Spartans in Spain: Tour Blog

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State men's basketball team began its 10-day Foreign Tour on Tuesday afternoon and, after an overnight flight to Europe, arrived in Madrid, Spain at noon on Wednesday afternoon.

Head Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans will spend 10 days in Spain, first spending three days in Madrid before heading to Valencia and then to Barcelona.

While abroad, MSU will play three games, one in each city. The team's first game will be played on Thursday, Aug. 15 in Madrid, with additional games in Valencia (Aug. 18) and Barcelona (Aug. 20).

Along the way, the trip serves as an opportunity for the team to bond and build camaraderie, both on and off the court.

Documenting the trip will be Mex Carey, who handles media and communications for the men's basketball team in the MSU Athletic Communications office.

Days Eight & Nine – Our Last Day in Barcelona & Return to America
I'm sitting back in my home office in East Lansing at 1 a.m. on Friday morning working on the last entry of this 10-day journal of our trip to Spain and, after a long day of travel on Thursday, I'm still kind of spinning as to what time it is, where I am and should I have just gone to bed as soon as we get home (the answer to that is a definitive yes).

So after our last game, on Tuesday night (which feels like it was a week ago right now), we had Wednesday free in Barcelona before a farewell dinner that night.

We had options of what we could do, head to a beach about 30 minutes away, get on a bus to the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona for lunch and shopping or just do our own thing.

Most of the staff and coaches hopped on the bus headed to the Gothic Quarter, the historic center of the old city of Barcelona. It encompasses the oldest parts of the city and includes the city's Roman wall and other notable medieval landmarks.

It was a really cool area to visit, with many shops tucked into seemingly every building amid a labyrinth of streets leading into what felt like little town squares where you could find restaurants, ice cream, bars and coffee shops.

My wife and I did some shopping, bumping into others along the way, shopping bags multiplying as the hours ticked by. Then she and I stopped for an hour or so at the Picasso Museum, an art museum that includes more than 4,000 works of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. It was opened to the public in 1963, the first museum dedicated to Picasso and the only one created during his lifetime.

The entire travel party gathered at 7 p.m. for dinner and we drove back up Mount Juic for a farewell party at El Xalet de Montjuic, a restaurant that combines Mediterranean and signature cuisine with tremendous views of Barcelona.

Coach Izzo spoke, thanking the folks from Anthony Travel – Jim O'Connor and Toni HIll (more on her in a minute) – who helped set up our tour – and our guides, including Carlos and Beatriz, as well as Carmen and, of course, Ernesto – Big Ernie – who was with the team during our entire stay and not only was a great guide, but became a friend to almost everyone with the Spartans.

The night was festive and it was just a great way to cap off a visit to Spain that started in Madrid, then to Valencia, a catamaran ride in the Mediterranean before our stay in Barcelona.
Back to Thursday morning.

We did have a long day of travel today. I woke up Thursday morning in Barcelona and had breakfast in our hotel at 8:15 before loading on to the bus to the airport at 9:30. Our flight was scheduled for 12:40 p.m., with a connection through Paris that was scheduled to leave around 4 p.m.

After waiting in the busy and crowded Barcelona terminal – my wife and I thought Amsterdam was busy but Barcelona almost made it look small in comparison – we found out we were delayed. And delayed some more. We finally boarded and took off, landing in Paris around 3:45 p.m.

There had been some talk among the group that we could miss our connection but Toni worked some magic and the Air France flight to Detroit was held for us. We arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport greeted by people from the airline who got us to our gate and we departed Paris around 5 p.m., arriving back in Detroit after 7 p.m. We were back to campus around 10 p.m., and I think all of us were happy to be back in our own beds.

Post-script note: As I settled in my seat on our flight from Paris back to Detroit, a younger kid across the aisle from me asked if the Michigan State Basketball team was on this flight. I told her that, yes, we were and that we had just completed a 10-day tour of Spain. She replied, "Go Blue." Welcome back to Michigan. My reply, of course, was 'Go Green. Go White.'

