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.

For being the third largest city in Spain, Valencia is surprisingly walkable, and you can wander throughout most of the city center within a couple of days without much effort. One way to see a decent chunk of the city is to walk the length of Turia park, Valencia’s narrow but lengthy park that stretches 7 kilometers through the city and ends near the beach. On your stroll through the park, you’ll pass various little playgrounds, gardens, fountains, and many passersby enjoying a weekend jog or picnicking in the grass fields.