The Road Home
Friday March 22, 2024
It’s finally time to leave Barcelona. Despite all the ups and downs of the last few months, I have enjoyed my day to day here, the city remains one of my favourite in the world to visit. It is getting more expensive and the drought is pretty bad, but there’s charm and character and very good food. This time I’ve had an opportunity to try other cuisines as well, like Korean, Japanese, Indian, Lebanese and Italian.
Several people visited. Loïc came in from France, which was really lovely because he visited specifically to see me. Sarah Jane and Hannah came in from Toronto with two others for a whirlwind tour of the city, which contained about of shopping and Instagramming and TikToking (this is making me sound old, but I am, so there). Within the two groups, I did a lot of walking - Montserrat, Tibidabo and of course, from shop to shop in the Gothic Quarter. Also went on a bike ride from Barceloneta to Port Forum and then back through Diagonal and Arc de Triomf. The weather has been fantastic, save for a single day of rain.
I got to see Castellers as well, which I found super exciting. These are the towers constructed by people standing on top of each other, reaching several storeys high. They even have kids - I’m talking four or five years old - climbing to the top to add that extra height to the tower. What results is an impressive display of strength and balance, and I’m so happy to have witnessed this first hand.
My next destination is Iceland. I’m spending a few days in Akureyri and then the rest of the week in Reykjavik. Hopefully the volcanic activity won’t disrupt anything, and additionally I hope there will be some fantastic aurora sightings. This excursion has already had a huge problem - a few days ago, Booking.com messaged me to say my Reykjavik hotel had cancelled my reservation and I had to panic book an alternative at $200 extra. I later found out that the hotel owner had been arrested by police on suspicion of money laundering and human trafficking…and I can’t help but think I might have dodged a huge bullet.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:10am on Friday March 22, 2024 :: 0 comments :: 
Hasta Luego
Sunday February 4, 2024
It’s time for me to leave the sunny shores of the Mediterranean and swap my idyllic Catalan lifestyle with the bustle of South East Asia. My time here has picked up since I moved to a different place, a little further away from downtown but more spacious, more natural light, warmer, more spices for cooking (there were five at the last place) and best of all, Odin, an adorable ginger cat who used to have feline leukaemia. He’s been keeping me company while his parents go to work, and he’s become comfortable enough to curl up on my bed and protect me from anything that might suddenly enter my room while I’m working.
Last weekend, Owen took me to a Michelin star restaurant for lunch, which I found to be of incredibly high quality, but lacking something particularly unique about the dishes. On Sunday, we took the train to Vallvidrera, which sits on the ridge west of Tibidabo. We wandered around for a bit along the Carretera de les Aigues, a popular road for running and biking, and then we followed a trail down the hill towards Les Planes, where Bea joined us for a calçotada - a Catalan barbeque where they grill spring onions over the fire and serve with romesco sauce. It’s nice to be able to share food with friends, especially at these very local restaurants where knowing the language and customs are a huge advantage. While we were there, there were two birthday parties for a 53 year old and an 80 year old, and the atmosphere was wholesome AF.
The remainder of my days have been spent wandering around the neighbourhood. It’s a 30 min walk to the beach, and there’s definitely been a few shorts days to enjoy. But the constant sun has caused the existing drought to worsen, and stricter rules have been imposed on Barcelona in an attempt to curb water expenditure. The region desperately needs rain and it’s another wake up call that climate change is really messing things up.
Work has been busy. European time means the morning are quiet and I can focus on my work without interruption, but evenings are when the North Americans come online and there’s a bit more conversation happening. I’m not sure how this is going to work in Malaysian time though, but work has thankfully given me permission to work “regular” Malaysian hours so I can still join my family for dinners. There’s a few holidays while I’m there though, so it doesn’t actually add up to that many days on awkward working hours.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:31pm on Sunday February 4, 2024 :: 0 comments ::
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 ::
The Annual Migration
Friday December 29, 2023
The time has come to escape winter again. I’m back at Pearson’s Terminal 3 waiting for my flight to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, travelling onwards to Barcelona.
The past month has been busy and stressful. There’s been Christmas parties and dinners to go to, people to see and many, many things to sort out. My accommodation in Barcelona partially fell through and I had to scramble to find an alternative arrangement. Coincidentally, a month’s accommodation in Barcelona is approximately the same price as a return ticket to Kuala Lumpur, and with my parents flying back for Chinese New Year in February, I decided to join them for the whole month. So, that’s exciting and partially solves my problem; the remaining time in Barcelona was filled with Airbnb and another friend’s very kind offer.
