Joey Brunk

Special to IndyStar

Editor's note: Butler basketball player Joey Brunk is writing a blog exclusively for IndyStar on the Bulldogs' trip to Spain.

MADRID – Hello, folks! I’m Joey Brunk, and I’m writing a daily wrap-up of our foreign trip to Spain.

Thanks to the work of our athletic department, coaches and donors, we are able to spend 10 days in six different cities. We’ll play four games while we are here, but my job is to write about the experiences we get to share, not really about basketball. We are unbelievably grateful for our opportunity to see the Spanish culture while representing Butler University.

Personally, my ride over here was spent listening to classics like the Eagles and Jim Croce or reading one of the books I brought on the trip. Once we safely landed and made it through customs, we immediately began our tour of Madrid via bus. Our guide took us to several parks located throughout the city and allowed us the chance to try a local café. Since the lifestyle is pretty laid back over here, we had no issue finding a vibrant little place that was still serving breakfast.

Big Cat (Tyler Wideman) probably won the fashion award for the day with a navy blue Butler bucket hat that was ideal for the sun we encountered early in the day. Once our tour ended, we made our way over to the hotel and got settled in.

Sean McDermott and I made the most of our free time and took a taxi to the Madrid Zoo. As a big-time fan of zoo excursions, I was happy to drag him along. This zoo was filled with the classics and had unique critters like a giant anteater. Sean was particularly fond of the chimpanzees and orangutans. This wrapped up our afternoon.

Before dinner, we took a guided tour around the main city center (which is just blocks from our hotel) and visited several plazas. We found a neat little hat store, but tragically, all were too small for my head. So sadly, no new fedora.

After our walk through town, we arrived at an open-air restaurant. They brought out plate after plate of delicious appetizers (Spanish omelets, fresh tomatoes, meat and cheese trays and several others) until we got our main course. The waiter brought out a hunk of steak, and you'd throw it on this hot cast iron plate to sear it to perfection. BC (coach Brandon Crone) was certainly in his element when it came to grilling.

Lastly, we celebrated Kelan Martin’s 22nd birthday accordingly with some cake and a poor rendition of "Happy Birthday." It was a busy, but successful first day in Spain. We are excited to play our first game Friday.

Go Dawgs!