A Few Things I Learned In Spain
Posted by Jennifer Sable Lopez on Dec 5, 2010 in All About Jen | 21 comments
A couple weeks ago I traveled to Spain to speak about SEOmoz tools at Congreso SEO Profesional, put on by Miguel Lopez. Not only did I get to spend time meeting some geeky Spanish counterparts, but I was able to spend some much needed girlfriend time with one of my oldest and best friends, Fabiola. With all that has been going on in my life, it may have seemed like a crazy time to go, but it was a huge win-win on both a personal and professional level.
During the week I was traveling and conferencing, I learned a few things about Spain, SEOs and Spaniards in general.
1. It’s tough to be a vegetarian in Spain
I have been to Spain before so I knew how difficult it would be to eat (mostly) vegetarian. In fact, I really only had one meat-free meal the entire time I was there (possibly excluding breakfast). I had decided to eat no red meat and less white/lean meats for health reasons, but luckily I still like the taste of it. If I didn’t I would have missed out on the wonderful ham, duck, pork loin, beef, salmon, ham, anchovies (eek I could only eat a little) and did I mention ham? It really was all quite fabulous and I’m glad I didn’t skip any of it… but vegetarians beware!
Our one vegetarian dinner, which Fabiola liked but said she couldn't eat all the time. hah
Ham! You see these cured hams hanging like this in restaurants and markets.
Lovely dinner with Gianluca and his wife. We finally got to meet. :) Holy deliciousness of food!
2. Freaky = Geek
It started at the speaker’s dinner when I noticed everyone talking about “freakies”. I didn’t want to sound stupid so I didn’t ask right away what it meant. After a couple days I finally figured out and verified that calling someone a “freaky” is like calling them a “geek”. WHEW! That I can handle. But the first time Miguel called me a freaky I’m sure I gave him a funny look. :) Speaking of freakies… it was nice to know that SEOs in Spain are just as geeky as SEOs anywhere else.
You can always tell a "freaky" by the t-shirt they wear ;)
Look familiar? It was an excellent conference!
The Last Supper - with the other speakers
3. The architecture is amazing
As I mentioned, I’ve been to Spain before but I hadn’t really seen any modern buildings. Obviously in Madrid there are many but what we saw in Valencia just blew me away. Everything from old cathedrals to the gorgeous L’Oceanografic, left me wishing desperately that Rudy was there to take photos as mine obviously don’t do it justice.
Yea, I have no idea what this building is but it looks pretty... eh?
This is the gorgeous L'Oceanografic (aka aquarium) in Valencia
4. Girlfriend time is necessary
Spending time with a girlfriend makes everything seem ok. I had a few rough days when I wasn’t feeling very well, but being with Fabiola made it all ok. We’ve known each other for years (we met while we were in college in Guadalajara, Mexico) and we don’t talk all that often. But when you’re with a best friend, it doesn’t matter when you spoke last, it’s all about today. Thank you Faby!
In Valencia - Damn we look good!
A gorgeous, yet cold day in Madrid
5. Nothing beats coming home
I had an amazing time at the conference and spending time with Fabiola, but in the end the best part of the trip was coming home to my sweeties.
21 Comments
Leave a Reply
Who Am I?
Why hello there. I'm Jen, the Community Manager at SEOmoz. I'm a mom, wife, geek and lover all things cupcake. Where I’m Speaking
Re: Yea, I have no idea what this building is but it looks pretty… eh?
That building is the “Palacio Arzobispal” where the Arcibishop of Valencia lives and “works”. When I started living in Valencia, my home was just behind the corner.
Great to know you… por fin.
Thank you!! Haha that’s how it was most of the trip, I had no idea what anything was but it was gorgeous. :) It was so so great to finally meet you. Thank you again for taking care of me!
Yea!! Sounds like you had a fantastic time (not the days you were feeling ill). I’m sure it was so good to hang out with Fabiola! Now you need to come to a conference in DC so we can have some girl time. Don’t politicians needs to know about SEO or something? :)
I know right?! It’s actually pretty odd that there aren’t many SEO conferences there. I’m tryin though… the closest I can get is probably NYC though. Maybe in March!?
Was a pleasure sharing with you those days. Nice to c u! Greetings from Spain!
Thank you!! It was great meeting you as well. I really love the coffee cup, although my daughter has claimed it for her own. :)
Looks like you had a wonderful time! And totally agreement with the sentiment on coming home from a trip :)
Thanks Kate, I had a great time! :) But yes, the coming home part was fantastic!
YAY! Thanks for the latest installment :) Faby looks as gorgeous as ever! And I’m with Teresa, SEO is growing BIG TIME in South Africa…and it’s only a hop, skip, jump of a 32 hour journey! (Maybe more from WA!)
haha Oh man I’d love to take another trip to S. Africa! Hook me up with a speaking gig there, and I’m all over it. Although yea that 32 hour journey isn’t as enticing as it used to be eh?! Love you!
Oh your job just sucks so bad. ;-)
haha I never complain about my job. I have the best job in the world. :)
There’s no mention of shoe shopping. hhhhmmmmm . . . .
Dude, I learned my lesson last time! “No shoes for you!”
Remember to come back, next year?! We hope that Miguel make new #seopro! Nice to know and listen you about seomoz tools. Kind regards, Miguelo
I hope to return! I enjoyed meeting you, let me know if you have any questions about the tools. :) Jen
Oh these pictures look amazing! It looks like you had the perfect mix of work and play in a beautiful place with fun people. Glad you had a great time!
Exactly! It was a serious win all around. :)
Definitivamente una ganadora!!!! There is nothing else to say, juss LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =)
I was gratefully surprised for your trip, it was fabolous to meet you and I hope you enjoyed the days in Valencia.
As you say, geeks are equals around the world, it doesn’t matters the name (geek, freaky, friki).
I hope to return to my blogs soon, but now I’m enjoying offline live.
Thanks again for coming to the #seopro
In southern Spain, they love to eat bowls of snails drenched in butter. Has to be one of the top 5 grossest things I’ve ever seen in person. I was not a vegetarian at the time and it still turn my stomach. Love Spain. :)