title The Open Education Challenge, Barcelona, Catalonia - 13th July 2014 intro Nosher and Isobel are at the "Open Education Challenge" final round in Barcelona. Isobel and Jules' idea - Think With Things - is down to the last 18 and is vying for one of the final winning nine spots to go through to a hectic four-city round-Europe session of mentoring and workshops. After a tense couple of days rehearsing speeches, interspersed with lunch and a nice outdoor music-and-tapas session in the company of David Puttnam (director of Chariots of Fire amongst others) and Xavier Prats Monné, Deputy Director-General for Education and Culture at the European Commission, amongst others. Isobel is more than relieved when Think With Things is indeed selected as one of the winners. There's no time in all this to actually see anything of Barcelona, but we do manage to escape the compound (a sort-of religious retreat-cum-hostel) for a few hours and retire to a local bar for a couple of beers. imgp8818 An unusual overhead view of a taxiing 737 imgp8821 A Thomson 737-800 trundles on to its gate at Gatwick imgp8822 Isobel peers out over the apron imgp8823 Aerial view of an easyJet 737 imgp8824 On the escalators at Gatwick imgp8825 EasyJey actually uses air bridges, unlike some imgp8826 An easyJet 737 taxis around imgp8830 Hundreds of trolleys at the real Barcelona Airport imgp8834 Isobel roams around our spartan accommodation block imgp8836 A craft workshop commences imgp8846 Isobel gets down to making stuff imgp8849 Our picture takes shape imgp8851 It's a hive of activity imgp8860 Pictures are laid out on the stage imgp8864 The team from Talkso do their speech imgp8867 A French team presents a bizarre Barbie sacrifice imgp8869 OEC signpost imgp8870 Some paperwork imgp8872 The corridors of Cordola Martí imgp8873 Magnetic letters on boards imgp8875 People mill around the corridors imgp8877 The lovely gardens of the Cordola Martí commune imgp8880 Weird almost-black flowers imgp8884 It's time for lunch imgp8885 A table is moved around imgp8887 The chilled Tempranillo wine flows imgp8888 The gardens of Cordola Martí imgp8890 Isobel chats to former Helsinki acquaintance Teemu imgp8891 A marble bust imgp8892 Stone gargoyle imgp8893 A tiled bench and mosaic imgp8894 There's time for a break and some TV imgp8895 Funky matchbook sculpture just down the road imgp8896 Isobel roams the streets of suburban Barcelona imgp8898 Truck-side graffiti imgp8899 Some anarchist graffiti imgp8900 An old Mark 2 Astra (Belmont) imgp8901 We escape the compound and eat Padrón chillis imgp8902 Crusty "Fanta" café sign imgp8903 Café tables at night imgp8905 An actual cigarette vending machine is filled up imgp8906 Empty chairs in the Resedencia Cordola Martí imgp8908 Back in the workshops, it's day two imgp8909 Day two's lunch occurs imgp8911 The OEC canteen imgp8913 1970s corridors imgp8919 A post-lunch workshop imgp8923 The Greek team show off their "cube robots" imgp8933 Pre dinner mingling imgp8934 Isobel talks to a potential investor imgp8936 More schmoozing occurs imgp8938 Isobel and a Challenge participant walk to dinner imgp8939 Our picture again imgp8943 David Puttnam, legendary 1980s film producer imgp8946 Apples float in a fountain imgp8950 Conversation in the walled garden imgp8953 Isobel chats away imgp8956 Tasty fish-on-a-stick tapas imgp8958 Nosher's request of "Lullaby in Birdland" is played imgp8961 We hang around with fruit on a stick imgp8962 Isobel with some OEC panel members and participants imgp8965 Photos on phones are shared imgp8968 The funky jazz band do their thing imgp8970 Lord Puttnam chats to someone imgp8971 Isobel does more schmoozing with the EU imgp8977 Some stunning mini cakes arrive imgp8978 Elsewhere, Luna reads to herself imgp8980 The OEC participants listen to speeches imgp8981 David Puttnam awaits his turn imgp8982 The judges hang around imgp8990 Lord Puttnam gives a lively speech imgp9015 By the light of a mobile phone imgp9025 The next morning, the terrapins are out in force imgp9028 The 1960s/70s "cubist" style of the accomodation imgp9029 The nearby church attached to the "monastery" imgp9030 Industrial staircase imgp9032 Nosher and Isobel make hand-made business "cards" imgp9033 Isobel brushes up her pitch imgp9036 Luna makes up a game out of Isobel's "things" imgp9038 Isobel on the stairs imgp9039 More deserted 1970s corridors imgp9040 The OEC challengers assemble for a group photo imgp9050 Nosher and Isobel imgp9055 Isobel waits on the fountain imgp9062 Luna has been creative with some fridge magnets imgp9077 People chat after the results imgp9078 A map of the participants imgp9083 Cubist architecture imgp9086 Mundane wooden doors imgp9087 More corridors from the 1960s or 70s imgp9088 Isobel waits at reception to check out imgp9089 Isobel in the car park imgp9090 Near the airport, it's the Estralla Damm brewery imgp9092 A Sleazyjet 737-800 on its own on the tarmac imgp9095 Our plane loads up imgp9096 Down the side of an easyJey 737 imgp9099 An executive jet comes in imgp9102 The actual Barcelonda airport imgp9104 Cool Olympic-torch control tower at Barcelona imgp9105 A BA aircraft hangar imgp9108 Back at Gatwick airport imgp9109 A massive Emirates Airbus A380 at Gatwick imgp9112 The giant inter-terminal walkway at Gatwick