Costa Brava 1
Friday December 31, 2021
Marc picked me up from Barcelona airport and we had lunch down by La Barceloneta before heading out to Girona and Costa Brava. Girona has a really cool aesthetic with these narrow streets down by the river, and the Christmas lights are still decorating every alley and bridge that crosses the river. We walked around the walls of the cathedral and castle before heading to the shopping district where I bought some of the local specialities, and then we had dinner at the proper Spanish time of 10pm. After dinner, we headed to Marc’s holiday apartment in L’Estartit.
We had a late start the next day just to keep things casual. As we were grabbing breakfast, I was shocked to see a window with a New Zealand flag and a silver fern flag being proudly displayed, especially since it feels like we’re quite far away from a major city. I had to find out why. I gathered all my courage and broke through my internalised introvert programming and knocked on the door. A man answered with a very confused face and I asked why there was a New Zealand flag in the window, and his whole expression changed to a beaming smile as he said “because I’m a New Zealander!” We proceeded to have a yarn about New Zealand for 15 minutes, it was awesome just hearing another Kiwi accent, and really sweet to be able to talk naturally after so long. Turns out him and his wife moved from the UK about a year ago because of Brexit and now live and work in Costa Brava, and they’re friends with another Kiwi who runs a brewery down the road.
We drove to Cadaques and wandered around the coastline before heading over to Salvador Dali’s house in the evening. The scenery is absolutely beautiful in that area, and as the sun set, the clouds turned a stunning golden orange and pink colour that reflected in the water.
On the way to dinner, we stopped by some old Romanesque fortifications and then an old town called Monells with an empty town square that had a “tio” log, and ended up in La Bisbal for an excellent meal.
Today we were up early to go to Begur, slightly to the south, to take advantage of the glorious warm weather and see the intense blue colours of the Mediterranean Sea against the coast of Catalonia. From Begur we went to El Port de la Selva, and then up the hillside to an old monastery from the 8th century called Sant Pere de Rodes. It was honestly the most spectacular view I’ve ever seen on the Iberian peninsula, it was a full panoramic scene to both the north and the south, where the Pyrenees meet the sea.
Since we were so far north, we decided to hop over to Perpignan in France, a mere hour’s drive away. The city is small but festive with all the Christmas lights still on display. What’s interesting is that the signs are in both French and Catalan. We got some “maxi beignets” filled with Nutella and headed back to Catalonia for dinner. We ended up in Figueres, where the Salvador Dali museum is, and opted for a nice meal close by as well.
It’s been a busy couple of days but the scenery has blown me away. 2022 is fast approaching and I’m honestly so glad to be here, wearing a tank top and getting a sun tan, instead of being miserable at home and in -10C weather.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:08am on Friday December 31, 2021 :: 0 comments :: 
Porto
Tuesday December 28, 2021
I keep thinking I should have come here when I was visiting Portugal in 2017. Even though my first day in Porto was wet and miserable, I got lucky with the forecast on the second day and I got to walk around in the sun. The city is absolutely beautiful, I love those orange roofs and white façades adorning the cliffs overlooking the Douro River, the smattering of greenery in amongst the buildings and the magnificent steel arches of Pont Luis I. Even though the temperature was only around 15 degrees, it was warm enough to walk around with jeans and t-shirt, and a welcome change from the icy slush and bitter air of winter in Canada.
It wasn’t easy to get here. After doing my PCR test on Thursday morning, I thought that would be that and I’d get the results the next day with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately the technician didn’t screw the cap on the sample correctly and it leaked, so I had to visit the pharmacy again on Friday to redo the test. I was a mess of anxiety because I knew it normally takes 24 hours to get the results and I’d have to leave for the airport in 27 hours. I kept calling LifeLabs to request an expedite and ensure they knew there was a deadline.
After helping out with cafe and the Christmas Eve service, I still had no idea whether I’d be allowed on the plane or not, and I was feeling a bit dejected about the whole situation. We went for Korean BBQ though and that cheered me up immensely.
