Trip Recap for Spring Break: Barcelona

Spring break vacation!

It was fun to be back in Barcelona - the weather was mostly perfect and it was easy to utilize public transportation to get everywhere.  

Sunday

As expected our arrival into Barcelona was easy after the 7 hour flight - the person to my right with the window wasn't the greatest on space but I did manage to get some rest.  Upon arrival we stopped to pick up our Hola Barcelona cards from the kiosks near the train.  The code worked as expected and we had our 5-day passes.  Checkin to the Grand Hyatt Barcelona was easy - due to Hyatt Guest of Honor we were unexpectedly upgraded to a Junior Suite!  It ended up being one of the best rooms we've had across the many Hyatts visited.   We decided to try a local place for tapas and drinks: El Maravillas - excellent tapas and an easy walk from the Hyatt.  We chose outdoor seating and it felt very social and had a friendly neighborhood-bar vibe.  We also stopped by the Sofia Bar for evening croquettes and Aperol Spritz's. 

Monday

For our open day Monday we decided to visit Park Güell after a brief stop for brunch in the lobby - tickets are needed in advance and we were able to confirm a 1pm time the night before.  Public transportation is an excellent option to get there.  We chose to take the H6 bus just near the Grand Hyatt which was only 14 stops in about 30 minutes.  There is a slight walk up the hill and soon we were there to explore.

We also stopped at a few shops after the visit which was fun to see snack and gift ideas. 

On returning to the Hyatt, we were told about a Happy Hour Tapas offering that was available to Globalist members and decided to try it. There is only a short window between 5-7pm and the food was excellent!

Tuesday

Today our plan was a visit to the La Sagrada Familia - tickets are again required in advance though we were able to confirm a 1pm time easily.  A quick stop at morning brunch was required and then were on our way using the Metro (L3-L5 took about 30 minutes).  I'll let the pictures show how impressive it is:

We zipped back to the Hyatt after for a quick refresh before we were out the door for our evening plans including a flamenco show and tapas dinner.  This was on La Ramblas so we took the opportunity to walk the street and stop at a chocolate shop and Mercat de la Boqueria, an amazing public market showcasing spices, meat, cheese, fruit, honey, etc.  

The show and food was amazing - through a single door on the street we walked up stairs to an upper dining room where everyone had a buffet-style meal before moving to an adjoining room for the show.  We were seated in row 2 which was a prime spot for the experience.

After the show we stopped at Sofia Bar for a few drinks before calling it a day!

Wednesday

On tap for Wednesday was a day trip to Montserrat and the Monastery.  It is known for having the La Moreneta, or the Black Madonna.  This was a tour booked through Tripadvisor which is highly recommended.  We once again took the metro (L3-L1) and made it in time to grab a quick breakfast to go before checking in at the tour desk (which took a bit to find).  The bus ride took about an hour to get to the Monastery and had amazing views throughout.  Our tour guide gave us time to explore and we also picked up some cheese for home:

After meeting the guide and group at our assigned time, we were off to part two of the tour which was a tapas lunch and wine tasting. The tasting portion was not clearly noted in the listing though was fun to visit and hear about how wine is made in this region.  Our bus had quite a few college spring breakers and the conversations were hilarious to overhear. 

The bus took us back to Barcelona and soon we were back on the metro toward the Hyatt.  We once again stopped in at the happy hour before our evening dinner reservation at Maymanta, a Peruvian restaurant located on the top floor of the Hyatt. I chose the Potato Gnocci with Peruvian Grilled Chicken (amazing):

Before ending the evening we stopped for final drinks at Sofia - it was hard to believe the week flew by this quickly!

Spring Break Trip: Barcelona

Our spring break trip for 2025 is right around the corner - we'll be visiting Barcelona!  I'm looking forward to being back since it has been some years since ILA.  In 2015 I also flew American as primary so it will be great to fly on United for this trip.

We have a number of fun things planned while in Barcelona and I will share a trip update when we return.  

I booked the Hola Barcelona cards for access to public transportation while we're in town - these are a great value: https://www.holabarcelona.com/tickets/hola-bcn-barcelona-travel-card

Cabify is also available (similar to Uber) in case there is a need for a separate transportation option: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cabify/id476087442

ILA Day 2

The sessions for Day 2 were also excellent and covered a wide range of topics. In the first morning session, emotionally intelligent leadership was the main topic, being presented by two familiar faces, Paige and Cheryl, among others.  My main takeaway were their determined factors of consciousness for student leaders: Self, others, and context. I was impressed by their inventory document and look forward to checking out a copy.  

For the second section I stopped in at a presentation on the dark side of leadership, relating to dysfunction and toxic leadership in the workplace. I came away with more info on psychopathy and how its tendencies can influence certain administrators. 

