Dispatches
Well, I’ve made it to Barcelona and I don’t think I ever want to leave. I’ve been wondering why this trip feels so different, and I realize that for the last 20 years every European trip I’ve taken that wasn’t back to the UK, I’ve had the kids in tow. At last, I’ve packed them off to college and I get to please myself entirely!
Sun and shade
It seems wildly anachronistic to me now, that shops and businesses in southern Spain still honour the siesta hour. It’s a gift to jet-lagged travellers, except I’ve realized if you want to have a siesta, you probably shouldn’t have two cups of cafe amb llet with your lunch – that second cup is the only reason I’m posting here instead of sleeping! I’ve heard that the siesta tradition is coming under pressure as working and living patterns change – people who have long commutes can’t really interrupt their day for a two or three hour lunch break any more, and as most large companies become supra-national, local traditions tend to get eroded. A pity really, that such a civilized way of life has to give way to that Northern protestant work ethic.
Antiquitats
I know this isn’t supposed to be a travel blog, so I hope you’ll bear with me as I share a few thoughts and images from the trip over the next few days. Who knows, some of them might even be design related, as I’m wired that way, and Barcelona is certainly a very designery city. Normal service will for the most part be resumed next week.
Keep ‘em coming Sarah. Reading your Spain posts is helping me extend my own stay in Spain (if only in my own head). I had a number of discussions while I was over there about the siesta and it was disheartening to hear professional people who are so willing to chuck it so that Spain can become more international. I kept telling them to stay true to their traditions and not to be like us but alas, my words fell on deaf ears.
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Oh you are in one of my most favorite cities in the World! Do you have time to go to the Picasso Museum in the Gothic quarter? There is so much to see and the food-oh, don’t get me started. Have a fabulous time!
THanks Kate and Julie – yes they are my pictures, and yes, I’ll do my best to have a good time
Hope you have a great time in Barna!
Wow, those are your photos? Beautiful. Can’t wait to see the rest!
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