On Christmas morning, I was up early because I couldn’t sleep; every time I woke up I looked at my phone to see if anything had come through during the night. Finally at 7.30am, the test came back - negative! - and immediately a wave of relief just washed away all the stress of the previous week.
Sarah and Emilio were kind enough to drop me off at the airport after doing pancakes for the community at cafe on Christmas Day. Pearson was not as busy as I was expecting and I made it through security with no problems. The flight was very short, but I did pass out for a good four hours out of seven. I didn’t even have a chance to watch any movies! I transited through Lisbon smoothly, and then I passed out again on the flight to Porto.
After checking into the hostel, I began to walk around town. Though the rain was heavy, it seemed like a fashion faux pas to wear this obnoxiously touristy poncho I used in Peru, so like the locals, I opted for a €5 umbrella for the day. I wandered around the area where I was staying, Bolhao, spotting some amazing bakeries and Amorino, one of my favourite dessert places that crafts their gelatos into flowers. I continued on past Trindade, the central transport hub of the city and made my way to the Crystal Palace where I found the “Porto” sign - apparently this moves from place to place so I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon it by chance. I needed a break before dinner so I walked back to the hostel and chilled out for a bit before grabbing a feed at O Afonso, a place that sells Porto’s famous francesinha sandwich. I couldn’t resist getting some wine with it, but I wasn’t expecting such a massive pour of rosé for €1.50, and on top of that, they gave me some port on the house as well. Great start!
The next day, I was out the door at 9.30am to pick up some pasteis de nata from Porto’s finest, Manteigaria. I walked to Ponte Infante Dom Henrique for a magnificent view of Pont Luis I, then followed the south bank over to Jardim do Morro. I crossed back to the north side and walked up to the cathedral, then back down to the riverfront, following the road all the way to the lighthouse overlooking the mouth of the Douro River at the Atlantic Ocean. I was planning to walk back into town for lunch but conveniently the old tram was about to depart from Passeio Alegre, so I rode that instead.
Lunch was another mega meal that I wasn’t able to finish. I needed to walk it all off, so I wandered around town again, seeing a bunch of the famous churches and buildings that I had passed by in the rain. I went up the tower of Igreja dos Clerigos which boasted a magnificent 360 degree panoramic view of the city. As night fell, I visited the Crystal Palace again to view the Christmas lights, then stopped by Porto’s oldest chocolatier, Arcadia, to pick up some port wine dark chocolate, and then a local patissier to pick up some breakfast for the next day.
I walked down to the river front to see Pont Luis I lit up at night, and got some dinner in the area. Honestly I was still kinda full from lunch but I powered through the Portuguese specialty, bacalhao, and finished off with a glass of port and a delicious egg custard meringue. Food in Porto is very rustic, hearty and home styled, with big portions, and of course, the wine is absolutely fantastic, even if I can’t handle that much. I’d love to see some of the countryside and do a wine tour if I come back, which will hopefully be a summer trip.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:46am on Tuesday December 28, 2021 :: 0 comments ::
Boosted
Thursday December 23, 2021
I've planned a trip to Europe over Christmas and New Years, but with the surge of omicron cases and the changing travel advisories issued by the Canadian government, it's thrown a lot of plans into disarray. I was originally supposed to go to Amsterdam, since the last time I was there, I got food poisoning, and I wanted to visit some of the things I missed, but the Netherlands went into a full lockdown and so I cancelled that leg of the trip and will instead spend it in Barcelona, where they have a few restrictions, but thankfully nothing too strict. It's been a pain trying to organise travel insurance and rebook flights; it took me four hours on hold with Manulife before I was able to talk to someone about my coverage and to ensure I'd still be covered if I decided to go ahead with this trip.
The last hurdle is the PCR test which I'll take tomorrow morning. I've been so anxious about everything lately and I miss the days where travel wasn't so complicated.
