Day 3 - Museums and Stadia in Madrid, Spain - Marquette University Athletics

May 30, 2007

MADRID, Spain -

Day 3 - Museums and Stadia in Madrid Spain Photo Gallery

Greetings from Madrid! It is our last day in the city of Madrid. Tomorrow morning we are off to Salamanca, Spain. Today, we went to the Museo Nacional del Prado, the most significant art museum in Spain. It was filled with all original artwork so unfortunately the only photos we could take were outside the building.

The coaches seemed to be a bit more excited about going there, but I think I can speak for the entire team and say that we all came out of there learning a thing or two and enjoying it.

My favorite painting, which happened to be the most famous painting of Spain and universal art, was by Diego Velazquez and it is titled Las Menanas. The aspect of the painting I found most fascinating was that the painting was a reflection of mirror and when you held a mirror and look through it at the painting, it became more alive and vibrant. There is a lot of story behind the paining, but what was most interesting that he wanted to show that he could do something never before done and he was not a servant but had artistic talent.

Coming out of the museum I managed to buy a canvas print of Las Menanas to hang in my room.

Now, to one of things I have been looking forward to since we landed in Madrid. While some people decided to go to the Renia Sofia National Art Center Museum where they saw original Picasso paintings, myself, J (Jasmine), Q (Christina Quaye), V (Svetlana), Andre, Tom Ford, Amy, our Basketball Travelers tour guide Dave and three managers took a tour of the Real Madrid Futbol Stadium.

For those unfamiliar with European soccer, Real Madrid is one of the most prestigious teams in Europe. It was evident by how many trophies were in the hallway that seemed to go on forever. One if its more well known players unfamiliar with soccer was David Beckham (my second favorite player next to Cristiano Ronaldo who is a member of the Portugal National Team. Hopefully, I will see Cristiano - since were on a first name basis -- in Portugal).

Since there is so much history, it was so inspiring to see all of the championship trophies, pictures and video of championship team all of its tradition. When you are surrounded by it all it makes you want to be part of a team that has tradition that rich.

The best part of the tour was that we were able to walk along the sidelines of the field and sit on the team's bench. Personally, I wouldn't mind being a reserve on the team!

What was surprising was that we went in there thinking it was just going to be all about soccer, when in fact Real Madrid has a basketball team and their European championship trophies and pictures were also prevalent alongside all of the soccer memorabilia. I would highly suggest touring the stadium to anyone who has the opportunity.

Andre, Jim Packee, and Drew Smith were so inspired they bought authentic personalized jerseys. Packee was the most unoriginal by stealing David Beckham's number, 23, for his.

Well, it has been another long day of sightseeing and I must prepare for our second game tonight. Since I am self-proclaimed fashion expert on the team, before I leave I just wanted to comment on the style here.

First off, men's hoodies and sports paraphernalia typically seen in Milwaukee, especially on campus, is replaced with more fashionable male fashion accessories. Most casual wear here is not basketball shorts and a sweatshirt and more of nice jeans and a fitted tee. Our team looks a little out of place in Madrid when we sport Nike Marquette gear. I don't think I have seen a girl wear sweat pants on the street yet which makes me feel a bit under dressed. Contort is definitely not first on their priority list.

Post game reaction:

The team we played tonight was extremely nice. After the game we took a photo together with Club Deportivo Hercesa and exchanged t-shirts. It was a really nice gesture, but for some reason I think there players wanted more than just the Marquette t-shirts we gave them. It was a bit awkward when they took off their jerseys and wanted us to give them ours. We politely declined and thanked them for the opportunity to play them.