Um, ok, so...: Gaudy? No Silly, Gaudi! (Barcelona)

I am in Spain. Barcelona, to be exact. I had meetings here for work yesterday and today, and am staying the weekend to sightsee and play.

So far, Barcelona is great. The architecture here is wild and whimsical (that would be Antoni Gaudi´s architecture, of course). We toured Gaudi´s La Pedrera building today on our lunch break -- it is across the street from the Edelman office. It´s almost Disney-like...looks like a big birthday cake. I will post my pictures as soon as I get back to England.

The food is wonderful. Darling tasty little sandwiches for lunch, pastries for snacks and tapas for dinner. And lots of coffee to balance the little sleep I´m getting. I´ve also been drinking lots of Rioja...after all, when in Spain...

The weather is gorgeous -- warm, sunny, a little muggy. Might be nice to head to the beach, but I have too much to see and do here in the city, so that´s a last priority.

Our office here is lovely, and I must say, my Spanish colleagues (Blanca, Javier and Vanessa) are perhaps some of the warmest, friendliest and most genuine people I have ever met. Good hosts too. It was a true pleasure spending the two days in meetings with them and getting to know them, lovely people all around.

Last night I stayed in the swanky Hotel Omm (winner of the 2005 Travel + Leisure magazine design award). As a matter of fact, it was SO swanky I could not even work the room. Ultra hip, modern and minimalist, it had a million light switches and electric curtains and shades. The nightstand lit up and everything was white. The flat-screen TV was built into a space-age looking white plastic wall. I had to go to the bathroom in the dark becuase I never figured out how to turn the lights on. There were instructions, but they were in Spanish and I was too tired and lazy to get out my dictionary and translate (besides, no one really wants to insult their intelligence by reading directions for a light switch) Oh yes, and the hallways...they are pitch-black-dark, but when you step off the elevators, bright white runway lights come on either side of the hall. Baffling at first...like I had been dumped on the runway at LaGuardia airport or a Fashion Week catwalk (ok, a runway at LaGuardia definitely more probable for me). But there was a nice little balcony with chairs off my room that I sat on for awhile and did some reading. That is, once I figured out how to open the door. I know it sounds bizarre, but I´m not kidding. Hundreds of dollars a night to go to the bathroom in the dark becuase I´m seemingly too stupid to figure out how to turn on the lights. Guess the Motel 8 is more my speed. But hey, according to their slogan, "they´ll leave a light on" -- so that would have come in handy.

Tonight and tomorrow, since I´m on my own dollar now, I have moved to another neighborhood and am staying in the very cozy, but far-easier-to-operate, AC Hotel Vilamari. I am pleased to say I can work everything in this hotel and have not found myself befuddled or in the dark yet.

Last night, we (my Edelman colleagues from all over Europe) ate at this crazy cool restaurant at the top of this very tall tower overlookig the Mediterranean Sea. As we were eating, a massive, 20-minute fireworks extravaganza went off in honor of a national holiday they are celebrating today. These fireworks were SPECTACULAR -- completely making up for the pathetic display I saw in London on Sunday. And the best part was that they were eye level since we were up so high...it was like we were in them. I sat there mesermized, in awe that I was 1) in Spain 2) having a great dinner and 3) literally part of an outrageous fireworks display. It was beautiful.

Tomorrow I have a lot of sightseeing to do. I plan to visit another Gaudi house, the Sagrada Familia Cathedral (also Gaudi), Park Guell and the Gaudi museum, wander the Gothic neighborhood, and visit La Boqueria, the city´s largest food market. I also want to shop, as there are a ton of pretty things here to buy. Danger.

Viva Espana!

Postscript:

Over the weekend, I went wild running around the city to see everything I had on my list. I visited Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral (wild! crazy! weird!); walked all around Park Guell (also designed by Gaudi where I climbed to the very top overlooking the whole city and the Med Sea, also toured a house in the park that he lived in); wandered the windy, narrow streets of the Gothic neighborhood and toured its wonderful cathedral and cloisters (also took in the view from the roof); ate paella (yum!); visited the fantastic Catalan Art Museum in the Palau Nacional (where I discovered the artist Ramon Casas, who I now love); walked through the Olympic village; went to the Caixa Forum, a cultural arts center where I saw an Art Nouveau exhibit; strolled Las Ramblas; admired a gigantic, colorful Joan Miro sculpture in a park named after the artist; and did a bit more shopping (of course). The Boqueria market was closed unfortunately for the holiday weekend (it was Barcelona's annual Merce festival), so that was a little dissapointing, but it's not like I lacked for things to see. Needless to say, I was way exhausted by the time I made it to the airport Sunday night -- but what a great visit. What a great city! Following are a few more pictures...