This is going to take DAYS…
back home…
06 Monday Feb 2023
Tag Archives: travel
#ampacking
31 Tuesday Jan 2023
I have decided that I either have to start travelling a lot more or never again. Tomorrow I am getting on a plane for the first time since 2019 and, yep, am stressed AF. The goodish news is that Spain has decided to end the public transport mask mandate on February 8th (instead of the previously threatened Feb 1st date) so at least this trip is covered. So to speak. After this, no idea.
But I have to say… I have always hated flying. Everything about it, and not just the gut-clenching fear upon taking off that we are all going to crash and burn. It’s all the fucking lost time it takes. Sure, this flight is only 1 hour 25 minutes, but then there’s getting to the airport two hours ahead of time, and upon landing (if there are no delays) another hour or so until finally arriving at the hotel. So I will have to leave home about 10.45 in the morning to (hopefully) open my hotel room door at 3.30 pm. I have planned for this. Got my ear buds charged, got my music, etc. And of course I have already started packing.
marcello
26 Thursday May 2022
Posted in friends, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, tourism
My old pal Marcello @marcellobrito from Brazil is back in town for a travel fair and so of course I took him out on a tapeo. We can’t remember if it’s been 10 or 12 years since we last saw each other but in the end it doesn’t matter because it feels like just yesterday. Good times.
barcelona buddies
20 Friday May 2022
I’ll have a lot more to say about Barcelona later, because it was quite an amazing experience in so many ways and I am still processing everything. BUT… it would not have been anywhere near as happy for me if not for these two. I met Charlotte & Brian on one of my tapas tours last October and we really hit it off. So when I found out they have a second home in Barcelona and that they would be there early January, I planned to go there for my 65th birthday. But then… fucking Omicron happened, so I decided to stay put until hopefully things settled down. Then the Decanter commission came up and as luck would have it, Charlotte and Brian were going to be in Barcelona the same week I was planning to be there doing research – perfect timing!
Not only were they great company when we went out to the vineyards and out for dinner, Charlotte also kept me “company” on whatsapp during the week, and that really meant a lot. To be honest I had doubts about this trip, and not just Covid concerns. I hadn’t travelled anywhere (other than day trips) on my own since I went to Madrid in October 2019 and I was worried I might be hit by my old nemesis PANIC. Those of you who also suffer from panic attacks will know that even thinking about having an attack can bring one on, so just knowing Charlotte and Brian were there really eased my mind. Anyhow, more about Barcelona coming up next week. I’m so glad I went.
casa plaga
19 Thursday May 2022
Posted in coronavirus, covid, home, sevilla
So dammit. Last Sunday evening flatmate Peter was feeling under the weather, thought he might have a cold. But on Monday morning this was the result. Peter ever so slightly positive on the left, me on the right. He immediately went into quarantine in his room, with the balcony doors open for ventilation, mask on for occasional bathroom breaks. And I had to decide if I would still go to Barcelona. In the end I did go, which my friend Michael said was maybe the best thing I could do – get out of the house (casa plaga!) for a few days. So I may ride out the worst of the infectious part while I’m away. I really appreciate Peter being so considerate and responsible, keeping away from the rest of the (actually quite small) apartment and doing his best to help out. Let’s hope it’s a short Covid ride.
casa azahar 