from France to Spain
It has been a busy couple of months!
During May, June, and July I managed a six-week project in Paris. The project itself took place in Nanterre, to the northwest of central Paris, but while in Paris I stayed in a hotel at La Défense. It was a challenging project, but both our internal team and the client team worked very hard, and in the end the project was a success. I was very happy to meet and work with many new and interesting people, and I had a lot of fun in the process.
As I was in Paris for six weeks I managed to tour around quite a bit, for the most part with a friend and co-worker who was working on the project with me. I had a Navigo pass – a no-holds-barred Métro pass that certainly came in handy. During the evenings I, or I and my friend, would explore a different quarter in Paris – Montmartre, Saint-Paul, le Madeleine, la Place de la Concorde – and perhaps find a restaurant to eat at while we were there. What I really like about Paris is all of the interesting spots that you can discover… Paris is rich with culture and history, and it is always a joy to stumble upon someplace new and interesting.
![Grande Arche de La Défense Grande Arche de La Défense](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/grande-arche-224x300.jpg)
![Montmartre Montmartre](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/montmartre-300x224.jpg)
![Frogburger Frogburger](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/frogburger-300x224.jpg)
![Jazz festival electro set Jazz festival electro set](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/electro-set-300x224.jpg)
![Where is Brian? Where is Brian?](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/brian-is-in-the-kitchen-300x239.jpg)
After my stay in Paris, I stayed for a couple of days in Reading, England, with time spent working in Basingstoke to wrap up the project and come up with time and cost estimates for future phases. While I was there I stayed with a friend (rather than in a hotel), so I got to tour around a little bit. It was a short stay, but it was nice to see a bit of England again.
![Reading, England Reading, England](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/reading-300x224.jpg)
In the meantime, my family picked up and headed to the south coast of Spain, where we’ll be staying until November or so. I am currently sitting in a shady spot overlooking the small town of Isla Plana, near Puerto de Mazarrón, and the Mediterranean Sea beyond. It was definitely a huge switch to move from Normandy in northwestern France – a beautiful spot, but rather chilly and rainy – to southern Spain, where it hasn’t rained since I got here, and most of the terrain is rocky and very dry. We’re a short walk from the Isla Plana beach, so we’ve spent quite a bit of time on the beach, and have visited the pool at our complex at Isla Plana every day – sometimes more than once! But don’t worry – we’re slathering ourselves with sunscreen, and have for the most part been sticking to hanging around outside in the mornings or evenings; the mid-afternoon is siesta time!
![A beach cove in Bolnuevo A beach cove in Bolnuevo](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bolnuevo-beach-300x222.jpg)
![Rocky coast of Spain Rocky coast of Spain](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bolnuevo-rocks-300x224.jpg)
![Along the coast of Bolnuevo](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bolnuevo-coast-300x132.jpg)
![On the rocks at Bolnuevo On the rocks at Bolnuevo](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bolnuevo-300x213.jpg)
![Spanish ham Spanish ham](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/spanish-ham-300x224.jpg)
![Amelia being fabulous Amelia being fabulous](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/fabulous-272x300.jpg)
![Kids and cacti Kids and cacti](http://briancrawford.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/kids-and-cacti-224x300.jpg)
Looks awesome Brian! Living and working in Europe is such a great experience
Thanks John! I appreciate it. I hope all is going well for you and yours in Germany!