The Witching Hour

"Eliago ... venitas ... tu ... supernas ... mondos ... inverna ..."

Madrid!

My first thought upon arriving in Madrid was how I might go about telling Jérôme that I would not be returning to Paris; that is to say, it made a good first impression; and I'm glad to say, a lasting one. Of course, it didn't hurt that my primary reason for visiting was to see my super-awesome friend Jaye, whom I had last seen in Oz many moons ago. How time flies.

Major Sebastian Bludd and Lady Jaye

Very Bad Trip

You can't see me.

Jaye kindly played the part of guide, showing me some of the best Madrid had on offer, such as the Museo del Prado, and otherwise communicating with the natives in Spanish at a level that quickly put my own to shame. Of the places we encountered, Buen Retiro Park, a vast public park adjacent to the museum, stood out. Wikipedia tells me that its name means "Park of the Pleasant Retreat". Indeed. Whether one is seeking a relaxing space to lounge alone or picnic with friends, or a public space for an intense workout, one will find it in El Retiro. The rose garden within is a hidden gem.

El Retiro

Fallen Angels

La Rosaleda del Retiro

My secondary reason for visiting Madrid was to have a nice change of scenery while trying to get some rather stress-inducing work done. On that point too, Madrid delivered.

I stayed at U Hostels, a "luxury hostel" operating in the heart of Madrid. There was a swing set just outside my door and I made good use of it each and every night. So obviously, I highly recommend the place. I booked a week in a 6-person mixed dorm. Most nights it was empty, save for me and a girl or two, all friendly and respectful - but good roommates in a hostel is just plain luck. The entire hostel was clean and well-maintained, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet it got within the room itself, whatever else was going on. However, the in-room wireless was pretty poor; so I preferred to work in the common areas in the lobby with occasional breaks in the cinema room. For some god-awful reason, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo was on popular repeat play with the kiddies, so these breaks were kept short. Very, very short.

My other favourite work spot was Cafetería Santander. The online reviews are mediocre at best. However, it was my experience while in Madrid that highly-rated establishments (cafes and restaurants) tended to be expensive and disappointing - bland food generally - while the lower-rated hangouts had the most delicious food at the best prices. I loved breakfasts at Santander - I always ordered the same item on the menu, and they always brought out a different dish; but whatever they did bring was fantastic, and usually better than what I thought I was getting. Great eggs. Great tea. Great desserts, oh yeah! The two waiters, one waitress, and manager were totally cool with me, night or day. It's that sort of café culture - pop into a joint for a small meal and hang out all day, working and people-watching - that I sorely miss when in Paris.

Swingin' at U Hostels, Madrid

Gran Cafetería Santander

The Amazingly Constipated Spider-Man.

Hey Paisanos!

Plaza Mayor

Fat Spider-Man and Mini Fat Spider-Man!!!

Puerta del Sol

Nerd that I am, I made a short trip to the National Science and Technology Museum of Madrid, located in an old railway station. From the reaction of the two guards at the front desk, I imagine I might have been the only person to ever do so; that is, visitors appeared to be a rarity. It had a few interesting artifacts. On the way out, one of the guards gifted me a Spanish-language DVD set containing lectures on infectious diseases. I'm still not quite sure what to make of that. Overall, small, cute, and worth a visit if you've got time to kill or are looking to add to your DVD collection.

Mad Scientists.

La Prophétie des Grenouilles: La Morte!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Turbo Teen

Un Grand Bi

The Joker's Daughter

Turtle Man Slows Down for No One.

The Legend of Turtle Man: the Aftermath

Devaki Quixote

See Devaki and Jaye.

See Devaki and Jaye Swing.

Swing Girls, Swing!

Train Station: The Next Generation

We had a rockin' adventure in El Escorial where ... well, you know, some things should stay just between the people who experienced them; the internet's not great at capturing magic. Suffice it to say, we landed in town on the perfect day of the year for a visit. Great night, lots of fun.

El Escorial

Labyrinth

The Parade

We can dance if we want to ...

We can leave your friends behind ...

'Cause your friends don't dance ...

And if they don't dance ...

Well they're no friends of mine.

Safety Dance.

Danny Carey wishes he was this good.

The Lords of Salem

The Royal Tenenbaums

Back in Australia, a number of acquaintances kept raving about Chocolateria San Churro to the point that I became curious and decided to give it a try. I can only fathom such crud as being popular because the locals have no idea what good chocolate or pastry is like. On the opposite extreme - Chocolatería San Ginés! It has been making "chocolate con churros" since 1894. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is so delicious. So ungodly delicious. There are criminal things I would be willing to do for just another taste.

CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was sad to leave Madrid. Good friends, great chocolate, friendly smiling beautiful people, and a very relaxed atmosphere ... a guy could get used to that. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can return.

Geneva

In the face of one's expectations, the reality of Geneva is a bit underwhelming, if not outright disappointing; it is perhaps fitting then that the U.N. sits there. Still, I only went in order to visit some of my oldest and dearest friends, and in that respect I had an absolutely fantastic time. To be fair, I've been told by those in the know that after three months of settling in, Geneva is a great place to be. Fair enough, I suppose; I've learned the hard way that visiting a place is nowhere near the same as living in that place.

Model U.N.

My fellow Marianopolis alumni, Felix and Marina, were gracious enough to host Igor and myself, respectively, though of course we all mostly hung out together. Seb was supposed to have joined as well, but visa issues intervened, as they tend to at the most inconvenient of times. Luckily we were still able to rope him in over Skype, and it was just like the old days.

That's a knife.

That was the best part: being able to just sit, talk, and catch up on life as old friends do. There was a fair bit of dining out, and we had a lovely brunch one morning at Au P'tit Bonheur. Highly recommended if you're in the area.

The second-best part was that I finally managed to get me a veritable Swiss Army Knife: the Victorinox Nomad! Ain't she a beaut? It was love at first sight, I must admit.

About the only other pleasant thing that comes to mind is the Jet d'Eau; literally a large jet of water shooting out from a fountain at the end of a small pier. Although much of the pier was swarming with tourists, the far end closest to the jet was mainly empty as people tried to avoid getting wet from the fine mist produced by the wind hitting the jet. So I headed over and was able to enjoy a very tranquil space in the heart of the city, the sound of the water drowning out all else.

Jet d'Eau

Bosom Buddies

The Ugly Duckling

A word of warning: shop around if you're in Paris and looking to get Swiss francs. I ended up changing $300 USD for 240 CHF at 2 Place Saint-Michel, 75006 Paris, France - the best deal I could get on short notice. Other nearby foreign exchange offices offered me 170 CHF. I call shenanigans.

I ♥ Montreal

“What’s so great about Montreal?”

Maybe it’s because Montreal at its best is a place where you can be childlike at any age; where sometimes a bus stop is replaced by a set of swings; where people are driven and creative and productive, yet still know how to relax and enjoy life; where great science is being done; where there is great richness and diversity in people, belief, language, culture, and an appreciation thereof - something the government of the day just doesn’t get; where it’s okay to just walk up to someone and start talking, and where you might just make a friend. Maybe it’s something else altogether. Or maybe it’s not great at all - I am admittedly biased - but I don't really believe that. I think Montreal really is great, and to see why you'll just have to visit for yourself.

As for me ... after a brief pit stop in Connecticut, I got a special ride back into town,

The Spider-Mobile

snapped a photo with my mum and my two favourite aunts,

My Family

and then got down to business.

La Banquise

I visited another famous Canadian Norman

The Doctor

and some very good friends I had not seen in ages

Three's Company

and some very good friends I had not seen in even longer ages

Two Statisticians and a Computer Scientist Walk into a Bar ...

and took a trip back in time to vintage Club Supersexe.

Free Hot and Cold Buffet. Also: Herpes.

I then had a very productive marathon session with the Sensei,

The BEST Academic Supervisors!!!

and finally had an authentic Montreal bagel at St-Viateur Bagel with Professor JP Budman and his assistant Mr. Pond.

Two Guys, No Girl, and a Bagel Place

A quick kiss

Svetla and Her Boys

and a farewell

Saying Good-bye.

and then I was off again.

Of course, there is so much more that I enjoyed than in these few photos: watching Breaking Bad with my cool roommates in the 341, dinner with Cait, workouts at one of my favourite gyms, babies and friends with babies, and every single night I got to hang out with Ivo, to name but a few. One of the best moments was a half-day spent with Crazy Russian Dave during which we zoomed around town on his motorcycle. I couldn't stop smiling the whole day.

AWESOME!!!

The Village

I heart you, Montreal. Until the next time ...