Barcelona Spain

My first time in Barcelona! Four months after my last trip, a long time.
The reason was business – VMworld 2017 – but as I’ve heard so much about the city, I took a few days off and arrived earlier.
This picture shows the view from the rooftop bar of my hotel in the evening as I arrived:

And this on the following day:

Coming straight from Cork in September, the weather was a bit different. AMAZING!

While it was still just me, I walked around (a lot) and discovered the Olympic Parc on a hill outside the city center. It took me an hour to get there, but it was interesting to see.

But on the other hand, it made me think about what happens to these places once the big event is over. I doubt they’re using the stadium much since.

One of my colleagues, Ana, joined me the next day. She was born and raised in Barcelona and gave me an excellent tour only a local could do.

I don’t remember what this building was, but it looked impressive both from the inside and outside:

Also, Ana showed me the birthplace of Barcelona, with a fragment left by the old Romans. I found this very special as it’s hidden in a small alley and then behind another building, so not too many people are aware of it:

For the first time, I ate a tuna steak:

VMworld itself was okay; the main act during the customer appreciation party was the Kaiser Chiefs – great; I’m not a big fan but enjoyed the gig:

Also, we went to a restaurant and reserved a particular table. I forgot the name of the place, but there was a silver sign attached to the wall behind us, stating that this place is reserved for Beyonce and some other dude when they’re in Barcelona.
Anyway, I had great Risotto: