp is one of the earliest camps established, with the first prisoner transports arriving on March 22, 1933. Sadly, it wasn't until April 29, 1945, that the United States Army liberated the camp.
One source gives a general estimate of more than 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries during Nazi rule, with a resulting 50,000-plus deaths.
It isn't possible to put into words the eerie and dark feelings walking around the camp. … It almost made me physically ill. It's truly absolutely devastating.
Although we understand this isn't the typical happy-go-lucky "day in the life," Shae and I felt it was important to share our experience in Dachau.
Off to Italy
We traveled to Italy the following day and found our way to Torno on Lake Como.
This was the most relaxing part of the 10 cities we visited in Europe: delicious food, relaxing boat tour to Bellagio and even a hidden hot tub.
Even with the full days, I was able to make use of the hotel "gym."
Don't ask me how many machines I didn't fit on, or that I nearly broke trying to use. I learned that with enough repetitions, any weight can be heavy!
Well well well, If you made it this far you must truly be bored, or a REAL Vikings fan. Lol! I appreciate your support of our team, your support of us players as humans and, of course, your belief that this is our year. ❤️🙏
SKOL!
Harrison