After lunch I visited the session by Virginia Tech researchers focusing on adapting/innovating when leading.  This session highlighted a discussion on whether or not all individuals have leadership tendencies or the ability to lead, and if that is something that can be learned or taught. I tend to think of it as more of a contextual question - showing the ability and character to lead is an important factor, and not everyone wants that mantle. 

And in the evening, I was on tap to Chair a symposium session - From Research to theory to practice, Navigating barriers to Women's Leadership. We had a full room and many good questions - I was honored to be asked to be a part, and look forward to many future sessions. 

Our night capped off with poster sessions, the Student Case Competition, and authors roundtable. Excellent!

Pictures from Barcelona

Here are some pics from my first time visiting Barcelona...enjoy!

ILA Day 1

We're off and running!  Excellent sessions overall today; I've summarized a few below:

The first session discussed leadership and the effects of disequilibrium in instruction using Case in Point. Changing the way of approaching a given situation - reforming structure - is an important consideration for students in a variety of content areas.  Changing up the norm away from recognized safe zones is not easy.  Prepping the environment - making the room ready and scaffolding with participants is a great way to address any concerns that may arise.

I also attended a panel on Leadership challenges for 21st Century. Excellent overall...asking things such as: "Leadership" for what? Peace, challenges in corruption, bridging groups are a few areas we can address.  What are we striving for in the leadership field? As it relates to the application of leadership, Constructive Dissent within our own ranks is a gift and helps as a check/balance (example of the VW deception) - why did all managers miss?  Why did no one stand up and call out the deception?  There are many Adaptive challenges - shared commitment, management of diversity, etc. Using a clear vision, cohesiveness, standards of excellence, being inclusive - can restore to power to the leaders toolbox. Ethos - competence, integrity, and goodwill - should also be a consideration for applying leadership in theory and practice. 

Leaders can and should work to lead change, manage anxiety, keep space open, encourage authenticity, inclusiveness, manage conflict/listen/trust, and be competent in your work.

Made it to Barcelona

Greetings from Barcelona!

I am here for the 2015 International Leadership Association, and am excited about the plenary sessions and opportunities to interact with others in my field.  My trip over was very successful - fast flight and early arrival allowed me to get some time out on the town before the evening welcome.  I will update this post with pictures later once I have them collected. Some of the places I visited with my good friend Amy were La Rambla street, the La Sagrada Familia, the Parc Guell and Gaudi, Placa de Catalunya, the Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi, the Catedral de Barcelona, and the area around the CCIB. 

Countdown to ILA 2015

I'm only a few short days and hours away from ILA 2015, coming from the CCIB Convention Center in Barcelona, Spain.  I'm excited to be going back to Spain and even a bit more excited about visiting a new city.  During my last time visiting the country I was only able to stay near Mondragon and Bilbao - looking forward to seeing the southern coast!

The conference theme this year is Leading Across Borders and Generations - I will be chairing one session on Friday afternoon and otherwise enjoying all of the other opportunities to listen and network.  And I'm sure I'll also find a few new places to sample tapas offerings!

This trip will also put me over the hump for AA Executive Platinum status for the rest of this year and until February 2017 - definitely looking forward to upgrades and other opportunities for trips in the coming months.

If you have any suggestions on places to see or eat, please post them below!

a long walk

Best sign I saw of the day:

Caffe + Pincho 2,30e

If only I could find that in the US! 

Had a pretty good day - made it to the downtown area and did some walking despite the overcast and rainy skies.  I also found the La Navarra I was looking for!  Big thank you to my instructor from our Mondragon trip for the suggestion of visiting El Corte Ingles - the place is huge and I was able to find it up on the 5th or 6th floor.


There's also just something fun about small streets and walking in amongst the vendors and shops.  And there's another pincho just around every corner. I was fortunate that most shops were open for me, since tomorrow is apparently "Basque Day", or something like that.  I'm not 100% sure on the specifics of the day, but supposedly its a day to celebrate just being Basque.  Must be nice...can we schedule something like "proud to be Norwegian" Day sometime soon?  We could all eat lefse and lutefisk and party.

Back on the move tomorrow... 

low key

A low key day for me today.  Recuperating from jetlag and just chilling.  Mixed weather helped.

Out and about tomorrow.  Hope the weather cooperates.

back in Basque

It always amazes me how the nostalgia seems to set in when I return to a place that I've visited before.  Finding myself back here in the Basque region of Spain did the same thing as in other places I've traveled.  To be honest, I never figured I'd be back here as soon as now, but I'm thankful for the chance to be here again.  I'll admit it's not quite the same sans Jimmy and the rest of our group, but just walking through the airport again made me realize how familiar it seems.

One thing that is weird - sunrise is not until 8:34a.  8:34!  I woke up and was a little confused about what time it really was.  8:34 is very late.  I'd never want to get out of bed if I lived here and sunrise is this late.

Going to lay low today and get my system adjusted - figures to be windy with possible rain today and tomorrow, which dampens the potential fun.  I'll wait and see how it plays out...