Gallery: (8-21-2024) Spartans in Spain - Farewell Dinner

Day Seven – Barcelona
Most everyone was able to sleep in on Tuesday morning for a bit before breakfast around 9:45 a.m. I got up and went out for a run through the hilly streets of Barcelona. The views were amazing and the city is just gorgeous. It was well worth it for the views.

The team had a tour slated for 10:30 a.m. and we drove through the city that was founded more than 2,000 years ago and first was the place where Roman legions retired. The city was referred to the Romans as Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino under Caesar Augustus before being shortened.

We climbed (on the bus) Montjuic, meaning Jewish Mountain, a broad, shallow hill in Barcelona that was the birthplace of the city and a strategic location on the Mediterranean and the Llobregat River. The area was also associated with political imprisonments and executions and held significance during the Spanish Civil War.

From there we moved over to the Estadi de Montjuic, now called the Olympic Stadium as that is where the opening ceremonies were held for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The stadium itself has great history as it was originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition. It was renovated in 1989 for the Olympics and is now mostly used for football matches. It's currently the home for FC Barcelona due to renovations on their regular ground, Camp Nou.

The drive last another 30 minutes, touring some of the shopping districts and seeing some of the old architecture, but we stopped around 12:30 p.m. since we had our third, and final, game on Tuesday night.

We played our game at Palau Blaugrana, meaning the Blue and Garnet Palace, which was the site for the 1992 Olympic basketball games. In those Olympics, Team USA was led by a guy named Magic Johnson and the team included David Robinson, who was teammates in college at Navy with MSU associate head coach Doug Wojcik.

Tonight's opponent was KK FMP, a Serbian professional team, featuring among others, two Americans. KK FMP jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter and led by nine points at halftime, but the Spartans rallied and pulled to within two points (42-40) in the third quarter before the lead went back up to 15 points. MSU rallied in the closing minutes before falling short, 115-110.

Frankie Fidler led four players in double figures with 18 points, while Jaden Akins scored 16 points and Xavier Booker and Jase Richardson added 11 points apiece.

That was our last game for this trip and we'll spend the day in Barcelona on Wednesday before a farewell dinner tomorrow night.

Gallery: (8-20-2024) MSU vs. KK FMP

Day Six – Catamaran Ride
We had an early-morning wake-up call in Valencia on Monday morning and had to have our bags on the van by 8 a.m. and then be on the bus by 8:15 a.m. for a two-hour ride to the seaside town of Cambrils.

Many slept on the ride, but I wanted to stay up and see what we were passing through on the Mediterranean Highway and I sent messages to Ernesto throughout the ride asking what we were seeing and passing.

It was really cool as we went by Sierra Calderona, a beautiful Moorish medieval town and a nature reserve park along the Calderona Mountain Range.

I never knew Spain had so many mountains but as Big Ernie (Ernesto) – explained to me, Spain is filled with mountains. Not super high peaks, but mountains and ranges everywhere. It's where many people go for holidays.

We also passed through Bennicassim Turismo, the site of the most famous reggae music festival in Europe, Peniscola, a fortress, and over the Ebro Delta, the longest river in Spain.

Finally, we arrived in Cambrils, a coastal town in Catalonia, and boarded a catamaran for a 3-plus hour ride into the Belearic Sea, which feeds into the Mediterranean. About an hour or so into the ride, we anchored and then the fun really began.

The steps were lowered into the water, but most everyone opted for diving into the water. I must have jumped off the back of the catamaran 10 times into the blue and salty water. It was amazing. We spent nearly an hour jumping, diving and belly-flopping into the sea.

After everyone had their fill in the water, the cooks had a full-on barbecue with burgers and ribs for everyone. Jase Richardson plugged his phone into the speaker and the main deck of the catamaran became a dance floor.

We headed back to the dock and arrived at about 3:15, giving us 45 minutes to explore the city square. Most opted for ice cream and gelato before heading back to the bus.

