Spain Barcelona & Madrid 25 Nov - 5 Dec 08

Attended the  SINGAPORE MEETS EUROPE - A event by Media Authority of Singapore held in SPAIN - BARCELONA/MADRID on25Nov-5Dec2008 .

Together with other Singapore media related professions, we meeting producers, film makers, directors from Madrid & Barcelona and it has been a great learning experience, we shared our ideas and I pitched my new idea for my new feature film [School In The Sky], a film that will be filmed in Bhutan.

I arrived at Barcelona on 25Nov2008, Tuesday afternoon, meeting s and pitching starts 26Nov, Wednesday.

Without hesitation, I dump all my luggages in the hotel and immediately take the opportunity to orientate myself in the city. I stay in Diagonal Hotel, located near Metro station Glories.

I took the metro, and drop at Universitat, their old town. Walking the narow street in La Rambla, it was WOW!!! the buildings are gotic and so beautiful. I could just stare and admire for hours.

The weather is pretty nice, 12 degrees celcuis, cooling and drops.   

But there is not much of time for me, I quickily take my dinner and return to my hotel to prepare for tomorrow presentations. For the next two days, it was presentation and presentations, meetings after meeting. At the same time, I have to arrange my Eurail ticket to Madrid on 27Nov, it was very stupid mistake I made, I should have gotten my  Europass in Singapore which cost Euro148 for a 3 days pass, but I didn't and ended up paying Euro128 per trip, from Barcelona to Madrid.

On 27Nov, Thursday after my last meeting at 17:00, the Singapore team makes our way to the train station to catch the 19:00 train. In Winter, day is short, it gets dark around 16:30. It is a 3hours journey, we reach Madrid at 22:00. We put up at Mario Room Mate Hotel, near Opera Metro Staiton, which is in Madrid old town, near to the shopping district, SOL.  But not much time for shopping as I have to prepare for tomorrow presentation.

On the 28Nov, Friday, the last day of our 'official' meeting and hereafter we are on our own. I managed to fix a few meeting after that, but it is quite a practise that Spanish knock off from work at 15:00 on a Firday and they start party over the weekend.

For business, it could be...quite annoying. But on the positive note, life don't revolve around work. We work for living and not live to work. I called for some appointment over the weekend, but most preferred to meet on Monday. No choice but adapt to their culture, spend my weekend exploring in Madrid.

That night, temperature dip to -4degree celcuis, according to the locals, it is the coldest day in Madrid in the pass 10 years, average temperature during the day was 4degree celcuis. Windy and it is freezing cold.

I have a nice dinner with my colleague that night and chill out in one of the bar at Chueca. It is 23:00 and the bar is empty, only 2 guys are sitting the bar. I order my drink and sat beside them. T

hey turn and smile at me, "Hola, XO%#*XO%@..." and start speaking to me in Spanish, which I only understand, "Hola" which mean "Hello or Welcome or Good Day". I told them I am from Singapore and they start to speak to me in English. One of them asked, "Can we see Great Wall in Singapore?" The other guy laughed and speak to him in Spanish, and he translated, "He said he told him that Great Wall is in China, Singapore is not in China!" All burst into laugthers.

We start exchanging culture, and from them I realise their clubbing only starts after midnight and they party till dawn. The bar get clowded gradually after 01:00. 

29 Nov, Saturday, I decided to do something that I usually don't do it in Singapore, go to the park for a walk.

I take the Metro and alight at Retiro station, Parque Del Buen Retiro is located East of Fuente La Cibeles (the Palace). At the entrance, I already could hear beautuful Jazzy music, as I enter the pak, a old man is playing his sax near the fountain and the birds chimp and sing along. Peaceful and Rejuventating.

The park is a popular place for the locals to spend their weekends for family day outing, jogging, tachi and meditation. The air is fresh and cooling, no polutions, even the policemen is on horses, as they gallop along the maple parquet.

I took a stroll to SOL, along the shopping mall, it is not difficult to find street performancers, earning extra income on their weekends. And we are not talking about solo performances, but a symphony from the master piece of Mozart.

Just around the corner is Plaza Mayor, the flea market on Sunday, while I was there, it was near Christmas, most of the stalls are selling Christmas decor and small souvenirs. Not surprisingly, when I pick up a few and see, they indicated made in  China.

 So fore the stalls, they did not interest me much as I am not a good shopper, but the human statue, a couple sitting in the middle of the podium, covered with mud. When you pull a penny into their pot, they started to move glaciously and kiss.

That is all for a compact tour in Madrid, mostly on foot and metro, it is the most economic way to see Madrid over a weekend.

On 2 Dec, Tuesday, rushing back to Barcelona for a few more meeting, I took the 14:30 Eurail from Madrid to Barcelona, take the eurail during the day and it is a journey never to be missed,

It snowed the night before, which it don't usually happen in this time of the year in Spain, the land was covered in white, the clear blue sky gave the scene a high contract of color, the clouds are low, like within reach. I was like, Wow! I think I should have drive, probably could stop on the way, take some photos, and I could...admire these moment longer.

I check in to my hotel, Confortel Auditori, which I booked online when I was in Spain, a minute walk from Arc De Trimof Metro station. 

Arc De Trimof station is 4 stations from the Catalunaya and Universitat station, away from the shopping and clubbing district, Confortel Auditori is much quiet and less busy, yet, conveinent to access by metro. 

I unload my luggages in the room and went for a walk nearby.

I met this handsome spanish guy and his 3 months old puppy, thought we can't communicate due to our languages, but his charming smile and his lovely active pupy greets me with a friendly welcome back to Barcelona. 

I have a busy with meeting in the afternoon of 3 Dec, Wednesday, so I wake up early in the morning to visit the landmark of Barcelona, The temple of Sagrada Familia.        

Story to be continued....