Barcelona, Spain

There is one important thing to note about the airport in Barcelona. There are three baggage claim areas and it’s not apparent which one is which and once you enter one area it's a do or die decision. Once you choose you're out of the trusted circle of airport security and there's no going back - choose wisely! Out of the KLM wing the signs point to baggage claim, then you reach the main crossing area and the signs point in both direction: A (left) and B (right.) The kiosk screens only display departures. They are also not close to one another. I schlepped my carry on across the world to baggage claim B only to second guess my decision. I asked the “Information” lady:
TP: Para Ingles?
IL: a littleTP: Baggage claim A or B?
IL; que?
TP: miming luggage (two hands clenched into fists at your sides) then “Ahh oh Bah”?
IL: Ah, airline?
TP: KLM
IL: ATP (looking at the big B sign over head) to herself: of course. (to the lady) grathiath
IL: a nod, and then back to her book
[based upon this amazing dialog - i'm sure you are all waiting with baited breath for my novel to be published]

Upon my arrival back to the main intersection which is extremely evident by the hordes of people looking left, then right and left again I took maybe 10 steps toward the A area and found the arrival kiosk. It was right outside the door to the one-way-only access to the baggage claim area.

My other acclimation situation is more of a Europe thing than a Spain thing. The atm key pads are oriented differently than in the States. If you are like me and have your PIN memorized by the word it spells you could be in trouble. The key pad does not have the corresponding letters on it and it is upside down so neither spelling nor finger memory work. After entering the wrong pin twice I panicked (that’s an odd grammar rule right there to add the “ed” to panic you first have to add the “k” – it’s no wonder people hate English) and stepped out of line and quickly drew the key pad the right way with the letters and attempted my transaction one last time. The danger is entering the wrong pin enough to cause the ATM machine to eat my card. Having arrived in Europe with no cash having my card eaten would have added an interesting dimension to the day.

The hotel is lovely and my first task upon arrival was to shower and wash the stink of the 16 hour journey off me. I’m a big fan of the fancy shower installations and my hotel does not disappoint. The overhead shower is a large rain shower type head and the two side heads spray water in a delightfully strong manner to get your back and front at the same time. The only problem is if you have to bend over for any reason, the spray goes promptly up your nose.

I abandoned the hotel hair dryer which is surprisingly weak in comparison with its size. No matter, ten minutes outside and my hair which at home can be damp all day was dry.
I hit the street with my Barcelona map and my camera. This hotel is near the former Olympic Park so I set out to see the sights.

The museum of art is located in a stunning castle like building at the top of a hill opposite a sweeping street that must have been the focal point for the Olympics. To get to the museum you have to climb a well architected staircase complete with enormous water fountains. The fountains weren’t flowing and I figured that because it was Sunday that things were closed. Alas, at 9:30pm when I finally allowed myself to go to bed the fountain show began (think of a European version of the fountain outside of the Belagio Hotel in Las Vegas.) Fortunately, the music was Vivaldi rather than something modern and raucous because it turns out that my room faces the fountains (although the line of sight is obscured by the apartment building next door) and the show starts every half an hour on the hour from 9pm until 11pm. I was delighted to see out my hotel window a marvelous view unobstructed view of the museum – that I completely missed upon my check in.

After the museum, I wanted to see the Poble Espanyol which is a tourist draw that was built for the Olympics. It’s a combination of a streetscape of all types of Spanish architecture and local vendors. My map is confusing because the park is on a hill and things that are located next to one another are actually quite far apart due to the vertical nature of the site. I descended the stairs from the museum to a second set of stairs in a different direction and climbed those to find myself at the museum about 100 yards from the first staircase. I didn’t find the PE which turns out to be a good thing as our conference event will be held there – provided I can find it.

The conference started this morning at the extremely civilized hour of 9:30. Traditionally, we start the events at 8am which was painful in Chicago due to the time change. This time change is more dramatic (my computer clock reads 1:26 am) but since I managed to stick it out until almost 10 last night, I think I’m adjusted.

I've coined a new word for my ongoing "Fictionary"
Confercation: noun, the conference located at a highly desirable location, such as Las Vegas or Hawaii (Barcelona?) thus enabling the employee to maximize conference downtime for personal enjoyment. Justification for attenting the formal event may in fact be questionable.

More tomorrow. (wireless connection at the hotel is 17 euro for a 24 hour period so I'm trying to bridge the days - ooh the lengths I go through to save my company money (while I sleep in a 200 euro a night room with a fancy shower and amazing view of the city.)