Mataro - Work, rest and play in Northern Spain

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I recently travelled from Tunis to Barcelona, but that's not where I was heading. From the amazing airport I took the train out to the town of Mataro, about 45 minutes North of Barcelona. My expectations of a provincial town were very low, but it turned out to be a fantastic place.

My first few days were work related. I attended a conference on Aviation English where I presented a workshop on using videos in the classroom. It went very well and it was great to meet some friends again and to make new ones. I think everyone enjoyed the conference even though opinions on the way forward in the industry were sometimes divided. The social side of things was, of course, fabulous! I also got taken to a local market where I got to sample many delights such as chorizo sausages, cheese far too strong for my liking, and sweet pastries filled with almonds or chocolate. The Mataro museum was also very interesting. There is a long and rich history in the area dating back from Roman times.

Trish was due to join me on the Sunday but Tunisair cancelled her flight and she didn't arrive until Monday. Unfortunately that meant that most of the other delegates had left before she arrived. Still, we had a good night out in Mataro and she got to meet some of my friends. We had a wonderful Argentine steak with a lovely bottle of Argentine red which brought back many happy memories. She also got to have a drink in the bizarre Serengeti bar where you can drink Guinness surrounded by African artefacts and statues of elephants!!

Before heading into Barcelona to start our week's holiday, we had a good wander around the streets of Mataro and the seafront promenade. Whilst there is nothing major to see, except the enormous statue of a female archer, it is a beautiful town and well worth considering as an alternative to the expense of the big city nearby. The beach is pretty good too, and no doubt we'll be back.

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Photos

Russ takes things seriously!
But the acronym for the Barcelona Aviation Language Learning Sympsoium never took off!

Michelle shows us how...
...to do the Catalan thing with garlic and tomatoes!

Er, a dog carrying a handbag
There must be a story here!

The 3 Giraffes
Inside the wonderful Serengeti bar!