I’m also spending a few nights in Amsterdam because I got food poisoning the last time and missed a few things there. I’ll be more careful this time - no more smoked salmon wrap from the Van Gogh Museum.
It’s kinda unnerving. Two months in a country where I don’t really know the native language (I’ve been trying really hard on Duolingo) and with very little support network. I’m hoping it all works out. My company has very kindly agreed to all my timezone changes and I’m so lucky to work for someone that lets me travel like this.
Adios!
Posted by Jeremy at 1:31am on Friday December 29, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Seville
Wednesday May 31, 2017
From Tangier, we took the ferry back to Tarifa and then sat on the bus until Seville. There's actually a lot to see here, but we were only here for a night. It was very quiet yesterday because it was a public holiday, but today was much more lively.
We had a walking tour of the city, covering the major landmarks as well as a brief history. After dinner, we headed up the Espacio Metropol Parasol, a large installation colloquially called the Mushroom. From there, we got a magnificent view of the city and the sunset, as well as a free drink of sangria.
Perhaps the highlight was seeing a pilgrimage procession this morning. Every year, various districts send a delegation of people towards Huelva and today, the district of Triana was up. It was amazing to see all the men and women in formals getting ready to go on their journey, some on horseback and others on foot. The atmosphere was jovial but respectful, and awesome to experience.
We covered the Real Alcazar as well; I did my queue cutting trick to skip the line since we were running low on time. This palace is famous for being featured in Game of Thrones as the location Dorne, which I had no idea about because I don't watch GoT. We didn't have time to cover the cathedral, but our last tourist stop in the city was the Plaza Espana, a beautiful building with a fountain and courtyard with murals representing all the provinces of Spain.
Now it's time to leave Spain and head to Portugal!
Posted by Jeremy at 12:00pm on Wednesday May 31, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Granada
Monday May 29, 2017
I've joined a week long tour with a company called Bus About, travelling around southern Spain and even heading to Morocco (which is today!) There's a Brazilian, a few Canadians but mostly Australians. It's nice to finally get some solid social interaction after travelling by myself for so long.
We left Madrid and headed to the medieval town of Toledo, still enclosed in a city wall. There's not much else there; a cathedral, a few buildings and some cafes. We continued to Consuegra, famous for the windmills that inspired Don Quixote, and in the afternoon, we arrived in Granada.
We walked around the city centre a little bit but most of us were tired and just chilled until dinner. We went for a casual tapas where there was too much food and sangria, and then we went up the hill to San Nicolas for some great sights of the city and the Alhambra, a Moorish castle. Nearby was the suburb of Sacromonte, a gypsy area, where we were treated to some Flamenco!
There's something entrancing about Flamenco. The rhythm is so strong and driving, and the way the dancers move their feet is amazing. There's a lot of emotion in the music; it was based on the pain and struggles the gypsies endured when the Catholics took over Spain. Unfortunately many of us were so tired from such a long day (it was almost midnight at this point) that we had begun to nod off slightly! It was entertaining nonetheless, at one point in time, there was a heavy flick of sweat on the closest audience members!
We were up early to head to the Alhambra the next day. It's an incredible building that is pretty well preserved despite the history of the warring Moors and Catholics, and some of the architectural decorations are out of this world. There's so much rich symbolism in the facades and columns and art; they based a lot of their designs around geometrical and mathematical concepts. There's a beautiful symmetry and tessellation to many of the patterns, and a lot of allusions to the number 7, which represents completion or perfection. In total, we spent over three hours walking around, and that was probably the perfect amount of time.
In the afternoon, we went to a traditional hammam - herbal bath - for some relaxation in the water. It was an interesting experience, but probably not something I would do again. I feel like I would have enjoyed a swim in the pool (or the sea if we were near it) more.
After a chaotic dinner, we went for karaoke. I could not contain my excitement. I was over the moon and kept talking throughout the whole day about it. Hopefully I did not disappoint; I got to sing my favourite Let it Go, as well as a few others, but it was a public system and we had to share with the other patrons in the bar, who were all amazing (and all sang in Spanish, naturally.) One guy that was there had even participated on The Voice, and that was a treat to listen to. We had such a good time, singing Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Aerosmith and Whitney Houston, and we finished with the Australian national anthem, John Farnham's You're the Voice. There were so many more songs I wanted to sing but as more patrons started pouring in, the less frequent our songs became, so we left around 1am.
