Pooped

No, today's title does not describe any gastrointestinal disorders brought on by Spanish cuisine or water, but rather to the demands of attending a conference that starts at nine am and does not finish until after six pm. Add to that the Catalan custom of a breakfast that consists of simply a sweet pastry and coffee and a lunch that does not appear until nearly two o'clock you have a recipe for exhaustion, especially after walking to the venue and back twice in one day. Last night they hosted the big banquet that required a twenty minute bus ride to a distant location that did not even leave the conference site until 8:15 pm, and did not return until nearly midnight. I guess these folks are used to such a schedule, but I have found it grueling. I hasten to add I am not complaining; to experience something like this is worth every bit of the effort it takes. It is just a bit hard on my sixty year old feet and energy level.

While I have been working on a new set of blisters and hobnobbing with colleagues from around the world, Jayne has been amusing herself as best she can. There was a huge open air mercado in the park

immediately adjacent to the conference site, and since we carefully navigated the route with map and landmarks the night before, she felt confident enough to venture forth on her own to take in the spectacle. It was an amazing market, all the more so since many vendors had yet to completely display their wares by nine am, and yet all was torn down shortly after noon. Prior to the banquet we went out together on a brief stroll through the neighborhood,

which includes the original fortification walls that date back to the time of Charlemagne. It is amazing all these historic sites are within a few hundred yards of our doorstep! A famous architectural museum that features original documents and drawings created by Rafael Maso is literally across the street, and just five doors down on our side of the avenue is the Girona History Museum. Both offer free admission to ICA conference attendees.