Day 15

Our final day in Barcelona begins with a co-ed game. A co-ed game you ask? The club that hosted the tournament has girls teams and their U18 team was divided into 2 teams as was our team and the two sides played against each other. It was a fun game as the boys had to play with and against their teammates. It was interesting watching the boys play with girls as actual teammates.
Next up was going to a professional basketball game in Badelona. Juventut played against one of their rivals in a hotly contested match to quality for the Copa del ray, an important Spanish basketball tournament. Mo got chosen to shoot at the halftime competition against another fan and won. For winning he received a basket full of prizes from the sponsor. After a couple of hours of free time back at the hotel, we went to a tapas dinner and Flamenco show. The tapas was a bit disappointing however, the dancing and guitar playing were fantastic. The dancing is extremely physical as the dancers work up quite a sweat. Once we got back to the hotel it was time to pack and get ready to head home.
It has been a very enjoyable trip as the boys have really gotten to know each other quite well while at the same time improve as a team. They were generally well behaved and very polite to all people they encountered. They not only represented Collingwood with class, they also represented their respective families with that same class and poise you would be proud of. In approximately 26 hours we will be landing at YVR and you will be reunited with your sons.
I hope you all have enjoyed following our journey as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you through this blog. A final good night from Barcelona.

Action from the co-ed game

Hunter trying to guard Jeremy

Both teams

An Olympic plaque inside the arena of Junventut

Action from the pro game

Mo at half time

Mo posing with some new friends

Day 14

Today was a travel day from Nimes to Barcelona. This time we were fortunate to be on a new speed train and with our strategy to get on and off the train now perfected everything ran very smoothly. We arrived in Barcelona in 3 hours and checked in to our new hotel which is located right in the middle of  La Ramblas. We gave the boys free time to finally do some window shopping and actual shopping and just walk about the shopping district. We went out for a team dinner with the tournament director and then to bed. Our last day in Barcelona will be a busy one.

Day 13

After our first experience with the train and the short stops, we came up with an efficient and effective strategy to get on and off the train in time. Once we arrived in Nimes we checked in to the hotel and made our way to the city centre for a walking tour of the city led by the coach of the Nimes team. Nimes is just a mere 30 minutes northeast of Montpellier, yet much of the remaining architecture reveals a very strong Roman presence. The walking tour lasted 3 hours as the town is not that big.
Following the tour was the game against the Nimes U18 basketball team. During the tour the Nimes coach would not divulge any information about his team but seeing them in warmups, I quickly realized that we were in for a very tough game. This team is undefeated and has beaten an opponent by 75 points already this year
. The game was played at their club gym. The game was a very well played game for both sides however, their size  and length proved to be too difficult to overcome. We managed to not let the deficit get any larger than 12. In the fourth quarter we closed to within 3 points, but that was as close as we would get eventually losing 92-80. Leading the way was Aman with 20 points, followed by Jovin with 18 and Mo with 13 points respectively.
The Nimes basketball club were exceptional hosts. The atmosphere for the game was excellent, as were the minor officials. After the game there was a small social in the gym with both teams. It was a nice touch. Good night from Nimes.

In front of the Nimes Coliseum

Busy Nimes street

Original Nimes city map

Nimes clock tower

At the forum

Nimes Cathedral

Oliver the model?

Stone carving

Goddess diving into the water

A black swan

"The fellas"

2000 year old temple

With the Nimes U18 team

In front of the forum

Roman temple

The conquering Cavs!

Day 12

Today we went on our final tour of Montpellier and visited Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Montpellier which was founded in 1364 and is a national monument of France. The grand scale of the structure was very impressive as it was difficult to imagine how long it took to build the cathedral and how much it would cost to build today. After visiting the cathedral we attempted to join a lunch hour pick up basketball game however, as we were not members of the club, we were not permitted to play. Instead we went swimming and did some pool running. The rest of day was spent in the city centre buying souvenirs to bring home. Tomorrow morning we depart for Nimes, for our second last game of the tour.

