Spring Time...Almost
Friday January 19, 2024
While Toronto has been suffering in -15C temperatures and heavy snow, I've been out enjoying the beautiful weather here. Some days I've still needed a big jacket to walk around, but I think the fact that my face isn't suffering from frostbite is a huge win.
On Sunday, I was at the beach without my shirt on, soaking up the glorious sunshine. Given it's still "winter" here, the beach was relatively empty so it was nice to just relax and chill. I had brunch at Little Fern, run by a couple of Kiwi expats, and then I went and did some shopping around the city. On Saturday, I was walking around the Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella. The fountain of Neptune was ironically switched off, like the Font Magica at Montjuic, due to the water restrictions, but there were still a lot of people around - some dancers at the top, some crossfitters to the side and buskers at the base. It was a really vibrant area, with several of the park's parrots chirping from the trees.
Yesterday was so warm that I went out to the Gothic Quarter in search of a suizo - a chocolate drink made from melting dark chocolate with hot milk. Even after work, it was still warm enough for me to sit under a marquee at 8.30pm and enjoy a fantastic Italian meal of home-made pasta and seafood. Today, it's raining, bringing some much needed relief to the area. I'll be relocating to another friend's place on Sunday, and he has a brainless ginger cat that I'll be sure to dote upon.
Work has been very busy. European time has been both good for productivity, since the mornings are quiet and I'm completely focused on hammering out some great code, but also exhausting since by the time I start to wind down in the evenings, everyone is coming online and starting to ask me questions. It'll be even more chaotic when I switch to Malaysian time, but we'll see how that goes. Maybe I can do some midnight to 8am thing, and then sleep in the afternoon and wake up for dinner?
Posted by Jeremy at 9:17pm on Friday January 19, 2024 :: 0 comments :: 
Bon Any Nou!
Thursday January 4, 2024
Due to turbulence on the Toronto to Ponta Delgada flight, they ended up serving us dinner quite late, so I only managed a few hours of shut eye before the plane landed in the Azores. I rushed through immigration - it's a small airport and my transfer time of one hour was more than enough, and the immigration officer welcomed me into the Schengen without any fuss. I slept again on the leg to Barcelona, and landed just after 1pm. I had told Marc I was arriving on that day, at that time, and he texted me a few minutes before landing to say that I'd have to wait four hours for him to get home as he was taking his friend to Montserrat.
...
So I sat at the airport. Due to a miscommunication, Marc thought that he was going to pick me up from the terminal but I meant that I was going to wait at the airport until 5.30pm and then take the metro to his place and meet him there. As a result, we were only able to meet up at 6.30pm. I was tired and running on 4 hours of sleep, but Marc had a date to go to, so I ended up cooking dinner for myself and his friend from Chile, who was also staying with us for the next couple of weeks.
I struggled a bit with the jet lag, waking up for a few hours during the night and then sleeping from 5am to 11am. I felt lethargic during the day, and my efforts to adjust to the time zone were ruined by us going clubbing on Saturday night/Sunday morning. We went to this massive multi-room dance club called Razzmatazz, and hung out in the Pop Bar for most of the time. I would have been the fifth oldest person there, and I was surprised that they played songs I recognised - Spice Girls, Britney, Backstreet, even as far back as the Eurhythmics. I even danced a bit, especially when LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem came on. We left around 4am, passing by a xurreria where famed Catalan singer Rosalia had shot a music video.
On New Year's Eve, we headed out to Plaza Espaņa around 10.30pm. It was packed already, we found a spot on the main road leading towards the Magic Fountain. Due to the drought, the fountain wouldn't be operating, but a drone show with lights and fireworks was scheduled instead. And what a show it was! It was honestly the best New Year's celebration I've ever seen. The drones flew into formations of sea creatures as a reference to the America's Cup being held here later in the year, the fireworks were vibrant and spectacular, the music really lifted the mood in the crowd. Suddenly we heard four chimes of a bell, signalling the start of the Spanish tradition of eating one grape per second leading up to midnight, each grape successfully consumed granting good luck for each month ahead. I don't know how many I managed to stuff into my mouth, but on the stroke of midnight, the drones had flown into a series of horizontal rings and began to shoot sparks towards the ground. The show continued for another 10 minutes or so, with the drones continuing to morph into various shapes, at one time spelling out BARCELONA as the fireworks continued. As the main festivities died down, the crowd began to move slowly towards the exits, with the subway staying packed for a good hour or so afterwards. I lost sight of the other two, but I wanted to walk around and check out the vibe in the city. I would have gotten home around 2.15am.
On New Year's Day, Monday, we rushed to the Bunkers to catch the sunset. It was a lovely day with blue skies, not too cold. On the way down, we got into a heated argument about racism and exploitation of indigenous communities. A++ experience. On Tuesday, I got to explore the city by myself. I ran a few errands in the morning, but spent most of the day just walking around Plaza Catalunya and the Gran Via. On the way home, I stopped by Glories to pick up some groceries, as well as a damn chopping knife for the apartment since I'd been stuck using a steak knife to chop garlic for the past few days. On Wednesday, it was back to work, but since most people are still out, it's been quiet. The mornings are nice since no one else is awake, so I can get a lot done in preparation for the rest of the day. This Saturday is Epiphany and the Three Kings Parade will be on, and we'll be celebrating with Tortell de Reyes, a torus-shaped cake with a toy hidden inside - whoever gets the slice with the toy gets to wear a crown!
Posted by Jeremy at 9:53pm on Thursday January 4, 2024 :: 0 comments ::