Accidentally in Code

Tag: travel

  • Medellin, Colombia, April 2015

    Medellin, Colombia, April 2015

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    I started my South American adventure in Medellin, Colombia. Four days to get acclimatised, remember my rudimentary high school spanish, and explore.

    I stayed at the Dann Carlton hotel, which was lovely. The staff were super nice, and breakfasts were tasty.

    First tourist stop were the Botanical Gardens which were lovely (with a great restaurant – In Situ), and then the Museo de Antioquia by the Plaza Botero which is the Medellin collection of Botero‘s art. I’m obsessed with the artist, and love his work, so I actually went back a second time!

    Another stop was Parque Norte, the cab had driven back on the way to the Botanical Gardens and I had seen a plane! So of course I looked it up, discovered it was a theme park, and obviously I had to go. I love planes. It was a bit drizzly and a lot of the rides were closed but it was pretty and super fun! The plane wasn’t as exciting as in my imagination but was still pretty awesome – it’s been turned into a ride. Video plays in the windows, and the seats move from turbulence.

    I also went to the Museo El Castillo, which is a house set in beautiful grounds, with a tour that shows off the family’s collection. The tour is in Spanish, so I followed very little of it, but it was a cool place. I also stopped at the Modern Art Museum which was small but interesting. One of the last adventures was taking the metrocable! It was a Monday so a large section of it was closed, but I got to see some pretty cool views of the city, and to experience Medellin public transport which was actually very nice.

    All in all – I adored Medellin and would love to go back one day!

  • Berlin, March 2015

    Berlin, March 2015

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    I went back to Berlin to… tie up loose ends, I guess you could say. Mostly I worked and caught up with friends but I did have time for a little touristing in one of my favourite cities.

    Stayed at the Movenpick which was nice, and after discovering it was a twin room (the horror!) was actually upgraded to a suite. Got brunch at Chipps (twice!) and Aroma (lovely), and had lunch at YamYam (tasty) and dinner at Dolores (spicy) and Shiso Burger, and ice cream at Amorino, juice at Daluma. Went back to my old neighbourhood and was nostalgic with dinner at Reischale, brunch at Roamers, and of course Tabibito.

    Took a walk through the park in the centre, Tiergarten, past the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and where I was finally able to see the Homosexual Memorial (charming and voyeuristic). There was also something nearby called the Global Stone Project. Also went up the TV tower which is cool, something I did my first trip to Berlin but not since.

    Went to the Dali museum. I’ve written about how Dali was a pretty reprehensible human being but I remain obsessed with his art. It was a small collection with some quite dark pieces, and drawings. Expensive but worth a visit if you love his art. I really love large collections by one artist, because you get to see the recurring themes and how they evolve.

    Anyway what can I say? I love Berlin and I’ll be back again — soon.

     

  • Malta, March 2015

    Malta, March 2015

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    In between conferences I decided I needed some sunshine and R&R. I ended up in Malta with my mom, which was not particularly sunshiny… or relaxing.

    But it was definitely interesting. First, the greatest public transport experience of all time – there was an owl on the bus.

    Other than that, Malta is in a strategic location at the edge of Europe and so has a pretty violent history; it’s essentially an island fortress. The stories of World War II were harrowing, covered in detail at the Malta at War Museum. We saw the overview at The Malta Experience which also – unexpectedly – turned into a tour of an old hospital and some descriptions of somewhat brutal medieval medical care.

    My favourite was taking the boat, private tiny boats across the harbour are a couple of euro each, and there is also a longer tour around the harbour, which we did at sunset – beautiful. The views from the Upper Barrakka Gardens were fabulous – another great thing to do at sunset. Casa Rocca Piccola was another favourite, it’s a beautiful house with an interesting history and a pet parrot! We also went to the National Museum of Fine Arts, there were a few paintings I admired but a lot of violent religious ones which are really not to my taste.

    We went to Mdina, which was a long bus ride (~90 minutes, no owl). The town wasn’t particularly exciting, we got a ticket that got us into four things, including a train ride, the Domus Romana (a Roman building), and some catacombs.

    Gozo is the other island, and we went with a tour. It included the Ġgantija Temples (meh), Dwejra Bay (very pretty), and Rabat where we got to wonder around a bit.

    In general the attractions in Malta aren’t particularly expensive, but they are small and don’t take much time to go around so the touristing starts to add up.

    We stayed at the Hotel Juliani, which was pretty nice. The room was a bit cramped, and the shower a bit erratic temperature-wise, although we had a lovely balcony that 10 degrees warmer I would have really appreciated. The hotel restaurant though, Zest, was fantastic. We went to Waterbiscuit for breakfast (fabulous food, tiny portions, slow service), had dinner at Zeri’s (lovely) and Assaggi which was amazing.

