Gregoire in Spain, checking out tunnel

OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office is providing daily updates of her itinerary as she makes her way to the Paris Air Show, where she’ll be plugging those big flying metal things folks make in various parts of the state.

Today’s stop is Spain, where she’s meeting with the honchos of Dragados, the company hired to dig the tunnel that will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, providing opponents in Seattle don’t find a way to stop it. To check out their work, Dragados officials are showing her a tunnel they bored in Madrid. Folks from the U-dub met with folks from the U-Madrid to set up an exchange program that will result in hundreds of Huskey students teaching English in Spanish high schools, and likely convincing them to wear purple on the last Saturday in November when the Apple Cup is played.

Tomorrow she meets with Iberdrola, a company that operates wind farms in Washington state, then heads for Paris after tapas, paella and sangria.

OK, we made the menu items up. For all we know, she’s having burgers and fries with a Diet Coke.

The state has a “press kit” for the Paris Air Show. Interested? You can see it by clicking here.