Traveling is inherently an adventure. The starting day of the first thing you do is stay with the traveling companion to a specific time to take the means of transport. If you're lucky can you get ahead and if not you might consider abandoning them on the platform or in the airport terminal. Then when you get to the unknown city, you should try to figure out how you can scroll through it. In the case of Madrid, try to understand the multiple lines of colors representing the Metro with its stations and imagine what is on the surface of these and to try to find the right combinations to take the shortest route. If you do not take proper precautions, which surely would not debiese ... Yes, I am guilty.

And it is precisely this end where you do not expect it, which begins the second part of the trip. If you do not know the destination where you'll probably spend a few days you'll be surprised. As we discussed the fellow who went to Madrid, and make a collection, you may find peeling walls, showers are just a drain on the floor, an electrical installation that does not support the needs of a hair iron ... Each will have its adventure, but the issue may move to the traveling companion (snore!) or the next room (Honeymoon!). But without the sauce, which would travel.

Of course, a congress of librarians not everything is as tight as a Vatican conclave, there are times for relaxation and small anecdotes. Yavannna already passed us one, which was the lack of Internet connectivity from the Palace of Congresses Madrid. There was no Internet or for speakers or visitors, to general derision, but we can add some more.

For example, the expected attendance of the President of the Honorary Committee at the opening of the Days, Princess of Asturias, was not held, but neither was present the Minister of Culture Carmen Calvo, who had indeed attended virtually through screening of a DVD video (to be paid the appropriate fee to the SGAE). All officials appeared to have major commitments to save Fesabid Days, General Director of the National Library, Rosa Regas, who was present (We welcome) and we are delighted with the text creation, life and literature. On the literary level of this text little I can say I and the majority of those present, as we all began to look for better things to occupy the mind as curious case of documents we had provided during registration. Activity, the verification of documentation, which proved essential in some cases, because not everyone was at first the street in Madrid and had to reclaim it afterwards. But returning to Regás speech, it seems that we were not alone in seeking ways to escape, because as he finished reading the text, the president of the board commended the attendees not to leave the room so fast because I had reserved a quixotic surprise.

There, Don Quixote and Sancho entered the auditorium to provoking laughter from the audience. Especially when we compared with thieves, to keep their heads uncovered the knights and ladies pants, inside that cave in which jutted. They also threw in the presence absence of the Princess, and remembered, though perhaps with his royal presence we had not laughed so much because he had embarrassed. In any case, Quixote and Sancho reminded us that we serve up free coffee and pastries and librarians out soon in whirlwind.

There are professions and professionals, but basically there are people, and librarians / documentary / archival / museum curators have also herding behavior. Coffee time reminded us a mascletà by the way we apretujábamos in a space so wide. Faced with this avalanche, nerves took over as the waiters were not attending as many demands in a sustainable way.

But the surprises best given at night and if you're stressed out better. First many misplaced the invitation had to be submitted necessarily to join the dinner, and second we should not call so early dinner when there are visits by professionals. Sincerely, dinner - cocktail prepared for the 21 hours of Thursday 14 should instead start at 22h for a decent number arrived at Circulo de Bellas Artes. One requirement was to be punctual, because it asserted that he who does not enter into the building at the designated time and not have a chance. The nerves surfaced in some cases because professional visits to different sites scheduled for completion around 20h.

This shows that for librarians social life is more important than any visit to any place by far to be called the National Library. In any case, many arrived with an hour late if ignoring them would climb to the fourth floor, but fortunately at about 2130 the string quartet concert had ended and were made available to the dinner in peace.

I assure you that eating canapés is not easy, first you have to position yourself correctly, depending on the time of famine, second you have to try to establish a kind of transcendental talk with someone that you may have seen her twice in your life (or maybe any) in addition to pretend that the food is the least important, third you have to make compromises between the glass of the drink, napkin and the odd sofa and finally be careful not to draw the eye to anyone with the happy stick. Result? You end up with more alcohol in the body that food, which may not leave you in good stead in the next two or three hours.

I do not speak only for myself, who after all, I am a man completely unknown provinces. I mean for a teacher, head of library or documentation center that was very well known so outrageous laughs more than necessary. But obviously it does not matter too much, with a few more grams of alcohol in blood, things look different in perspective, till the next day. But by then either do not remember anything, or remember everything and decide what is best for looking down if you do not remember, or simply think that nothing matters. You only live once.

Of course, a party ending at 6 am when at 9 am is taking over the activities of the Conferences should not stop anyone good body. Not that the volunteers, many of Valencia's Polytechnic University since financed the trip, do not work diligently during the conference and be reflected soon, is that one speaker had to apologize for his absence by some over night.

Things of librarians, in short.

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