Eighth in a series of nine.
Part 1 - Taylor Cunningham (6/13/17)
Part 2 - Lexi Prevost (6/14/17)
Part 3 - Rylee Kane & Taylor Edwards (6/15/17)
Part 4 - Tiana Hanson (6/16/17)
Part 5 - Grace Weeks & Brina Hull (6/17/17)
Part 6 - Alisha Breen (6/18/17)
Part 7 - Vanessa Stavish (6/19/17)

BARCELONA – Saturday, May 20, we had the opportunity to see a little bit of everything in Barcelona via bus. Our tour began in the heart of Barcelona where we were able to view the outside of La Sagrada Famalia. This is the most famous cathedral in Spain built by the well-known Gaudi. The church was amazing. The detail all the way around it was jaw dropping, and the church is not even finished yet. It took up a whole block by itself and was the tallest building for miles. Our next stop on the tour was the Parc de Montjuic.
 
A stunning museum stood atop of many stairs and waterfalls, that gave us a great view of the magic fountains and the city of Barcelona. Our group had a lot of fun taking pictures here, especially when a stranger came up to us and put pigeons on Taylor Cunningham's head. These birds were painted all sorts of different colors and sat on her head, and we were all able to laugh and be thankful that some stranger did not put birds on our heads!
 
 
The third, and one of my favorite stops, was the Olympic Stadium that was used for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Hearing the stories of the archer that stood in the center of the stadium and shot an arrow of fire to light the torch was one I will never forget. The stadium is still used today and is in prime condition, which was cool to see. While we were there many kids were down on the field playing games or racing each other around the track. If I had a second opportunity to go to the stadium I would definitely make time to go down and have field access. Our final stop on the bus was the Castell de Montijuic. This old castle is placed perfectly to have a view of the sea and the city. The views were breathtaking. We were able to tour through the castle, but the roof access was definitely the best part of the whole castle. On the top of the castle we had a lot of fun taking creative pictures. We tried multiple times jumping off a bench to get the perfect one (Good thing Coach Woodin is such a great photographer).
 
 
The hike on the way up to the castle was also very eventful. There were two metal slides built into the side of the hill, and being adventurous we all had to go down. The slide on the left had no curve to it, but went straight down. Of course, this was the slide that I had picked and was the first to go down. What I failed to realize was there was nothing at the bottom to stop you. I flew down the slide at full speed, attempted to land on my feet, failed, and slid on my butt for about five feet on the ground before I halted to a stop.
 
Thinking that everyone had learned from my mistake about going down the slide on the right I figured everyone would pick the slide on the left from now on. I was wrong. Alisha Breen's family friend Vicky was the next to attempt the steep slide. Her landing was even better than mine. Her feet dug in at the bottom of the slide and the rest of her body flew forward resulting in a face plant and summersault. That right there may have been the funniest thing we had seen all day.
 
This day was packed with so much culture, tradition, and fun that it was the perfect way to see all of the different parts of the city. This was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so happy I was able to be part of it. Getting to go to Spain and not only experience the city but to also play was something I will remember forever. Being able to experience how different basketball and everyday life is in Spain compared to the U.S. is something that I think every collegiate athlete should have.
 
The Buzz in Barca blog is a 9-part series detailing the Yellowjackets' trip to Barcelona, Spain on the dates of May 17-21, 2017. Each of the player journal entries can be viewed online here.