Caixa Forum
This complex was opened as an arts centre in 2002. It was like a one stop shop for culture and I was so glad I went.
I got to see the Persia exhibition which I missed when it was in the U.K. And with an audio guide in English, I was able to really absorb a good part of what was on display. Persia is a historical culture that is very significant but not one that I had any exposure to in school.
And I also took in the Diane Arbus photography exhibition "Revelations". I had been to NYC a few times; this exhibit showed me the past and side of NYC that I had never seen depicted before.
I then went to take in the view of Barcelona from the Palau National de Montjuïc.
Lunch with Cesar
I met up with Cesar for lunch; I had met Cesar years ago while I was at the BBC; we were both attending a training course in interactive TV in Paris. He has since left interactive TV and is now working for a company that makes snack food; the name eludes me. We went to a Tapas bar around the corner from where he works. It is always a pleasure to meet Cesar again; he is very modest about his English but we do have always have very detailed and intelligent conversations.
We were talking about flavors for potato chips or crisps as they are called in the U.K. I was saying how I think it is quite funny with all these meat flavored chips. You can buy things like Mediterranean lamb kebab flavor now and grilled steak. They tried doing the same thing in Spain and they hardly sold at all.
I was asking Cesar what he thought about the proposed changes to get rid of the culture of siestas and long lunches. Outside of Spain, we think of siestas as great but it does mean that you end up working quite a bit later. If you have young children, you have even less chance of seeing them. The company he works for operates on North American time and in fact they work longer week days but then work half a day on Friday. Cesar recently become a father and he was going to swimming lessons with his child on Fridays.
I read about this story in the miniguide* magazine. www.barcelona-inside.com
And that was it; I went back to the hotel; picked up my bags and went to the airport.