We're on our way to Tarifa to take the ferry over to Tangier, Morocco. I was secretly hoping it would be raining in Morocco so I could bless the rains down in Africa.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:49am on Monday May 29, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Madrid
Saturday May 27, 2017
Gosh it's early. I've been getting up past 8am most days and today I'm up at the break of dawn and leaving Madrid for a tour of southern Spain.
Madrid is not as big as I thought it was. There's not too much to see, but the weather here has been unpleasantly hot to walk around and explore in my usual manner. I spent a lot of time in the shade of El Retiro park, with the many others who had come to find refuge from the heat. There was a book fair there yesterday, and an arts and craft fair nearby too.
I covered most of the famous sights; there's the Temple of Debod, which was an Egyptian temple that was dismantled and brought to Madrid, then reassembled; there's the Royal Palace of Madrid, full of art and royal things (you can tell I'm a little over that kind of stuff); there were various markets selling produce and tapas.
One evening I queued for 40 minutes to get into a coveted rooftop bar called Azotea in the Circulo de Bellas Artes building. I was somewhat surprised by the heavy security presence but I figured with a queue that long, they're just looking out for the patrons. Not at all. An envoy of important-looking cars pulls up and a tall gentleman gets out and everyone starts taking pictures of him. I follow suit, not really knowing who he is, but hoping I can identify him later. It turns out it's none other than Felipe VI, the King of Spain, so this rooftop bar must be amazing if the king is here too.
The view was stunning from the top, but the drinks are more expensive than what you'd find elsewhere. I watched the sunset, jostling with the dozens of others who wanted to capture the perfect Instagram moment. As the sangria began to wear off, I got progressively more self-conscious that I was in a bar by myself with no one to talk to. I couldn't even get a seat at the restaurant and I was getting more and more miserable so I left and got a quick bite and went home.
The feeling comes and goes. Though I'm definitely quite introverted, it doesn't mean I shun all social interaction. It's just that I need some space to be alone sometimes, and not all the time. It's also especially hard when you're in a country where you barely know the language and can't easily converse with the locals.
Posted by Jeremy at 6:33am on Saturday May 27, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Valencia
Wednesday May 24, 2017
It's no surprise that Valencia is famous for its oranges, because much like Sorrento and Cinque Terre, the region is bathed in glorious sun for much of the year. I've certainly felt it, both days here have been quite warm, and I can't help but enjoy a bit of schadenfreude upon hearing New Zealand has plunged to temperatures around 3C.
The bus from Barcelona was mostly uneventful, save for a puerile moment when we passed by a place called Peniscola, and another moment where there was a burning tyre on the road. I checked in to the hostel and walked around the Turia River Garden, a massive sunken green area where the Turia River flowed before it was diverted to stop flooding Valencia. With the sun out, it was nice to see so many people (and dogs!!) using the park for walks, runs, yoga, gymming or just lazing about.
I covered most of the city sites the next day. I started off at the central markets, again, a haven of all kinds of fresh and delicious-looking foodstuffs. I wandered around La Llotja de la Seda, a Gothic style civil building, briefly, before heading back to the north side of the Turia River Garden and over to the Jardins del Real.
I returned to town for a very late lunch, but it was worth it - I had lobster paella. I returned to the gardens and went south towards the beach, stopping by three amazing buildings along the way. The Berklee College of Music, the Hemisferic IMAX and the Science Museum are stunning pieces of architecture, and remind me of the arcological structures you can build in Sim City 2000. A few kilometres further and I finally made it to La Malva Rosa beach. What a glorious sight to see, the crystal clear blue waters, the huge stretch of sand, mountains in the distance and not a cloud in the sky. It was so inviting I even took my shoes off and walked down to the water's edge.
Because lunch was late, dinner was late too. I ended up ordering a massive 500g steak that I couldn't finish, but it was so delicious. I didn't even have room for flan.
I'm currently on the train to Madrid, travelling at 240km/h. I was cutting it a bit close this morning but I made it at least. It's supposed to be 30C in the capital!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:53am on Wednesday May 24, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Barcelona
Monday May 22, 2017
I arrived in sunny Barcelona on Thursday morning and made my way to the hostel with no problems. The metro system here is very easy to use, and the Hola BCN card means I can take any modes of public transport, unlimited for four days. My room wasn't ready, so I ended up wandering in one direction to see what I could find.
I ended up at Plaça Espanya, where there was an automobile exhibition on. I wasn't particularly interested though, I wanted to make my way to the massive building up on the hill. I'd find out that this was the Palau Nacional, the site of the 1929 International Exhibition, and it overlooks the Magic Fountain, which lights up at night and synchronises with music.
