Those who ask will be given. After an extremely busy period at work full of events when I hardly had private life, I decided to ask from the country leader, who is my direct manager, whether I can join the football promo tour which was organized by me as well. Those growers who bought the biggest quantity from our fungicides, were
entitled to travel to Barcelona to enjoy some sightseeing and a
Barcelona-Sevilla football match. He said yes which made me very happy and motivated.
I have never been to the capital of Catalonia, one of the most visited cities on planet Earth before, so everything was completely new for me there. I did not have to make special preparations before the trip, as we had a professional guide (from an agency dealing with sport tours) who lived there before. My first impression was that the town itself is very sporty. Not only due to the football. People doing sports together on the streets, in the parks, in groups. I like it, this is absolutely a good habit! They bend together and move together. They're running in the park, doing gym in the shadow of an ancient monument, or they even practicing step dance in public.
Besides the match, we inserted some famous spots to see. Barcelona is the most favourable city I ever seen from this point of view, as many eyemark are very close to each other, even in walking distance. And, of course, they have beach as well! The second impression was that the town is very crowded. The beach was full, although, not so many people were in the sea though it was suitable for swimming. (We were warned about pickpockets several times.) Started our sightseeing tour at Parc de Ciutadella. A pretty nice green area with a baroque imitated waterfall fountain and a famous chancel arch (and parrots!). Then we went to see the Sagrada Familia, neo-Gothic church, masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi (it is said that above-the-ground part is Gaudi, under-the-ground part is not Gaudi). It is still under construction, and they want to finish it by 2026, after building it for 144 years. In 2026, it will be the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death, when he was run over by a tram. With its 170m height, it is higher than the actual highest cathedral in Ulm, but definately not higher than the surrounding mountains. Reason: no masterpiece created by humans can exceed the creation of God. Most visited place in Spain.
Parc Güell is also a must to see and also attached to Gaudi's name. Public park located on 17 acres, full of gardens and architectural specialties. Part of UNESCO World Heritage. After Güell park, we went up to the Montjuic mountain to enjoy funicular. During our visit, we could see the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup from above. Our second day was not as demanding as the first one. We tried the public transportation, walked through La Rambla which is a tree-lined pedestrian street and considered as one of the most beautiful streets in the world, connecting the Placa de Catalunya, in its center with the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell. (As it is said, Columbus is pointing in the direction of America, but this is also the direction of Madrid which is not OK for Barcelona to point to Madrid.) After this I got lost in the Gothic Quarter with the parade whirlabout and hardly could find our next meeting sport for lunch. :-) After lunch we had time to dip into the sea and enjoy the beach feeling. Once getting back the hotel by public transportation, we approached the stadium on Montjuic on foot, where the matches are held temporarily while Camp Nou is under construction. The atmosphere was great, the real fans spoiled the players much. The final result was 5:1 for FC Barcelona.
The trip was undoubtedly useful. I got to know our partners much better, and when I organize our TOP100 conference next year, I will know them by name, and even more. This makes me happy and gives self-confidence, not the tour itself. So it was definately a wise decision from my manager to let me go.
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