The Rain in Spain

Barcelona was a bit of a dud. Good conference, good to see people, etc. But the two-day trip literally comprised of: aiport to taxi to hotel to taxi to airport. I would've loved to shatter that palindromic schedule - if only for 90 minutes! - with a hot plate of paella on Las Ramblas or some tapas washed down by a local Tempranillo. Alas, it rained nearly the entire time, making grabbing some fresh air challenging enough, let alone even a glimpse of any of my favorite locals like Gaudi, Miro, or Picasso (I can't stand Dali). Oh well, John and I covered a ton of ground at the conference, which was the name of the game. My modest ambition in China, where I will spend the next five days, is to eat at least one meal that is not being simultaneously served to 300 other people.