This is Debbie speaking.
Enough of Greta’s perspective for now. First of all, it’s very HOT. We can drink absolutely litres of water and not feel the effects at all.
Here’s what we think about the conference:
Which is the best conference you’ve ever been to? A Victorian Association of The Teaching of English (VATE) Conference.
Who looks after delegates and presenters best? VATE does.
What is the best conference food you’ve ever had? Steve and Mary at VATE Conferences.
This conference could learn a lot from VATE. They are really disorganised.
Today we went to a whole lot of sessions at the conference. During the break we went to Gaudi’s Parc Guell. Not wasting a minute. It was about 100 degrees. Mad Dogs and Englishmen were out in the midday sun. Also Greta and Debbie. Blisters, heat rash, sunburn, heat stroke – constant companions.
Back to the conference. Quite a lot of sessions from 5.30pm onwards (to 7.30pm) were cancelled – either presenters didn’t turn up or there was no audience. Thank heavens we were not on after 5pm. It must be very demoralising for those who have prepared.
Tonight we had dinner at the oldest restaurant in Barcelona. (to be exact it is 2 years older than Australia). It was the best dinner I’ve had so far. Between us we ate: suckling pig; goose; wild boar, prawn mousse. This restaurant is ony open for 2 hours in the evening and you can’t book – you have to line up outside. But it was worth it. It has been around for 233 years. Impressive.
Now this is Greta
In Spain, unemployment is apparently, offically higher than in the rest of Europe. We are in the centre of Barcelona mixing it with the tourists and conference goers, so our observations are entirely unreliable. I do remember though, that when I was in Hong Kong, the hotel desk guy, every shop keeper and the locals on the bus all talked incessently about the effects of the recession. The designer shops were empty and even as passing tourist, I could see what was going on. In Spain, so far, my powers of incite are limited by my actual observations and they are limited by location (for the moment.)
I have read a Spanish newspaper, and apart from a demonstration on the environment, there seemed little else. No strikes, or articles about people doing it tough, or unemployment. There were articles on the elections in Honduras and bits and pieces about swine flu. Perhaps I was looking at the wrong paper.
I did see something on the television about the currency. The Euro is now so devalued that the coins are worth more than their face value. If you melt them down and sell the metal, you will get more than the monetary value. Unfortunately, we do not have a forge. (I knew I forgot something.) Anyway it is too damn hot to be working at a smith.
Enough of Greta’s perspective for now. First of all, it’s very HOT. We can drink absolutely litres of water and not feel the effects at all.
Here’s what we think about the conference:
Which is the best conference you’ve ever been to? A Victorian Association of The Teaching of English (VATE) Conference.
Who looks after delegates and presenters best? VATE does.
What is the best conference food you’ve ever had? Steve and Mary at VATE Conferences.
This conference could learn a lot from VATE. They are really disorganised.
Today we went to a whole lot of sessions at the conference. During the break we went to Gaudi’s Parc Guell. Not wasting a minute. It was about 100 degrees. Mad Dogs and Englishmen were out in the midday sun. Also Greta and Debbie. Blisters, heat rash, sunburn, heat stroke – constant companions.
Back to the conference. Quite a lot of sessions from 5.30pm onwards (to 7.30pm) were cancelled – either presenters didn’t turn up or there was no audience. Thank heavens we were not on after 5pm. It must be very demoralising for those who have prepared.
Tonight we had dinner at the oldest restaurant in Barcelona. (to be exact it is 2 years older than Australia). It was the best dinner I’ve had so far. Between us we ate: suckling pig; goose; wild boar, prawn mousse. This restaurant is ony open for 2 hours in the evening and you can’t book – you have to line up outside. But it was worth it. It has been around for 233 years. Impressive.
Now this is Greta
In Spain, unemployment is apparently, offically higher than in the rest of Europe. We are in the centre of Barcelona mixing it with the tourists and conference goers, so our observations are entirely unreliable. I do remember though, that when I was in Hong Kong, the hotel desk guy, every shop keeper and the locals on the bus all talked incessently about the effects of the recession. The designer shops were empty and even as passing tourist, I could see what was going on. In Spain, so far, my powers of incite are limited by my actual observations and they are limited by location (for the moment.)
I have read a Spanish newspaper, and apart from a demonstration on the environment, there seemed little else. No strikes, or articles about people doing it tough, or unemployment. There were articles on the elections in Honduras and bits and pieces about swine flu. Perhaps I was looking at the wrong paper.
I did see something on the television about the currency. The Euro is now so devalued that the coins are worth more than their face value. If you melt them down and sell the metal, you will get more than the monetary value. Unfortunately, we do not have a forge. (I knew I forgot something.) Anyway it is too damn hot to be working at a smith.
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