People say that San Sebastian’s Playa de la Concha, or Concha Blanca is the best beach in Spain, perhaps the best beach in Europe.  They always show photographs of a wide, empty expanse of beach, glistening with water only recently receded. I’ve got some of those pix as well, but here is what it really looks like… after 1/2 the people have gone home for the day.  But seriously, while quite crowded in summer, this is one gorgeous beach, with warm water, and a smashing view. And, it is right …

They like their saints here in Spain. This town is named for San Sebastian who was a captain in Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Praetorian Guard. When Sebastian converted to Christianity, Diocletian (the last Pagan emperor) repaid this betrayal by making him a martyr.  It’s easy to recognize Sebastian in art, as he is always shown as tied to a tree and shot with arrows.
We stumbled upon this 17th century church, and I quizzed my kids on who the guy was with the arrows. Not being so up on their …

After strolling through 2000 years of architectural history represented  by dozens of palaces, forts and, of course, churches, it is refreshing to behold one of the 21st century’s coolest buildings: Frank Gehry’s masterpiece, The Guggenheim Bilbao.
You can tell from the picture that this is no ordinary building, and it is no ordinary museum. Crafted from limestone and titanium, it undulates on the outside, flows on the inside and provides an almost perfect space for viewing art.  I know of no other art space that offers the interior volume to do …

This photo was taken while visiting Beijing with my client Paris Arey, formerly of Cisco Systems.  We brought about 35 folks from around the world together for an “international” meeting and chose Beijing mostly because no one from the team was based there. It seemed like the ecumenical thing to do.
If you’re going to travel for work, as I do, I think it’s important to make the trips into “pleasure” trips as well. Otherwise you easily fall into the trap of “Oh, I hate being away from home and it …