Written by Carson Carey '23 
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Spain was more than special. It was an experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life, and I am sure the rest of the players and coaches can say the same.
 
From the first second of when all of us boarded Air France for a 10-hour and 25-minute flight to Paris, and then getting stuck in Paris on the way back and having multiple traveling scares, I wouldn't trade a second of this trip.
 
Basketball set aside, we had the fantastic pleasure of getting to tour a plethora of famous monuments, trying exotic foods, and experiencing the bulk of the Spanish culture by walking around from one place to the next. The people were friendly and approachable, and I can say that my Spanish definitely got a little better during the trip. My teammates and I got used to saying basic Spanish phrases whenever we ordered food or bought something from a store. We also had Paul McCann to guide us around. A lot of the time we leaned on him to guide us because he speaks the language fluently.
 
When we first arrived in Madrid, we were greeted by our phenomenal tour guide, Kris, who led us the entire trip and gave our team an all-around exceptional experience in Spain. We had the chance to see famous sites in Madrid, including the Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace, and The Las Ventas Bull Ring. We even went to Toledo for a day to sightsee and visit the Toledo Cathedral. Toledo reminded me of an old medieval town where most buildings and local business were all made out of brick, had meandering streets, and narrow alley ways of irregular width.
 
Donovan Wilson took over the @PSloggers Instagram stories. In addition to capturing some of our tours, Donovan documented our pre-game prep and post-game wind-down. The two games we played in Madrid were definitely a valuable experience for our team. We had the privilege to play two pro teams that were very talented and fun to play against.Although we lost, it was incredible to play in a different environment.
 
Madrid was a great start to the trip, and it got even better when we arrived to Barcelona. Barcelona was absolutely wonderful. The beaches, seeing the Gothic Quarter, experiencing La Sagrada Familia, and the witnessing the sight of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games was extraordinary. Barcelona was packed with tourists from one street end to the other. There were hundreds of local shops that were very inviting and, as tourists, we took advantage of that. On the beach, I had the pleasure to put some of my teammates through a workout and swim in the Mediterranean Sea - which was amazing.
 
I would say that the craziest moment of the trip was playing in our third game which consisted of playing in a 103-degree gym. As soon as I stepped foot in the gym, I already felt like I was warmed up and ready to play. Players, including myself, probably lost at least five pounds of sweat just sitting there. Big thanks to our athletic trainer, Meredith Frost, for keeping us hydrated!
 
All in all, this trip was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to visit a country that is different from U.S. culture and for that, I am so appreciative. To all the coaches, players, parents, people that made this possible, I thank you. It is a trip that I will never forget.