Narrow street near the cathedral

Inside the faculty of medicine

The front of the cathedral

Inside the courtyard

In front of the cathedral

A sundial

Side view of the cathedral

Oliver and I in front of the cathedral

The organ pipes

Inside of the catrhedral

Day 11

Today we explored the region with a trip to the beach. The light rail system here in Montpellier is very efficient and inexpensive making it very easy to get around. We were told that the beach here in Montpellier is very popular in the summer as is any beach in the world during the summer. With cloudy skies and a strong breeze off of the sea, it was not the most ideal of swimming conditions. However, that did not stop Trevor as he quickly changed into his swimming trunks and took a quick dip in the Mediterranean Sea while most of us dipped just our foot into the water.
After a quick rest, we headed off to our game against the Montpellier University club team. The gym facilities in many of these European cities are multipurpose, where the space is designed to accommodate handball and football as well as basketball. All of the floor surfaces are very similar to the floor surface that will be put in to the new Collingwood gym.
The last meeting between these teams saw us dominate with a 30+ point margin of victory so I knew this time they would field a much stronger team and they certainly did. At the half we were down 38-30 and after 3 quarters we were down 52- 41. What was interesting is that they tried to end the game after the 3rd quarter claiming that two of their players were slightly injured, followed by another claim that we had to be out of the gym by10 o'clock. Well none of those claims were actually true as they could feel the come back and come back we did. The rally was started with a Jovin 3 ball, followed by a drive by Mo and another drive by Aman to close the gap to 2 points. With one minute left and the game tied, their 6'7" centre stole the ball and missed a breakaway dunk giving us a chance to win the game in regulation, however, we could not get a clean look. In overtime, Aman Mehat took over at both ends of the floor and led us to a 62-60 win in overtime. Aman scored 30 points, followed by Jovin with 12 points and Mo with 10 points. Defensively a lot of good things are beginning to happen. Kyle was very active on the glass and we really began to help each other against a much longer team than we normally face and our passing is much improved since the beginning of the trip. It was a good match for both teams.

Trevor Smith or Trevor Baywatch?

Which way to the beach?

Cavs on the rocks!

Traveling on the tram

Sea bird

Montpellier at night  - Le Triangle

Place De La Comedie

With Montpellier University Club team

Day 10

Today we went on a gourmet walking tour of Montpellier. Montpellier we were told has 253 days of sunshine but not today as it was raining lightly. A gourmet walking tour is where you stop at various shops and sample different foods that are unique to the region while still seeing the various iconic land marks that are also unique to the region. Our first stop was to the chamber of commerce which was the first medical school in the region. After that we stopped at a chocolate shop and sampled macarons. I don't think any of us had ever had macarons before and afterwards we became fans of the macaroons. Unfortunately, they can only keep for 3 days which means that none of you will get a sample from Montpellier. Next on the tour was a stop at a cheese shop with a certified cheese maker. While there we sampled roquefort cheese and were told of the love story behind the origin of the cheese. Next we visited a produce market very similar to Granville island, however, very much smaller. We sampled fresh olives. There are so many varieties of olives but we sampled just two types to taste the contrast between young and more mature olives. Our final stop on the tour was to a sausage shop. The sausage sampled was not only delicious but is was low in fat...who knew? The tour lasted 2 hours and was informative, enjoyable and very tasty.
Our game against a Montpellier club team was canceled. After our last visit where we defeated the Montpellier University club team by a substantial margin the teams here are a little apprehensive to play and lose to much younger players. Instead we went for a 40 minute team run through Montpellier, stopped halfway and did some plyometrics and core training before running back. Afterwards we went to the nearby pool. To the surprise of all of us was the attire required to enter the pool; a swimming cap and European swim  trunks. Only half of the guys had the "balls" to go swimming ( no pun intended). While the boys swam a little and played jackpot for awhile, I was in the supposed hot tub ( should be renamed the luke warm tub).
A late supper like the French and then to bed. After the workout and visit to the pool, getting the boys to bed was rather easy tonight. Good night from Montpellier.

Mo and Hunter sampling macaroons

Macaroon display

With the cheese master

Faraz sampling roquefort cheese and bread

Many varieties of olives

Unique building corner

Arc de Triumphe

Government building

Mural of a building on a building

Sr. boy's synchro swim team?

Kyle, Jaden and Mo at the sausage counter