I did however manage to get my third COVID shot yesterday, but I really had to work for it. I biked 30 minutes to Jane and Lawrence and sat in line for over four hours in zero degree temperatures, and then waited an additional hour inside the community hub, but ultimately I think it's worth it, especially since I'm travelling. I was so cold I ordered a hot bubble tea to be delivered to me while I was in the queue, and that helped push me through to the end of the wait. Apparently two of the vaccinators were off sick, so they were understaffed and could only process 20 people per hour. But I knew with certainty that they had enough vaccines to give me one, so I toughed it out. Today I felt tired and lethargic, with a minor headache just setting in, but nothing else too severe in terms of side effects.
The last few months have been okay, and we're finally over the hump of winter solstice so things should start getting brighter, slowly. Before omicron hit, life felt pretty normal, and I've been able to catch up with friends and eat delicious things. A bunch of the gameplay programmers from my Watch Dogs team at Ubisoft Toronto got together at Elephant and Castle; I did an escape room with three ex-colleagues (and we nailed that!); I went to Dragon Legend in Markham for All You Can Eat Peking Duck; I caught the partial lunar eclipse on November 19th; we hiked the Niagara Whirlpool Trail and saw the beautiful fall colours; I caught the salmon run at the Humber River, and that's always an exciting time of year. We had so much hope that things would continue to be okay before this variant hit, and that's jeopardised a bunch of travel plans for next year.
I was hoping to go back to Malaysia to see family in June, but there's no telling what changes will happen between now and then. At least New Zealand will be opening up their border next year, and I'll very likely be back for Christmas. We're coming into our third year of this pandemic and it's just tiring. Hopefully there will be some improvements in 2022.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:42am on Thursday December 23, 2021 :: 0 comments ::
Finally, a Holiday
Tuesday September 14, 2021
My badminton friends and I managed to snag some super cheap flights to Calgary a few months ago (Air Canada seemed desperate to get people back on planes, and were offering $254 return flights as well as free postponement in case COVID restrictions changed), and last week we spent Labour Day Weekend until the following Saturday covering Yoho, Banff and Jasper National Parks. It was my first time out of the province in over 18 months, and that alone was cause for celebration, but the scenery and wildlife that we saw was incredible. I've been to a few places in my travels, but this area in Canada, the Rocky Mountains, is a unique and absolutely stunning part of the world.
After arriving into Calgary on Saturday, we wandered around downtown and Chinatown - almost completely deserted - before walking down the Bow River. We stopped for some ice cream at Marble Slab Creamery before heading back to our carpark on the East Village. We went for dinner at my friend's uncle's Chinese restaurant before heading back to our Airbnb. A friend of mine was supposed to join us for the walk that afternoon but he was in Edmonton instead, and so we met up after he got back to grab some ice cream (second round of ice cream!) from Village Ice Cream.
On Sunday, we covered Takakkaw Falls, the second highest falls in Canada, and the nearby Emerald Lakes, in Yoho National Park, British Columbia. The falls were definitely the highest falls I've ever seen in my life, and the thundering roar of the water crashing into the rocks below and the force of the wind and spray in your face as your climbed up the rock face are something you have to experience yourself. You can't accurately depict the sheer size of the waterfall in a picture.
The next day, we were up early to get to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Easily the most famous lakes in Banff National Park, these two incredibly popular tourist destinations are busy with Instagrammers trying to get the perfect shot for the attention and the likes. It was raining when we got to Lake Louise, but it cleared up an hour or so later as we were climbing the Saddleback Pass Trail. We saw a marmot on the way up - I had never heard of such an animal before. We made it to the top of the trail but didn't get to climb any of the mountain peaks since people were pretty tired, so we headed back down to the lake. On the way, I dropped by the Fairview Lookout for a beautiful picture of the green waters of the lake, and then we headed to Moraine Lake. While Lake Louise is green in colour, Moraine is a vivid cerulean colour, and we spent a while on the rockpile taking photos before heading to the Consolation Lakes nearby (the name matches the experience of the view). On the way back to our Airbnb in Canmore, we saw a bear on the other side of the railroad tracks - another tick in my list of Canadian experiences!
