Barcelona!

Well, I'm way way way behind! Barcelona feels like a distant memory. An odd place for me to go for work, and we'd been hoping not to have to go (love the project and the people, but hard to justify and hard on the budget), but in the end, we needed to and it was very worthwhile. I then was fortunate to be able to take some leave and stay. I did have to work for part of that vacation time, but that's OK. Barcelona is remarkable, better even than I remembered. I so enjoy being able to base myself somewhere for a bit and get to know it, take some day trips, enjoy the life. Three weeks isn't really enough for that, but it's a flavor, and since it's the best I get at this point in life, I'll take it. And honestly, I'd move to Barcelona in a minute if I could. Love love love it!!

So, I'll just make this a long photo essay and hope to share a bit of the experience visually. It's a rich one.

 Barcelona is an architectural and design paradise! Modernism abounds, and I cannot get enough of it. Casa Amatller is next door to Gaudí's Casa Battlò. I was so excited to start our walking tour off with these!

 Since we were just arrived, one of our consultants met us at the hotel and took us for a walking tour. Sadly, we hadn't had any sleep, but as long as you keep moving.... And when there are such fabulous things to see, it's easy!

 Gaudí's Casa Milà or La Pedrera. He is my favorite architect; much more to come.

 Detail of the balconies. Amazing.

 I never did find this place again, but this is where I want to live someday. My friends there say they'll keep an eye open for me, for when one unit gets listed....

 After work the second day we took a walk over to the Cathedral, which is impressive and stunning. A 14th-century Gothic cathedral, it was begun in 1298 and not finished until 1913. 

 My favorite part of cathedrals include the nave and organ.

We also stopped by the Kings' Palace, to see the throne room where Isabel once sat. There was an event, an exhibition about Latvia in World War II. I was labeled the group's "passport" for entry, owing to my paleness.

  The following day the other American consultant joined us. Once we finally left off for the evening, we went to dinner. A great group!  

 And the next day both of our Barcelona consultants had family in town, as did the other consultant, so my colleague and I decided to check out a flamenco show at the renowned Palace of Music. It is such a stunning building! The show featured four dancers, four singers, two guitars, and was so much fun!

We worked again the next day, and I made plans with the local consultants to finish off the writing and editing later during my stay because there was just so much more work than we had time for. The next day was Saturday, and we were all going together to Tarragona, to see some of the work that the consultants had done in that location.