Having fun in Lloret de Mar was somehow against the odds. First, the weather was not as warm as I expected. Although I don’t mind cold, I did mind in this case because of the clothes I took (summer like dresses and sandals). Second, my phone broke down. I know! First world problems! It all confirms Murphy laws being in force, but it made me angry. Not only I had no internet connection, which was the least problem, but I also was left with no camera and no alarm clock. Suddenly, because of one little thing broke down I found myself in an awkward position of being late in the morning and not having pictures. But I had fun! And why is that? It’s because of people I met! People People is definitely the best part of Tbex community and I had a pleasure to rediscover it. Although my closest blogger friends could not come I found some new ones. I was having an interesting series of discussions, sharing the knowledge and also giving back, as I went for Tbex as a speaker for the first time. It was funny because I met another Tbex participant already on the place from Munich to Barcelona. She asked me if I was going for Tbex just because of the book I was reading (btw a fantastic one, soon to be reviewed here!). So I had this opportunity to give a few advice to a blogger who participated Tbex for the first time. It was also great to meeting my co-presenters, Lanora and Pola, and to discuss further our theme of multilingualism in blogging. Tbex Team My huge congratulations to Tbex team with exceptional MaryJo on board. My transfer from the airport to the hotel was as smooth as a walk to the corner shop. I was taken to the hotel in no time, and checked-in likewise. I had a lovely large room in a hotel where the conference was held, which is always the most convenient way of enjoying full freedom of movement. Also, my technical problems with using my computer for the presentation was resolved in a blink of an eye, and the cable was found in less than a minute. The information about trips and activities was always easy to find making my stay on Tbex stressless. This year, Tbex team made an effort of inviting very attractive keynote speakers. Although I enjoyed immensely Robert Reid in Athens and missed him among the speakers very much, they did an excellent job. Michael Collins performed the best talk of the conference on the very last day. It was super interesting to listen to his point of view, especially that his comments also included a large part of language focused issues. The Internet is much more than English, he said, and I couldn’t agree more! It takes me straight to my presentation titled: ‘Building community when English is not your first language‘. Presentation Together with Lanora and Pola, we’ve been discussing this issue for months. It took us a considerable time and effort to make a thorough research, small scale survey, analyze the results and draw a conclusion. The biggest satisfaction was watching a room full of bloggers who run their blogs in their mother tongues, and also those who decided to publish in English and are struggling with a quality challenge, just like me. The discussion after our presentation was rich and lively, which makes me sure on the importance of the issue. Bloggers are not only English native speakers, and I consider this group large enough to make an effort to meeting their needs. There is a window of opportunity in the global blogosphere at the moment, on publishing in native languages rather than in English. The trend is visible and will be developing further in coming years. Lesson learned Never again, I will go for a conference or a journey with no camera or separate alarm clock. As long as the alarm clock is easy to replace it was much less so in case of the camera. I have only a few photos from Lloret de Mar taken on the second day so my sincere apologies for this post and only a few pictures. This is the reason I would like you to visit the sites of my friends and co-speakers so you could look for yourself how beautiful Lloret is! Karen published this post on Lloret and I think it is wonderful! Also Heather did a great job, summarizing highlights of our stay in Lloret de Mar. If I had a camera, I would love to walk some of the trekking paths along the coast. The little part I saw was just marvelous! Rocky mountains just above the crystal-clear water looked fantastic! I don’t blame the British, who walk it every year spending their retirement in this part of the world. Lloret de Mar The moment I’ve known that Tbex 2015 takes place in Lloret I didn’t expect any fireworks. The location seemed to me dull and predictable: another summer destination, full of beaches I don’t like and crowds I hate. Instead of a dull place full of tourists I found an exciting city, very well kept (with impressive sidewalks, banks and trash cans everywhere), and tourists’ friendly place. I was delighted to see a huge sandy place in the city center for petanque (bulle or boccia) players, full of retired people spending their late mornings on this play. A few building in the center were beautiful and made me think about the history of the place. Also, this is an ordinary city with many locals living there, with schools, shops, post offices etc. One thing that I can’t stand is an artificial village for tourist purpose only. Well, this is definitely NOT the care of Lloret de Mar. Think about above-the-sea trekking trail and renaissance like gardens of St. Clotilde and crystal-clear water wherever you are, and you will get a very attractive holiday destination. All pictures were taken during...