The buses arrived in Barcelona around 6 p.m. Our hotel is just a couple of blocks away from the center of the city, Gran Via and Marina, and the Monumental Bullring of Barcelona, a former bull-fighting ring that has been turned into a mall with restaurants on the top floor overlooking the city. It made for a nice spot for dinner for me and my wife to cap off the night.

Gallery: (8-19-2024) Spartans in Spain - Cabrils

Day Five – Our Last in Valencia
Sunday turned out to be a free day for all of the family and friends traveling. The team went to a gameday shootaround at the the gym we'd be playing at after breakfast in the morning and then rested to get ready for their 7 p.m. matchup with the Valencia All-Stars.

Most of us went different ways. My wife and I went to the Old Town so we could visit and see the Valencia Cathedral and the Chalice from the Last Supper.

A few of us – myself and my wife included – went to the Valencia Aquarium (L'Oceanografic) and spent a couple of hours there. It's built on the dry Turia River bed and is part of the City of Arts & Sciences. All of us agreed that it was a great way to spend an afternoon.

For our personal interest, my wife and I went back to the City of Arts & Sciences and found the Valencian location for the Berklee College of Music in Boston. It's only of three American universities to have campuses in Valencia (Virginia and Florida State) and is of particular interest for us, since our daughter Meghan graduated from the Boston campus in May with her degree in musical theatre.

We arrived at L'Aqueria del Basket around 5:30 for the 7 p.m. tip, facing a team that feature five players from our first game in Madrid. The Spartans jumped out to a 26-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, led by 24 (48-24) at halftime, pushed it to 41 points after three (72-31) and won, 105-59.

Sophomore forward Coen Carr scored 20 points and had seven rebounds to lead five players in double figures. Senior guard Jaden Akins added 11 points and five rebounds, graduate transfer Frankie Fidler had 11 points, junior forward Jaxon Kohler chipped in 10 points and three boards and graduate transfer Szymon Zapala finished with 10 points and seven boards.

We've enjoyed our stay in Valencia but we're looking forward to our trip to Barcelona on Monday morning.

Gallery: (8-18-2024) Spartans in Spain - Valencia Day 3

Day Four – Valencia
I'm sort of combining our third night and fourth day into one. I'll call it a paella and football overload.

We arrived in Valencia early in the afternoon on Friday and bused over to the hotel for a lunch while our rooms were being prepared. Once all of that was done, we had an hour or two to rest (or write a blog like I did) before we started a bus/walking tour of historic Valencia.

I think the initial plan was to do more walking but it was pretty warm out so we drove to the Old Town of Valencia. Along the way, we saw a state of the first King of Valencia, James I, and the Moreton Bay fig trees in Parque de la Glorieta, which span 22 meters in height with a circumference of 12 meters. It was also cool to see the neighborhoods in this beach town, with architecture that was French modernist and to learn that authors like George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway (a personal favorite) live there.

I'll focus on three areas of great history in Valencia. First the Serrano Gate, which was one of 12 gates that formed the part of the ancient city walls, built in the 14th century. The second was the Valencia Cathedral, consecrated in 128 and holds a holy chalice, believed by many to be the true Holy Grail that Jesus used at the Last Supper.

The third was the Turia river bed, which stretches almost 10 kilometers through the city. Today, it was a walking and running path (I ran it Saturday morning) that was developed after the original river was diverted after a flood in 1957.

Following that, we hopped back on the bus and took a short drive over to the City of Arts & Sciences, right near the beach. This is a cultural and architectural complex and is the most important modern tourist destination in the city, considered one of the 12 Treasures of Spain. It's an amazing place and was used in several movies, including TomorrowLand and West World.

The dinner was similar to Wednesday night in Madrid, with serving after serving, starting with tuna, then steak and, of course, paella.

A surprised guest at dinner was former Spartan Matt Costello, who has spent the last five years playing in Spain and just arrived in Valencia as he will be playing for the pro team in town.

On Saturday morning, my wife and some other members of the travel party took a 25-minute walk to Old Town to do some shopping. I opted for a morning run, heading down to the river path just a block or two away from the hotel.
It was good to see Director of Athletics Alan Haller on my way out and equipment manager Dave Pruder on my way back in, both out for their morning runs. Mine ended up going about 2 miles longer than I anticipated since I missed the marker I had for where I came down to the path and wasn't sure where I was, but it was a gorgeous place to be.

