Barcelona!

I was part of a team that presented a case study at the International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication July 2010 conference in Barcelona. It was my first professional conference presentation, my first time in Spain, and my first time seeing the Mediterranean. Everything about it was awesome! (Well, the absence of my beloved was not awesome, but everything else was.) The first night I wondered around the old city with my copresenter using Google Maps on his Android to try and find some other UK delegates at a bar. When we finally found them, we went out for tapas. Food was yummy & people were really fun and interesting.
We did our talk the next morning. The conference centre was right on the Mediterranean so at lunch I went out there. I was not keen to spend the afternoon in soggy socks so I did not step in. Even though the conference let out pretty late, there was still plenty of daylight afterward to see some of the city in the sunlight. I went to Las Ramblas, which is the heartbeat of Barcelona. It is street vendors and artists. Disturbingly, the only sign in English was this one informing me and other English readers that public urination is illegal. Figures! I go to the ONE European city where public urination is illegal. Anyway, just off of Las Ramblas are really cool, little winding streets, just like I imagined about old medieval cities as a child (which is what you do when you are a little kid in a country that is only 200 years old). I wandered in the romanticism of the idea of an old city until I found a restaurant. I asked the waiter to bring something Catalan. Apparently, that is a mushroom omelette starter with a sausage entrée. The bread course, starter, and the entrée each came with a whole tomato. Oddly enough, the conference did not serve lunch, and on both days somehow I picked local places with staff that did not speak English… so they were subjected to my awful Spanish… but it was fun to try. I found out on the second day that the European Athletics (Track & Field) Championships were happening. My copresenter went after the conference. I am glad that they were professional athletes because I was just starting to wonder if all German tourists dressed alike when visiting Barcelona.

I went to the old Cathedral (Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàli) the next day during the lunch break. I have never seen such well-restored 13th century altarpieces. It was amazing. And the crypt had a ramp to it so that when you are seated in the nave, the central alter and the crypt have equal visual value. I’ve never seen anything like it. I couldn't bring myself take pictures inside the church even though it was allowed, so if you want to see it, you will have to go. Afterwards, I stopped by the Gaudi Cathedral (Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família) which is absolutely HUGE. It is a modern cathedral and is amazing to behold. It is still being finished because unfortunately Gaudi was killed by a tram. I can relate because I was also almost hit by one.