I went back to the hostel and took a break. I'd been suffering from allergies as I made my way through the east of France and Geneva, but I'd miraculously stopped sneezing as soon as I landed in Barcelona. I was still tired though. I went for dinner some time later and made a complete fool of myself, spilling Fanta on my pants and flicking oil from my prawns into my face. I also had a talk with a lady from Hong Kong who seemed critical of my life choices (she called New Zealand boring and seemed shocked I was spending only four days in Barcelona, compared to her two weeks). It wasn't a pleasant night.
On Friday, my first stop was Sagrada Familia. As I exited the metro station, I looked around to see where the cathedral was and as I looked behind me, my jaw dropped. It's massive. It's not even finished - it's going to be taller than that. The architecture is gorgeous and so purposeful. Everything is there for a reason and has a meaning. The stained glass on the east are greens and blues to capture the morning sun, while the glass on the west are reds and yellows for the evening sun. The columns lining the nave look like trees with branches supporting the roof. Each facade depicts one of three crucial points of Jesus's life - the Nativity, the Glory and the Passion. Each apostle is represented by a tower, each gospel writer has a tower as well, a taller tower represents the Virgin Mary and the central tower, the tallest and yet to be finished, will represent Jesus. I spent ages wandering around, admiring all the different symbolism and choices behind them. It's truly stunning. I will have to return in 2026 when it is complete.
I saw several more of Gaudi's buildings throughout the day. I visited Plaça de Catalunya and La Rambla. There was the Mercado de La Boqueria, full of delicious fruit, meat and seafood. I went all the way down to the waterfront by Maremagnum and took a quick doze there. I loved every moment of it, just absorbing the atmosphere of Barcelona and the glorious sunshine.
I returned to La Rambla for dinner - twice. Once in the market and another just off the main road. The advantage of tapas is that you can easily eat more in a single night, but it does get quite expensive, especially for the solo traveller. In any case, it was a much more pleasant experience than the night before.
I caught the Magic Fountain show as well. A full hour of music and lights as the glow of sunset gives way to night; the atmosphere was warm and friendly as we enjoyed hits like Pompeii, Counting Stars and Somebody to Love.
On Saturday, I went to the Arc de Triomf and explored the gardens around that area before taking a stroll on the beach. I can see why Barcelona's beaches are so popular. Your view is a beautiful expanse of blue sea while you laze about on the pristine imported sand in balmy 20C weather.
I took a tour to Montserrat in the afternoon. It's a mountain to the northwest of Barcelona where a monastery was built in homage to where a relic of the Virgin Mary was found. Montserrat translates to English as Saw Mountain (serrat like serrated) and true to its name, the jagged peaks of limestone looked very saw-like indeed. One rock formation on the mountain is called the camel, and a small triangular gap in the structure has been used in a death-defying wing suit jump. No thanks.
You could easy spend a full day up here walking all the hiking trails to various panoramic sites. I only had time to take the funicular up to Sant Joan, where the views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean were breathtaking. You could see the Pyrenees as well, off the in north. I got to try four types of local liquors as well, made by the monks at the monastery, because there's not much else to do on the mountain. There was a sweet herby one, a coffee one, a hazelnut one which was very good, and the last one was a creme brûlée cream liquor which was my favourite.
Yesterday, I did my laundry in the morning, then returned to the beach to take the cable car to Montjuic. It was quite a wait as there are only two cars, but the view of the city is awesome, and it was such a good day as well. I spent the entire afternoon around Montjuic, walking around the castle, various parks and the Olympic Stadium.
For dinner, I took the funicular back down to the city and found a highly rated paella place. I was seated at the bar next to three Singaporean girls, whose accents I had recognised. We had a good talk about travels and food, and it was refreshing to get that level of social interaction. They apologised for taking pictures of their food.
I laughed.
We shared our starters, which was really nice of them, and I also ended up eating some of their seafood paella because they couldn't finish it. The bar had been playing American music throughout the night, and we couldn't help but sing along when Britney's Hit Me Baby One More Time came up. So good. A really enjoyable dinner with excellent company and atmosphere.
A lot of the gentrification of Barcelona was the result of the World Expo and the Olympics. The infrastructure is well developed and it is incredibly easy to get around on the metro; the Barcelona public transport company even runs some of the funiculars. It remains as one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations and I can finally see why. Sagrada Familia alone was worth the trip here, but there is so much to see and do. The food has been fantastic and the weather absolutely glorious. I'd love to come back with a group of friends and enjoy tapas in its fullest form, with bottles of sangria and mojitos.
Adios Barcelona!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:21am on Monday May 22, 2017 :: 0 comments ::