Today was beach day and everyone boarded the bus at 11:30 a.m. and dropped us at the Marina Beach Club, which sits on the Mediterranean Sea. About half of the players opted to get on jet skies and spent some of their day, while others walked the beach.

A pretty cool moment to see was Szymon Zapala walking on the beach with some of his family, who made the trip from Poland to see him.

On Saturday night, the team and some of the staff were able to attend the opening game of the La Liga season, with famed Barcelona FC visiting Mestalla Stadium and playing Valencia CF. I'm a huge football fan and it was amazing to watch a European game in person. Most of the crowd left disappointed with a 2-1 loss but to witness the passion of the fans was incredible.

We'll have another tour of Valencia Sunday morning before resting up for our game on Sunday night.

Gallery: (8-17-2024) Spartans in Spain - Valencia

Day Three – Next Stop Valencia
Most everyone was able to relax for a bit after the game on Thursday night but we had to have our bags on the van by 9 a.m. and be on the bus at 9:45 for the ride over to the train station. Ernesto, our tour guide, reminded everyone to be aware of their wallets and phones as pickpockets are always around, especially in a crowded train station.

Being an East Coaster and having lived in New York City and the D.C. area for 20 years, my wife and I love the train. And today, the entire Michigan State group arrived at the Madrid Chamartin-Clara station for our ride to Valencia.

This is a really cool ride. We're on a double-decker train with levels called Earth (lower lever, where I am) and Sun (upper level, where I think our players are). They told us that it would be a high-speed train and they weren't kidding. This thing is flying!

So today we're headed to Valencia, on the East coast of Spain, a beach-side city located on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea. Ernesto explained to us that while Madrid has tremendous history, dating back 700 years with Muslim and Middle Eastern ties, Valencia goes back even further. The third-most populated city in the country with more than 800,000, within the metropolitan area, there are more than 2.5 million.

Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it became part of the Visigothic Kingdom around 550 AD. The Aragonese Christian conquest took place in 1238, resulting in the city becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Valencia.

The Port of Valencia is the fifth-busiest in all of Europe and in 2022, the city was voted as the WORLD's top destination for expatriates based on quality of life and affordability.

We will get a tour of the city when we arrive before a group dinner tonight. I'm looking forward to some paella once we hit town! Ernesto also told me that Valencia is known for some great drinks, including one called a horchata, a refreshing drink served ice cold made with "chufas," tigernuts in Spanish.

Gallery: (8-16-2024) Train Ride to Valencia

Day Two – Game Night
The team drove out to Tenple Sports Centre in Madrid on Thursday afternoon, arriving at the

The Spartans led from the start and opened up a 49-40 lead at halftime, thanks to 19 points from sophomore forward Xavier Booker. The Madrid All-Stars made a run early in the second half to take a 56-54 lead in the third quarter.

Trailing 71-69 early in the fourth quarter, the Spartans went on a 9-0 run and took the lead for good on a 3-pointer from junior guard Tre Holloman. The All-Stars would cut into the lead, but a pair of jumpers each from senior forward Frankie Fidler and Jeremy Fears Jr., plus two free throws from the redshirt freshman guard closed out the 94-87 win.

Booker led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds, while junior forward Carson Cooper had 10 points and 13 rebounds, junior forward Jaxon Kohler added 13 points and nine rebounds and Fears finished with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Gallery: (8-15-2024) MSU vs. Madrid All-Stars

Day One Continued

We can't move on to Day Two of our trip to Spain without recapping our dinner at Asador Donostiarra. From start to finish it was a stream of the best food you could get in Madrid, from olive, pepper & ham to sausage tomato with anchovy and avocado, cheese plates, Iberian ham and steak followed by lemon sorbet.

