The group is officially worn out!  After a long day of travel that began for most of us Friday morning at 7am, we arrived in Barcelona at 7:30 am on Saturday morning.  By the time we settled into the hotel in Lloret de Mar, it was 1pm.  That meant it was 7am again back home and most everyone had slept only in small spurts over the 24 hour period.  Most everyone decided it was nap time.  The hotel is truly European.  Small spaces, small beds, and quite frankly not the most comfortable but no one really cares.  We are in Spain.

After a nap, the group went their separate ways.  Most of the group stayed in Lloret and explored the town.  Six of us hopped on a small bus back to Barcelona to take in the Espanyol vs. Sevilla match.  Espanyol pulled off the upset 2-0.  The game is everything you would expect in European soccer.  The stadium was practically full, the play was amazing, and the fans and the environment could only make you smile.  Every soccer fan should experience a game overseas.

Sunday, as to be expected everyday, was quite busy.  The day started with exploring the local botanical garden's.  The area provided great views of the Sea and beaches below.  Pictures were taken by the hundreds.  From there we explored an ancient village that included a castle overlooking the valleys in every direction.  We concluded the afternoon with some training on a local field turf pitch.  We drew several spectators.

Bedtime is upon us, as we do need the sleep.  Tomorrow is more exploring and Game Day!  Coach Wachsman

Monday, March 22nd......by Danai Noftz #21

Well, after I wrote just about a novel, Coach's computer decided to do a Windows Update. Yea!! So now it was deleted. I love electronics. I guess a condensed version will have to do…

We woke up early to go to Tossa del Mar, a small fishing town made famous by Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Unfortunately it was raining and foggy, but that didn't dampen our spirits at all!

After our guide led us through the streets of the little town to the beautiful beach, the group was allowed to wander. One group went up to the Castle that sat on a hill, the other went in search of coffee. The Castle group was amazed at the breath-taking views and took a lot of pictures. The coffee group finally found some at a little restaurant that smelled a little fishy, but the coffee was just what we were looking for. It left us plenty jittery and ready to go! Everyone then went to a few shops and a majority of us bought some colorful and neat bracelets. Our two hours ended quickly, so when it was time to go back to the bus we unanimously decided to go out for more! We went out for yet some more shopping, and my group happened across a neat little shoe store. There were some very cute shoes, and needless to say six of the ten of us walked away with a new pair.

After lunch we had a few hours to kill before the game. Some slept, others walked around Lloret some more; but the overall feeling was excitement for our upcoming game.

Listening to our iPods as we walked up the stadium, we were all very ready to play. The turf was not like the turf we were used to, but maybe you folks that played on turf a couple decades ago know what I'm talking about. It's bright green carpet, on concrete, white painted lines, and sand. Yes, sand. Our knees are all a bit sore tonight. After a quick warm up we stepped on the pitch to play some futbol.

Women's soccer in Spain is quite different from what we are used to in the States, but the game was definitely interesting. The score ended at 5 – 2, Missouri Southern. Two goals scored in the first half and three in the second. Alicia, Michelle D., Megan, Candis, and Michelle H all scored goals. The two goals by our opponents are accounted for by penalty kicks which were questionable at best and probably not PKs back home. The referee called many-a-foul that were probably not, and handed out quite a few cards like they were candy on Halloween. Cortney got slapped a little bit out of nowhere, but she stoically walked away avoiding the overly aggressive girl that wanted to fight her. On some positive notes, we possessed very well in the second half; and ran the other team rampant on the outsides from both defense and offense. We left the game in high spirits, and pretty ready for bed.

Tomorrow we get to explore the Champagne Caves, a monastery, and of course another game. We are supposedly going to play the best Women's team in Spain, but I think we are ready for it. Now off to bed, for yet another jam-packed day.

March 23, 2010………….by Julie Wengert

Another adventure in Spain is in the books for the MSSU Women's Soccer team.  We started the day with breakfast in the hotel at 8:15am to be ready for our 8:45am departure from Lloret.  Our tour guide, Clive, was kind enough to secure us all our beloved sack lunches for the day so that we could have plenty of time for enjoying the sites.  For those of you wanting to know what a sack lunch in Spain is like, here's what your taste buds would feast upon – one cheese sandwich, one mystery meat sandwich, an apple, a yogurt, a fruit-filled pastry, an orange juice and a bottled water – all boxed up in old-school happy meal box style.  Yum yum.

Our first stop for the day was to Codoriniu, a Spanish vineyard and winery.  The drive in allowed for spectacular views of the gently rolling, grapevine-filled hills, with cloud covered mountaintops in the backdrop.  Codoriniu produces 60 million bottles of wine and champagne annually.  Codoriniu is known for its champagne; however, because the French sued them over the use of the name champagne, the Spanish refer to their product as cava.  On our guided tour we were able to walk the grounds of the winery and ride a train through the cool, damp cellars below.

After we shopped at the Codoriniu gift shop, we hopped back on the bus for our trip to the Montserrat Monastery.  The bus wound its way up the mountainside as we took in views of the Catalonian countryside as well as the unusual rock features atop the mountain.  Once we had made our way up the 4,000 foot mountain, we stopped to take in the breathtaking views prior to seeing the site.  People from across the world visit Montserrat to see the Holy Grotto.  It was a spiritual and moving moment as we walked through the quiet and stillness of the building waiting to touch (or kiss) the 12^th century statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.  Most of us braved the cable car ride down the mountain, which made for some excitement!

