New Hairdo!!!

My new hairdo. We'll see if Paco still loves me when he comes here on Thursday evening. Every time I go to the hairdresser he threatens to split up.

3 days left

On Thursday arrives my Pak-ko!!!!!

Sevilla ¡qué maravilla! Day 2

At 9.00 started the so called "Symposium", the official reason why we went on this business trip. I attended to four interesting lectures: SOA, Business Intelligence 2.0, Usability, and finally Efficient Teams. I think I got a good mix, trying to combine business with pleasure. At 13.30 ended the symposio and we were "free" to do what ever we wanted until 18.00. I walked in to the city center with some colleagues and had some tapas. After that I left the group and went to "El Corte Inglés" to buy some gifts to my loving nieces Matilda and Julia. I took a taxi back to the hotel and managed to rest for 45 minutes.

At 18.00 eleven buses took us to "El Rancho el Rocío" 20 minutes outside Seville. I had a very nice chat with a Spanish hostess , Ángela, during the journey. She had dated a Swedish guy before. We talked about "el machismo" that (still) seems to be very strong in Andalusia. She was obviously not from the south but from the north (Valladolid).

We came to a real "cortijo" with bulls and horses. We were not so lucky with the weather but for me it didn't matter. I was in a surge of joy. I hadn't really understood how much I miss Spain and for me coming back was wonderful. After a half an hour the crowd moved over to a nearby building where they gave us an OUTSTANDING horse show. I know nothing about horses but I understood that what we saw was something very special.

The dinner was served in a huge lounge and everything seemed to be perfect. But then came the first negative part of the trip: the food. It looked and tasted more like food they serve at school. Since everything else was perfect and didn't let it bother me. After the dinner we had "barra libre" free alcohol until 1.30 when the eleven buses took us back to the hotel. Some of us continued the night at a nearby disco called "El caramelo". It was great to be back in a Spanish bar and hear Spanish music. Unfortunately the DJ switched to eurodisco and at 4.00 I decided that the evening had ended for me. I walked back to the hotel and was determined NOT to join the team activities that waited us un Sunday morning.

Sevilla ¡qué maravilla! Day 3

Four hours of sleep!!! I'm starting to get old I think. Team activities on the schedule. We were divided in to groups of 10 people. The task was to answer 15 questions about Seville and Spain. To do so we had to walk all over town to find out the right answers to the quiz. It was a nice way to see more of the city. I think we walked in the neighbourhood where Monika (my sister) and I stayed for about 4.5 years ago. Eventhough I didn't feel 100% it was nice to walk around and watch the buildings and to take in the "sevillan" atmosphere.

Finally at the airport one of my colleagues was robbed. I will not go in to the details, I only want to say that some things are still very complicated in Spain. To do the police report we had to go back to Seville and visit a police station. The problem was that we only had 1.5 hour before the plane took off to Gothenburg. A lot of thanks to Inma, the Spanish coordinator, and the taxi driver, who risked his driving licence (and our lives)! Without you we would not have made it. Inma, espero que nos veamos algún día!

We landed at Landvetter airport at 21.15. This weekend has been one of the best of my life.

¡Andalucía, hasta muy pronto!

Sevilla ¡qué maravilla! Day 1

On the 20th of April 580 "Guidare" took off to Seville (Spain). We spent 48 intensive hours in one of the most magical cities in the world. Seville welcomed us with a marvelous scent. I think it was a mix of jasmine and orange blossom (azahar) that made that perfect blend.

The weekend had many surprises. After having checked in at the hotel there were some information on the behalf of the company that I work for. At the end, a woman called Karin walked up to the stage and sang three pieces out of three different operas. She spellbound me. I have never sensed that before. It was amazing. During the last two years Paco (my beloved) and I have been thinking of visit one opera house and experience an opera performance. Now we're definitely going.

In the evening eleven buses took us to eleven different tapas restaurants all over the city. I had the good fortune to end up at a place called "El corral del agua" situated in the old town "El barrio de Santa Cruz". We dined on a patio full of flowers and plants, and the sky over our heads. We had good manzanilla, jamón, aceitunas, croquetas, pescadito frito and of course vino tinto.

To end a perfect day we took a walk from the restaurant to the hotel. I made sure we took a little detour so that we came to see the amazing cathedral and "La Giralda". I have visited this place twice before but it makes the same great impression on me as always. It is magical. We also saw the golden tour "La Torre del Oro" by the river "El Guadalquivir". The temperature was pleasant, about 17 ºC.

Guide

Check out my new workplace: http://www.guide.se. I joined this company on March the 5th.