Wolverines Men's Basketball in Spain: Day Two
8/19/2018 7:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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The University of Michigan basketball program is on a nine-day trip to Spain (Aug. 17-26) with stops in Madrid and Barcelona. Follow the Wolverines on social media (#VamosAzul) and with a daily travel log on MGoBlue.com. Additionally, follow The Athletic's (@TheAthleticDET) Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) and MLive's Andrew Kahn (@AndrewKahn) as they have made the trek with the team and will file daily reporting of the trip and games.
The Wolverines opened day two of their tour of Spain with an amazing breakfast at the hotel before heading out for some free time and a few more hours to explore downtown Madrid.
As the afternoon drew near, the Wolverines regrouped at the hotel before boarding their bus and traveled to tour of the city of Toledo -- an ancient city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. It is known for the medieval Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments in its walled old city.
The spectacular views outside the city of Toledo.
Pulling up to the hilltop city, the Wolverine were able to capture the city's grandeur as the roads just outside the entry bridges give tourists a spectacular view of the wall city, surround by the Tagus River. After entering Toledo, the Maize and Blue stopped at one of many swordmaking factories -- the Damasquinados Suarez. With a guided tour of the processes of making swords and other metal weapons, it was time to head into the heart of the city.
The focus of the tour centered on the Cathedral of Toledo, which is one of the three 13th-century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain. Construction began in 1226 and it took nearly 300 years to complete. Additionally, it houses several paintings of El Greco, including The Disrobing of Christ in the cathedral's Sacristy room.
The tour of Toledo began with a stop at a swordmaking factory, Damasquinados Suarez.
Visiting the Sacristy room in the Cathedral of Toledo which housed several of El Greco's works including The Disrobing of Christ.
After leaving the cathedral, it was two hours for free time, as the team and coaches were able to hang out, shop, eat and wander throughout the many streets of Toledo before heading to an amazing dinner at the Hacienda Del Cardenal. Halfway through the meal -- and after surprising strength coach Jon Sanderson with a special birthday dessert -- coach Saddi Washington surprised the team with an option of going to a Real Madrid fútbol match at the famed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
With a near unanimous vote, U-M headed back to Madrid and was able to take in the first half of Real Madrid's match with Getafe CF, which resulted in a 2-0 victory for Real Madrid. Interesting note: the Wolverines will return to Bernabeu Stadium for a special behind-the-scenes tour of the 81,000-seat stadium Monday morning.
As the second fantastic day of tours ended, the Maize and Blue returned to the hotel for some rest. In addition to the morning tour, the Wolverines will play their first of three exhibition games against the Madrid Generals at 5 p.m. local time at the Pabellon Amaya Valdemoro. Admission is free and there will be no live streaming or stats available. Be sure to check U-M basketball's social channels for all the game actions.
Until then … #VamosAzul
• Wolverines Men's Basketball in Spain: Day 1
A view of the main altar area at the Cathedral of Toledo.
The Wolverines closed the night by taking in a Real Madrid game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
The Wolverines fully engaged in Real Madrid's match with Getafe CF.
A view from inside the 81,000-seat Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the home of Real Madrid.