We traveled back to the hotel for a short break prior to heading to Barcelona for our match against an Espanol club team.  It's about an hour and a half to Barcelona from the hotel and we will be getting to know that trip quite a bit while we are here.  We arrived a little early for the game, so Tiffany and I took shelter from the cold on the bus.  I thought I was going to get to catch up on one of my favorite shows as the bus driver pulled out his GPS and began watching “Perdidos”.  Unfortunately, I saw this episode of “Lost” two weeks ago –darn the luck!  Although the team lost the match, it was a great experience to watch soccer in Barcelona!

Wednesday, March 24……..By Shannon Kuhn #9

Hello bloggers,

Today we woke up bright and early and gathered for a breakfast for champions.  We were then off to the town of Figueres about an hour and a half away! It was an enchanting bus ride.  Our first stop was at the Dali museum, home of the artwork of Salvador Dali!  He was a surrealist and boy oh boy was his work SURREAL!! Very interesting man with a creative eye and a knack for the unusual! After that we hit the streets in search of more goodies that will never fit in our bags! Half of the group attended the large fortress, Castillo de San Fernado.  This large facility was designed to thwart frequent incursions by the French in the 17^th and 18^th century.  It could house up to six thousand men, 600 horses and had underground water storage with almost 10 million liters. 

Great experience and good laughter had by all! As the day ended we made our way to the bus and embarked on our journey home.  Yet another extraordinary bus ride!! We ate quickly and were in and out and headed for Barcelona! Tonight we attended the Barcelona soccer game, FCB! The stadium held up to 98,000 people and their fans were dedicated and loud!  Paper airplanes were being made and thrown throughout the stadium and the fans were not at all happy with the referees.  Lots of whistling going on…..thats booing in Europe, if you were wondering.  They won 2-0, great soccer, great fun, and great memories.  After the game we headed home and laid our heads to a peaceful sleep under the Spanish moon!  Yet another fabulous day!!!

I wanna take a moment for a quick shout out to my Mom….HI, I love you and miss you and can NOT wait to tell you ALL about everything! I may be #9 on the field, but I'm #1 in your heart!  Mi madre es loco pero, muy bonita!!

Stay Tuned for Pictures......

Thursday, March 25th by Jentri White #3

So, today we saw a lot of Barcelona for the first day on a bus tour. Clive, our fantastic tour guide, took us round the city and told us lots of interesting facts. First of all the term gaudy comes from the architect Antoni Gaudi, the man who designed La Sagrada Familia, which they've been working on for 100 years and are set to finish sometime around 2020 (side note: Google La Sagrada Familia and check out the website. If that doesn't blow your mind I don't know what will.) For all of you Star Wars fans out there here's a nice little tidbit; the characters in Star Wars actually got the inspiration for costume design from some of the guards that are on the crucifixion façade on the Sagrada. Oh, and by the way, the Pope is coming in September to bless it. We also saw two other of Gaudi's masterpieces, two houses that were designed by the talented architect. The first being the Casa Batilo, Gaudi's first building, and the other being the La Pedrera, which means building of stone which has an undulating roof. Another thing that was interesting to find out was that Barcelona is home to one of the very few bullrings that are left in Spain. Not many people still support them but it is still a tourist attraction. Once on foot the first thing we saw the Barcelona mega store at the stadium and spent way too much money. Next was the National Art Museum that over-looked the all of Barcelona and had one of the most spectacular ceilings we've seen yet. Then it was to the Olympic Stadium from 1992 that still had the original façade from 1929. After the Olympics we went to Castel de Montjuic, meaning “Jewish Mountain.” Once inside it was obvious why they had chosen that specific spot for a castle, it over-looked all of Barcelona on one side and out to the sea on the other. Next on our list was a bit of American history for us all, the Christopher Colombus statue that looked out to sea where he was said to have set sail to find the Americas. Gaudi's Guell Park was next that was full of an interesting mix of nature and architecture that included his own personal abode. Many random pictures were taken and many memories made. It was a very successful first day in Barcelona.

Friday, March 26th by Coach Woolard

My, my, my, my Girona! We started our day with a trip to the town of Girona which is north of Lloret, along the coast towards the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. We began the day walking along the ramparts which were built in the 14^th century to protect the town from intruders, like the French from the north.  We were able to walk along the ramparts which gave amazing views of the Pyrenees Mountains and of the city of Girona including St. Mary's Cathedral. Next, we entered St. Mary's Cathedral which was started sometime in the 14^th century, and it was remarkable to see the architecture of the building along with the different biblical depictions done in such detail. It was a remarkable feeling to be standing in a structure that dates back to the 14^th century and view the intricate detail of the Church.

                From Girona we headed to a very small town by the name of Peratallada, which is a medieval town that has been restored to keep its original rustic atmosphere.  The town was very small and did not take much time to explore, but the fact that the town was established in the 13^th century made the visit worthwhile to see. There are only about 150 locals that live there, but in the height of the tourist season there could be anywhere around 3,000 visitors.

                We finished our evening with a game against La Roca futbol club. With heavy legs, and just a little of fatigue it took us a little while to catch our groove, but by the second half we were playing some really good soccer.  We possessed the ball well and picked our moments to attack well, and scored some very nice goals. We finished our international playing very well and look forward to the rest of our spring season to continue to improve.

Saturday, March 27th by Laura Rodolf

Today was our last day in Barcelona and it was bittersweet.  It was our first free day to explore the city on our own.  We did a lot of shopping and sightseeing, and walking.  Lindsay thought she had been lost and was quickly found again after the group she was with had a bit of a panic attack.  Coach and Bri enjoyed a tour of the Barcelona stadium.  Others wandered around the local markets, shops, and museums.  Some people returned to sights that we did not get to fully explore on Thursday.   We ended the day with a lovely three-course meal at a restaurant on the Olympic Port.  Overall Spain was amazing.  We couldn't have asked for a better trip, and we are very thankful for the experience!