On Tuesday, we were supposed to go to Johnston Canyon but the police had closed the entire section of highway due to suspicious activity at the canyon from Sunday. It later turned out to be non-criminal in nature, but instead we spent the day looking at the Vermilion Lakes, walking around Lake Minnewanka and Stewart Canyon, and hiking the Hoodoos Trail in Banff town itself. On Wednesday we headed out to Jasper National Park, a good three hour drive away, but we stopped by Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, Athabasca Glacier and the Columbia Icefield Skywalk.
The next day, we saw a male elk on the way to our morning hike, who almost charged at us while we taking photos in the car. We explored the Valley of the Five Lakes before heading to the Edith Cavall Meadows to look at the Angel and Cavall Glaciers. While we were by the glacial lake, a part of the ice shelf of the Cavall Glacier fell into the lake - this is something that many people will not get to see in their lifetimes, and something I'll remember forever.
Our last full day started off with another elk sighting (and it almost charging at us again) between Hinton and Jasper. We spent an hour walking around Maligne Canyon and its beautiful blue rapids before starting the drive back to Banff. Our timing was perfect - we managed cover the Lower and Upper Falls of Johnston Canyon and have enough time to drive back to Calgary to meet my friend for dinner at Bolero, a Brazilian Steakhouse.
All in all, we were super lucky with the weather, as well as all the wildlife sightings - two elk, a marmot, a bear, several deer and countless chipmunks and squirrels. All the pictures we took were postcard quality. There was that magnificent aquamarines of the lakes, the yellows of autumn starting to emerge, the luscious deep greens of the forests in the area as well as that distinctive light blue of the glaciers. And of course, a week was not enough to cover everything that we wanted to cover. We'll definitely be back some day.
Posted by Jeremy at 1:26am on Tuesday September 14, 2021 :: 0 comments ::
Four Year Canadaversary
Saturday July 31, 2021
Today marks four years since I landed in Toronto to start a new life and a new job at Ubisoft Toronto. It hasn't felt like I've been here for four years - although 16 months of pandemic has not helped - but it feels like I haven't been back in New Zealand for ages. The last year has definitely been quite trying on many people, myself included, but with 70% of Ontario fully vaccinated, things are beginning to return to normal and I'm able to see friends, dine in at restaurants, go to the gym and get injured at badminton.
I rolled my ankle quite badly last week on the badminton court, and ended up losing consciousness while I was icing my foot. The last time this happened was when I was cutting garlic and I split my thumbnail quite badly, and apparently this is called "vasovagal syncope", which is when your body reacts to a strong stimuli (in this case, pain, but can also be blood or other emotional distress) and causes a drop of blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn leads to fainting. My ankle hurt like hell and after passing out, my friends decided they should probably call an ambulance in case there was something wrong with me. The paramedics arrived and checked all my vitals - nothing wrong - then carted me via ambulance to Scarborough General Hospital where I got an x-ray taken. No broken bones, just a bad sprain, so I went home with a pair of crutches that cost me $35. Bless the Canadian healthcare system. The foot's healing well, I was able to walk around yesterday and bike around today, but there will definitely be no badminton for a while.
We continue to work from home for the time being, the office is scheduled to return in October but we will still have the option to work 40% of the week from home, and I think that's a good balance for me. I've taken on a lot more responsibilities lately so my days have been very busy, but I'm super glad that we get Friday afternoons off to enjoy the most of summer, which everyone can agree is something we have needed for a long time.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:56pm on Saturday July 31, 2021 :: 0 comments ::
Double Vaxxed
Monday June 28, 2021
I was privileged to be part of Toronto's Vaccine Day today, which saw more than 26,000 people vaccinated at Scotiabank Arena. The atmosphere was amazing, with entertainment and DJs. They gave away Maple Leafs and Raptors tickets for every 1000 vaccines administered (Go sports teams!), and everyone got a free rally towel to commemorate this record-breaking day. It truly felt like an "us, the team of Toronto" thing, and to be in Scotiabank Arena for the first time getting my vaccine felt so momentous.
