Updates are chronicled through head coach Laura-Ann Lane and players in the team's trip to Spain. Here is their final update from the squad as they flew home on Monday:

Last Dance
 
Seven days, 23 travelers, over 3 million steps, 1000's of photos, 100's of scoops of gelato, two games and countless memories made up our week in Spain. The past two days were a busy whirlwind that made the Griffins' trip to Barcelona nothing short of momentous!
 
Sunday was the day that many of us were eagerly anticipating visiting Sagrada Familia. The day did start with our final match of the week, FC Barcelona at the Pau Negre Hockey Stadium.  Playing a match in this stadium, with the views of the city is breathtaking. We even had a few of our Hockey players come back to cheer us on, it was nice to have a few Spanish fans to sit alongside our group of wonderful parents and friends. However, the big highlight was the traditional jersey swap between teams at the conclusion of the game. Our socks and reversibles were in high demand, as we had several players standing outside of the locker room post game looking to secure these items from us.
 
Our guide, Coral, provided a fantastic opportunity to dine like a local! As we had seen, tapas are a big part of Spanish food scene. We went to Carrer Blai, which is the tapas street of Barcelona. All of the bars and restaurants have plates upon plates of tapas set up for dinners and such. The price per tapas ranges from 1 Euro to 2 Euros, so it was very reasonable. To truly take on Carrer Blai like a native, you enjoy a few tapas at each establishment and move along to the next and the next. This is very social way to enjoy meals, and something that many of us would love to see here in States. Since we had prepared our own tapas and had been eating them all week, we passed on picking out our favorites and we tried things we had not seen before and gave it a go.
 
The next stop was the place that many of us were most look forward to seeing when we started to discuss heading to Barcelona; Sagrada Familia! Sagrada Familia regarded as Antoni Gaudi's finest work, and it is not even completed yet. Construction began in 1882 and is scheduled to be completed in 2026 for 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Walking up to the church was nothing short of amazing…you cross a street and this massive structure just appears! The guide we had was extremely informative with many historical facts and the ways that current day architects are using Gaudi's original plans, but with the blessing of Gaudi to add their own creativity. Seeing the colors as the sunshine passed through the stained glass was more than I could have imagined. Pictures indeed do not show the real beauty in this building. Our guide began the tour with a statement that still continues to blow our minds; Sagrada Familia is just a church, which is how Gaudi wanted to be. Our Griffin family felt the power of this 'church" and we will always remember the beauty and how it made us feel the first time we entered.
 
Our final event on the trip was perfect icing on the cake! Our guides worked hard in trying to locate small, authentic, quality restaurants off the beaten path for our groups to go to, and Christian and Coral nailed this perfectly! El Xiringo is a tiny shop located in La Barcelenta about three blocks or so back from the main street along the marina. The owner/chef left the world of finance to start this restaurant. The main course of seafood paella held up to its rank as the best in town!  Each tapas dish outdid the first. From spicy potatoes, to shrimp, to the seafood salad…we were treated to a 5 star dinner! He cooks with love, and that comes across from the first taste of the meal. After dessert of crema catalana (coconut ice cream or yogurt), our chef became a DJ! Tables were moved and the quiet tiny restaurant became our little discoteca. Everyone hopped on the dance floor and had a blast! We stayed out so late that we needed to get the owner of the bus company to drive us back to the hotel as our driver had maxed out his allowable driving hours for the day.
 
Monday was our final morning in Spain. There was a bit of time in morning to get in last minutes on the beach. Jenna (Allonardo) and Asst. Coach Hibshman had their last run, yoga and swim. I was able to catch one last sunrise on my walk, and several parents enjoyed the last after-breakfast walk along the shore of Sitges. This trip was summed up in one word: incredible. We were able to get in many different activities that perhaps you would not do on a regular vacation. We experienced the culture, saw the sights and left with more memories than photos and souvenirs. We returned to the US a group of very tired, weary yet happy travelers. After 15 months of planning, we got more than the trip we were hoping for!