June in Barcelona
June and July were busy months both at work and at home.
Following the Corsican honeymoon I got some more globetrotting in with a work trip to Barcelona. My job sent me there for two weeks to learn the ways of the Spanish market and customers, and to meet the Barcelona branch people who will be remaining there after the dreaded centralization the company is implementing.
I was very excited, since the city has always been on my list of places I wanted to visit. Though naturally I was a bit nervous as well, unsure as to whether the staff at that location would be particularly welcoming, plus general nerves about the job that I am still learning after all. Luckily there was nothing to worry about, while I still feel like I have no clue what I am doing, the people in the Barcelona office are all warm, friendly, and more importantly eager to get the job done and train me right.
And oh my god the city. Stunning, packed with beautiful places and interesting things, the weather was pretty great as well and the advantage of being there in summer when the sun doesn't set till after ten o'clock meant I probably spent at least three hours just wandering the streets after work each day; shopping, eating, drinking, and just letting my attention ricochet from architecture to shopping to art to people watching like a happy pinball. And what a treat to be someplace where things don't close at 6pm!
The location of both the office and the delightfully swank hotel they put me up at was perfect for a first time visitor, especially one who only gets to explore after office hours. I was right near the Cathedral (not the Sagrada Familia, which I learned is actually a basilica) and a very short walk from the Rambla, the Gothic Quarter, and a bunch of other stuff. Half of the time I wandered in random directions until I was tired and then turned around, and never once did I run out of things to do and see.
The weekend in the middle of my trip was big local holiday which filled up all the hotels, meaning my job sent me off to a small town ninety minutes away by train. It was an interesting break in its own way, less overwhelming than the city but highly amusing in spots and even made me a bit nostalgic for Estepona.
I can't wait to go back, this time with johncoxon for a relaxing visit without the stress of work hovering in the background.
~Originally posted to espanasheriff.com
Following the Corsican honeymoon I got some more globetrotting in with a work trip to Barcelona. My job sent me there for two weeks to learn the ways of the Spanish market and customers, and to meet the Barcelona branch people who will be remaining there after the dreaded centralization the company is implementing.
I was very excited, since the city has always been on my list of places I wanted to visit. Though naturally I was a bit nervous as well, unsure as to whether the staff at that location would be particularly welcoming, plus general nerves about the job that I am still learning after all. Luckily there was nothing to worry about, while I still feel like I have no clue what I am doing, the people in the Barcelona office are all warm, friendly, and more importantly eager to get the job done and train me right.
And oh my god the city. Stunning, packed with beautiful places and interesting things, the weather was pretty great as well and the advantage of being there in summer when the sun doesn't set till after ten o'clock meant I probably spent at least three hours just wandering the streets after work each day; shopping, eating, drinking, and just letting my attention ricochet from architecture to shopping to art to people watching like a happy pinball. And what a treat to be someplace where things don't close at 6pm!
The location of both the office and the delightfully swank hotel they put me up at was perfect for a first time visitor, especially one who only gets to explore after office hours. I was right near the Cathedral (not the Sagrada Familia, which I learned is actually a basilica) and a very short walk from the Rambla, the Gothic Quarter, and a bunch of other stuff. Half of the time I wandered in random directions until I was tired and then turned around, and never once did I run out of things to do and see.
The weekend in the middle of my trip was big local holiday which filled up all the hotels, meaning my job sent me off to a small town ninety minutes away by train. It was an interesting break in its own way, less overwhelming than the city but highly amusing in spots and even made me a bit nostalgic for Estepona.
I can't wait to go back, this time with johncoxon for a relaxing visit without the stress of work hovering in the background.
~Originally posted to espanasheriff.com