Restrictions have started to relax, and the weather is blazing hot. Things are looking up. Being able to see people again has really lifted my spirits. Having social events to look forward to makes my week so much more enjoyable. I've kept up my fitness by joining Toronto's Bike Share program, so I can get around town and burn calories at the same time. I've biked all the way out to Woodbine Beach on the east side, and Mimico Waterfront Park on the west side. The Martin Goodman Trail is super nice to bike on, and High Park during weekends, since they close it to cars. We biked the Don River Trail one afternoon as well, starting at ET Seton Park by the Science Center and heading to Tommy Thompson's lighthouse - where I saw a fox for the first time! - and I still biked home down Bloor Street after all of that.
I caught the magnificent partial solar eclipse sunrise on the 10th of June as well. I woke up at 4.30am and got a car share car to drive to Woodbine Beach where I found a bunch of other nerds setting up their massive cameras and equipment for this spectacular one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The weather was almost perfect, with a few clouds around the horizon, but not enough to obscure our view. At 5.35am, the "devil horns" sunrise appeared, two distinct spots of light emanating from the sun while the moon obscured the central part. As the sun rose further into the sky, the more familiar crescent shape appeared, illuminating the waters of Lake Ontario. I was truly lucky to be able to witness an event like this - and I've already bookmarked the next major eclipse event in Toronto, a total solar eclipse in 2024!
Posted by Jeremy at 2:38am on Monday June 28, 2021 :: 0 comments ::
Tired
Saturday April 17, 2021
We're in our sixth month of lockdown. We are well into our third wave. Our case numbers have spiked hard, causing the provincial government to issue another stay-at-home order for four weeks. That was two weeks ago; today they announced even more restrictions, as well as a two week extension to the stay-at-home order. It's looking grim, and I'm tired. I'm tired of this lifestyle. The new variants are running rampant through the health system. The vaccine rollout is slow. My area is listed as a hotspot, so apparently I'm eligible for a vaccine earlier than expected, but there's no indication of when I'll get an appointment. I was one of the quick ones who managed to register while the website was active, but haven't received any further information.
I keep looking at flights back to New Zealand. I'd have to fly to Vancouver, then to Los Angeles, and then to Auckland. It's expensive. Then I have to quarantine for fourteen days. Also expensive. It's an option I'd rather not take unless absolutely necessary. Also I'd be flying back into winter, and that's just depressing.
I'm tired because my patience is running out. I don't have motivation to do anything. It sucks.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:02am on Saturday April 17, 2021 :: 0 comments ::
(Almost) One Year of Pandemic
Sunday February 28, 2021
We're coming up to a whole year of working from home, marking what has been an extraordinarily disappointing and depressing year for many of us, myself included. Winter has been tough. What is normally a festive time with gatherings for Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year and Random Events in March became a long, cold and literally dark lockdown over four months. I've made it clear I've struggled a lot throughout this time; I like to think of myself as very mentally stable but even this has been taxing on me. I got a sun lamp from Bed Bath and Beyond just after Christmas, and that's definitely helped. Walmart was supposed to deliver one before Christmas but they screwed up the order and it ended up getting sent back to the supplier, some random dodgy house in Seattle. I bought some bathroom scales as well, and I've lost 4kg since a year ago.
It's frustrating because it feels like I'm not doing anything with my life at the moment. I'm just passing time until everything is back to normal. It feels like a massive waste, and it's even more disheartening for me because I look back at my friends and family in New Zealand, who have enjoyed a magnificent summer and an almost COVID-free lifestyle. Our case numbers are dropping though, it might give us a bit of reprieve from lockdown as the weather starts to warm up. I've tried to get outdoors every so often, even though it's usually been below zero. Really the only reason I leave the house now is for food, be it to pick up some takeaways from my favourite neighbourhood joints, or to walk to Nations to get groceries. Sometimes I bike out to Cherry Beach along the waterfront trail, which is really nice. There's a fantastic sunset viewpoint at Polson Pier, which I've caught a few times.
Even in times like this, there's still some beautiful scenery to see around the city. But I miss travelling and going to restaurants and playing badminton and going to the gym. I guess I'm missing social interaction a lot more than I thought I would.
Posted by Jeremy at 4:27pm on Sunday February 28, 2021 :: 0 comments ::