We arrived back to the team hotel near 11:30 p.m., exhausted from a long day of travel, but well-fed and in tremendous spirits after spending four to five hours dining and getting to know all of our Spartan friends and their families who joined us on this trip. It's safe to say everyone was looking forward to sleep and to what Thursday would hold.

Day Two

For your trusty correspondent, Day Two started with a 7:20 a.m. wake-up call and a run through the streets of Madrid. It was a quiet morning in Madrid as most businesses were closed today for the Assumption of Mary, a feast day in the Catholic religion that is celebrated with festivals throughout the country.

While I wasn't out for a long run this morning, just a bit over 3 miles, it was amazing to get out and see a bit of the city on foot. Less than a mile from our hotel, I passed by the Madrid Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Madrid, the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family (used only for state ceremonies now), the largest royal palace in all of Europe. Before turning back to the hotel, I passed by the Puerta de Toledo (NOT Ohio), one of the 19 gates of Madrid, constructed in 1812. The Walls of Philip IV surrounded the city of Madrid between 1625 and 1868.

Correspondent and his wife joined the team and staff for breakfast at 8:45 a.m. and we were off for our morning tour of the famed Spanish League football team, Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid also happens to be the favorite club of our trusty tour guide, Ernesto.

As we made our way over to the stadium, Ernesto took us on a trip of some the history within the city centre, first passing by Parque del Buen Retiro (the Retiro Park), which belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868, when it became a public park following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposing of Queen Isabella II.

We also passed by the Jeronimos Cathedral, which dated back to the early 16th century, was badly damaged during the Spanish Civil War and ultimately restored.

The highlight of the morning was the team's visit and tour of Atletico Madrid at Metropolitano Stadium, which seats more than 70,000 fans.

We were split into two groups as we visited the concourse and training rooms for the team, including the team locker rooms and the entrance to the playing field.

Atletico Madrid was founded in 1903 as Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid and they have traditionally worn red and white stripes. They officially became Atletico de Madrid in 1946, starting their rivalry with Madrid neighbors Real Madrid, as well as Barcelona.

Outside the stadium, the team took photos by a statue featuring Atletico's logo, a strawberry tree and a bear, a symbol of the city that dates back to the early 1200s.

The players and Coach Izzo entered the team's locker room to find their own personalized jerseys waiting in stalls for them before they went to the pitch to visit the sidelines and the team's bench. Since the La Liga regular season starts on Monday, no one was able to be on the playing surface, but to walk through the back and see how the team enters the field was pretty amazing.

We arrived back at the hotel around 1 p.m. and it was time to rest up for our game tonight.

Gallery: (8-15-2024) Spartans in Spain - Day Two

Day One

The team and travel party departed the Breslin Center on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. and were through security at the Detroit Airport by 4 p.m., ready for a 6:30 p.m. flight to Amsterdam. Upon arriving at Amsterdam International airport in the Netherlands around 8 a.m., the team went through customs and made its way through the crowded and busy terminal for a 9:30 a.m. flight to Madrid.

Proving that Head Coach Tom Izzo is recognized across the oceans, a flight attendant from an international airline found him and let him know she was a Michigander (Grosse Pointe) and the team gathered for a photo in the concourse.

The team landed in Madrid at approximately noon local time and the entire travel party boarded a bus bound for the Las Ventas Bullring in the heart of the city.

The tour guide, Ernesto, explained the history of bull-fighting in Spain and specifically in Madrid. Las Ventas is the largest bullfighting ring in Spain. The facility opened in 1931 and has a seating capacity of 23,798, making it the third-largest bullfighting ring in the world after bullrings in Mexico and Venezuela. Las Ventas is the second-largest bullring in the world still in operation.

Bullfighting season runs during September and October, with fights held every day during the San Isidro Fiesta and every Sunday during the season, with the evening lasting two to three hours as three bullfighters will challenge six bulls (two apiece).

As the team got on the bus to tour Madrid on the way to our hotel, Ernesto said that Las Vesta serves as a concert hall in the off-season and that it was the only venue in Spain that The Beatles ever played and that he had seen both Metallica and MC Hammer there.

Gallery: (8-14-2024) Spartans In Spain - Day One