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My first TBEX conference was a thrilling experience. I hope it will turn into a long lasting relationship with the community of bloggers from all over the world. As for now I can tell you a few things that I most appreciate from these couple of days spent in Ireland and why I think this was amazing experience. The Power Of The Community Although my blog will be one year old very soon my contacts with blogger fellows were limited to the e-version only. I knew some names, some interesting blogs, some sites I regularly visit and some nice chats over Twitter. BUT I have not met any of them in person. Thanks to TBEX conference it has changed. When I arrived to Dublin and saw the hall in Double Tree Hilton hotel packed with people I was shocked to discover how big the community is. Suddenly, hundreds of people got their faces behind their Internet names and we started to get known each other in a very traditional way: over coffee or drink, sharing our passions and worries. As far as I’m concerned, although we are all individualists focused on our travels very much, the sense of belonging to the group is still important. In order to retain a healthy balance we need each other to share a common experience and not to feel completely isolated. Having a certainty that there is someone who understands you is a huge thing. The Joy Shared Multiplies This was amazing to see that the passion towards travel is shared by so many and it manifests itself in so many ways! Each of us travel and each of us do it differently. Isn’t it great? It is a good example of how shared characteristics keeps its individual and personal character. Although each of us has their own disappointments, failures or embarrassing stories we all agree that traveling is very joyful experience. The Feeling Of Being Taken Care Of The hospitality of Irish hosts was outstanding. It was not only the marvelous organization of the event or generous snacks at the coffee brakes but most of all their engagement in making sure that we’re all fine and happy. During the post conference trips (Wild West Atlantic) I was overwhelmed with the care and attention of people responsible for our time spent there. Starting with the driver Tommas and our guide Therese (Failte Ireland), through all hosts: Radisson Blu , Zetland Country House Hotel, Cashel House, traditional Irish food suppliers: Gleeson’s Cafe in Roscommon, Portfinn Lodge& Fjord Restaurant, Ard Bia in Galway, Twelve Hotel, Mulranny Park Hotel, Grainne Uaile Pub, tradition keepers from Cnoc Suain (traditional Irish cottage, music, dancing and cooking), ending up with our entertainers: Great Western Greenway, John (Segway Adventures), guys from Walking West, and Killary Adventure. And photographer Shean O Mannin. No Matter Who You Are The community is large enough to mirror the general composition of the global society. So at the conference you could meet singles, couples, families- both siblings and married couples with kids, and people with grey hair. Thanks to such a variety we could feel more attached to the reality. If that was only a group of young independent people in their 30s it would be much less so. Meeting people who have been traveling for last 25 years, who have been working for newspapers, travel agencies, publishing houses, chain hotels is a great resource. My Best Thing About Tbex For me: meeting John Minihan in person was the best about Tbex. It all comes from love to the literature and my total delight with Samuel Beckett plays. I feel privileged I could meet John who was not only the famous author’s photographer but was actually a friend of Beckett. Hie story was fascinating and a short conversation after the interview was amazing. I got back home, unpacked my suitcase, made a laundry and now I’ll do my best to bring you through the whole Tbex experience as I saw it. I hope you’ll like it and, who knows, maybe we’ll meet at the next Tbex? All published posts from Ireland are here: The Irish Fiddler: read a story of Irish girl Bernadette Soaked story in Galway: the segway ride at al. Outdoor Activities: for adventurous people only Best Irish Museum (even though little one)  

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