Going into my semester abroad, I was interested to see if the style of basketball played in Spain differed from that of America. The contrast in the pick-up games I’ve played here in Madrid versus back home wasn’t as stark as I was expecting, and I didn’t necessarily notice any differences as soon as I stepped on the court for the first time. That being said, after a few months of being here there are a few tendencies I’ve noticed in Spanish basketball games that I don’t see in America.

A common theme when visiting Spain—and really all of Europe—is just enjoying the stroll, and that’s exactly how my family and I started our day trip to Barcelona. We started at the Gothic Quarter, which is known for buildings with traditional, decorative architecture. We meandered around this area for some time, just appreciating the novel feeling of walking down the classic compact European cobblestone streets, many of which were barely wide enough for a car.