Back to Barcelona

(Inside the Sagrada Familia)

As part of my job the past three years, I have been lucky enough to take study trips with my students to Barcelona.

This year, as in 2010, we went to the Alimentaria professional trade fair, a major networking event for the international food and drink industry.

We stayed only one night, and had a free day after the fair. I took advantage of this time to visit the Sagrada Familia Basilica, which I had last visited in 1987 -- before it had become a basilica.

The interior is spectacular, but also so spankingly new that it made for a sharp contrast with my vague memories of my visit 25 years ago. I don't recall much, but it seems at that time it was a somewhat creepy, half-open space.

Do you remember anything about the Sagrada Familia during the 80s?

Back to Barcelona

View from inside the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

April was such a fun and exciting month for me that I thought I would be blogging constantly.

So many little trips! So many photos! So much to write about!

But also -- so much to do.

I'll have to spend May catching up.

My busy month of April all started with a one-night school trip to Barcelona with my second-year business school students.

Even though the trip was short, I (finally) actually got a feel for this city that so many of my friends love, as I mentioned in a previous post.

So many little trips...so many photos...so much to write about...it's a good thing I'm doing NaBloPoMo for May.

Barcelona Magic 1

At this precise moment, I started to love Barcelona

There is nothing noteworthy about this photo. It's just a building in Barcelona, attractive but not particularly charming.

As I took it, I was sitting on a café patio below. With a colleague, we had just finished visiting the International Tourism Show with a group of 36 business school students, and we were free for the rest of the afternoon. As we left, said colleague invited me to join her for lunch with a few people she was meeting up with who live in the city.

I had had grand plans to "see stuff" during the afternoon. But my feet hurt. I had gotten up at 1:45 am, ridden a bus for 7 hours, and then tromped around a trade fair for 5 more.

Of course I said yes.

We ended up at a tiny, somewhat greasy-looking neighborhood tapas bar. "Authentic" would be the word.

We sat down, and time just stopped. I snapped this photo, and let Barcelona take over. The next 24 hours were sheer magic...