Belgium

We played our last game today! Our tour guide took us around Brussels which is the capital of Belgium and showed us all of the statutes. The most famous there is a tiny man peeing. I could never get an answer why the statue was so popular. After the statue we got waffles because they are so good over here! Also we got chocolate because you can't go to Belgium and not get chocolates. Once we were done with all the tourists things we headed to our game. We were all ready for this game because it was our last time ever playing together. The game started off and we were playing with a lot of emotions and then we started to gain a lead. We kept that lead most of the game. During the third and fourth  quarters we played amazing defense and kept our offense rolling. This combo lead us to win our last game and bring us to 4-2 on the tour! I loved every minute over here and I can't believe that tomorrow we all have to leave each other and head back home! Tomorrow morning we leave very early so that we can get back to the states at a decent time. I can't thank every one who supported me and made it possible it for me to do this enough!! I couldn't have done this on my own. Thank you to everyone would was behind me. 

 

The famous little peeing man. 

This statue is like our Statue of Liberty to Belgium and is called the atomium. 

London, England

We are all just tourists today! It's our day off from playing and we are heading to London to go sight seeing. It took about a two and half hour train ride to get there. The first thing we did was seeing the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. There were so many people there to watch it. The whole thing seemed like a parade because there was drummers, horses and the guards are so decorated. After the changing we walked through one of the royal parks to get to Big Ben. 

The guards coming in. 

The guards inside going to change. 

Buckingham Palace. 

Big Ben. Or as I learned it's the Queens Tower and Big Ben is the bell inside so no one actually sees Big Ben. 

Back to Belgium

Today we left Germany and headed back to Belgium. We stopped by Köln before we went to Belgium to see the second oldest church in the world! It was super cool and we were there on Sunday so there was mass going on while we were there. It is a massive building and I don't think there were upper floors. 

These are picture from the outside and inside. As you can see the church looms over the city and the ceilings are way up there. 

After we were done at the church we had time to check out the rest of the town and get some souvenirs. Then it was time to head to our game back in Belgium. The team we played was close to the rest of the teams we played in terms of skill level. We started off the game slow on our feet and got down. Like always we fought and kept it a close game. Through the first three quarters it rarely to a double digit lead. At the beginning of the fourth quarter we were down about 15 points but we knew we could close the gap and win the game. A few time we got it down to 8 points and then they would make a three. At about the 2 minute mark we got it down to 4 points and we were all cheering so loud! Sadly we couldn't get it any closer and we ended up losing the game. It wasn't our best game but we were in the game til the end and that's all we can do. That brings us to 3-2 on the tour. Tomorrow is our day off we and are going to London to go sight seeing! It should be a great time! 

This is a picture of us and the team we played today. 

This is the group in front of the church. 

Düsseldorf, Germany

We left Belgium and headed off to Germany to play two games there. Since we had two game there wasn't anytime for sight seeing. We headed right to the gym and played our first game. In the beginning of the game we struggled but kept the game close through three quarters. In the fourth quarter they started to hit a ton of threes. Those threes would end up giving us our first lost of the tour. Lucky we had another game that day so we could get over the loss. Between games we headed to the supermarket to get some lunch. It was quite an adventure because nobody that worked there spoke much English, so we had to communicate through pointing and hand gestures. The food there was great even though we weren't sure what we were getting. While we were walking around the supermarket it was cool to see all the different foods they sell there. Once we got back we watched the second half of the game before ours. Then it was our turn to get back on the winning track. This second team we were playing was supposedly better than the first team we played. We came out of the gate and started the game really well which was good to see after the loss. Throughout most of the game we held the lead and at the end of the game we finished well, which gave us our third win for the tour. After the game we had a barbecue with the other team. I think that food was some of the best we had all trip, so far. Once we were done eating we headed to our hotel where we were able to check out Germany a little bit. We were all exhausted after playing the two games and got some rest before our game back in Belgium.  

Bruges

We headed over to Bruges, Belgium today. It is a beautiful city and some of the locals say it is like the Venice, Italy of Belgium. It was amazing to be right next to the river and have so many shops right there! While we were there we had our first Belgium waffle and it was so good😍😍 I don't think I any other waffle can ever compare to that one! People are right when they say Belgium waffles are the best. 

My famous Belgium waffle

After Bruges we stopped by the beach for just 5 minutes because some of the guys wanted to see what the beach was like. At the beach they had massive sand sculptures that were Frozen themed and from the outside they looked amazing. Unfortunately we didn't go inside because we didn't have enough time. 

We had to get to our game which was in the best gym we've played in so far. In this game we started off slow again, but just like the last one our third quarter was our best by far. That quarter helped us pull off the win and become 2-0. 

This is a view of the gym we got to play in. 

These are a few pictures from Bruges and the team selfie we got in the mirror sculpture. 

Amsterdam and First game

Today we took a day trip to Amsterdam with our team and two other GSA teams that are playing here. It was about a 2 hour bus ride and we got to know the other guys playing pretty well. Once there we were on our own to explore the city. The city had so many different shops and they were all so close together it was like they were on top of each other. I like how all the buildings look over here because they are so old and even though they are all together they are each just a little different. 

There are just of a few pictures of the different buildings in Amsterdam. 

After Amsterdam we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our first game against Okapi Aalst. In the beginning of the game you could tell this was our first time all playing together. We got down early and we behind at the end of the first quarter. Then in the second we start to gel more and closed the gap but we're still down a few points. After halftime we played very well and ended up being up almost 20 points at the end of the third quarter. Most of this could be contributed to us pushing the ball harder and playing amazing defense. In the fourth we closed out the game well and won 91-81. After the game we stayed and ate with the other team. We talked to them and learned more about their club and how the European league works. Once we had all ate and we're done talking we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the next day in the beautiful city of Bruges. 

This was a very cool gym to play in and sounded awesome when it was raining outside

This was us and the team we played after the game. 

Day One in Belgium

We made it! The planes rides went great and on the international flight another teammates and I got moved to the exit row which had so much leg room and made the our whole flight!! Our plane arrived around 7:30 local time and then we went straight to our hotel to drop everything off. Once we got our luggage dropped off our coach showed us around the town. Everything is made of bricks and so close together. When we were done seeing the city and got back to the hotel room we all went back to our rooms to get some sleep before our first practice. We all had some jitters in the beginning but by the end we were all comfortable playing together. After practice we put on a clinic for local coaches where we showed them the drills we had just learned. Once we got done at the gym we all had dinner together. Then the rest of the night was ours to explore the town. We all had a great time walking around the city and learning more about each other. Tomorrow we get to go to Amsterdam and play our first game, so it should be an eventful day!

The gym we practiced in. 

This is how much leg room I had on the plane! 

A view of the city.