  • Creative Solitude

    Creative Solitude

    Danbo Phelps
    Credit: Flickr / Andrés Nieto Porras

    Before I  left for South America I kept being asked “aren’t you going to be lonely” like loneliness is some terrible thing to be avoided at all costs.

    Since I’ve been here, people have been commenting “you seem to be very productive” and it’s true. I have been.

    I say, “I’m embracing a kind of creative solitude.”

    And yeah, definitely at times it’s been lonely. And overwhelming. I’ve gone and eaten pizza (I almost never eat pizza) because it’s easy. I’ve cried, once. I’ve taken out the Xanax… but managed not to swallow it.

    I see loneliness as a normal part of being human, and I think sometimes it’s healthy to embrace it. Fearing it keeps us in bad relationships (friends, roommates, lovers).

    So yeah it’s been a little lonely. But quite creative. And very productive. And actually… I’m pretty content.

  • Amsterdam, March 2015

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    I was in Amsterdam very briefly for mdevcon, which was great – I gave a workshop and a talk in two days so I didn’t feel like I got to experience much of the conference, but I did meet some lovely people and they treated the speakers really well. Including picking me up at the airport with a sim card and travel pass! And waiting patiently when I had to go back through because I had somehow walked right past my luggage.

    This was my third time in Amsterdam. It’s a great city – I need to go back and spend more time there. No time and/or mental capacity to see anything, so I just contented myself with some walks around the city and managed to meet a twitter friend in real life – always awesome!

    I stayed at the NH Hotel, which was fine, and the Sheraton Airport Hotel which was nice (huge bathroom). Brunch at Greenwoods (lovely), delicious sandwiches at Singel 404 (great but so busy at lunchtime) and Broodje Bert, crepes at Pancakes! Amsterdam, and an amazing speaker dinner – what a view – at Blue. The conference venue was Pathé Tuschinski, which was super cool.

  • Internet-Lite

    Internet-Lite

    danbo typewriter

    I’m in Mendellin, Colombia for four days. I had hoped to take a break for a bit but I can’t because 1) things (potentially good things! but still things) have come up. 2) I’m behind from being sick before I came, and it taking 2 days to get here.

    The hotel internet is terrible. It’s really slow. It took nearly an hour to download a 2 minute video I needed to watch. As I try to put the next issue of Technically Speaking together, Google Docs keeps freezing. Dealing with my email took 2x as long as it should have.

    I couldn’t live like this all the time, mostly because I can’t work like this. But every so often I like to experience life with poor internet connectivity. I think it makes me more empathetic as a developer, more attuned to the offline case, more sympathetic to those who live with poor internet every day.

    It also makes me more aware of my own habits of mindless consumption. Endlessly clicking on things. My impatience when something takes time to load so I just find myself opening MOAR TABS instead. Why it is that I can’t just accept that I won’t be able to see that picture of an adorable hedgehog, or animated GIF of a hyped-up squirrel?

    But I think the best thing about being without internet is that it forces me outside to go and explore, and reminds me that I don’t need the internet to create.

  • Other People, and Travelling Alone

    Other People, and Travelling Alone

    You smell really good, pretty kitty!
    Credit: Flickr / Takashi Hososhima

    My friend and I have been planning a South American adventure in Santiago. I had just finalised all my flights and then she told me… she had been accepted to speak at a really awesome conference and it clashed with our plans.

    After we discussed the situation together, she concluded that, ironically, it was thanks to my encouragement that she was able to do this.

    Apparently a side effect of starting a newsletter that I had not considered – it might be surprisingly popular, people would find it helpful… and I’d end up on my own in Santiago.

    Whilst I was a bit thrown and somewhat disappointed, I’m really happy for and proud of my friend.

    Which I feel is tied to a broader life philosophy that I follow when it comes to this kind of thing – I only arrange to do things with other people that I am happy to do by myself.

    Without our planning this adventure together, I would probably have booked a flight to Chiang Mai. But South America actually works out slightly better time-zone-wise. And I’m sure it’ll be fine. I am used to travelling alone. I actually love it.

    It was work to love it, because it is, at times, harder. I worked at it, and how I did that is one of my more widely read posts and ended up on Lifehacker.

    But whenever I waver in this, I think about an ex boyfriend who had this list of things that he had wanted to do but hadn’t wanted to do by himself (not that he exactly made inroads on that list whilst we were together, either).

    This is my greatest fear: to miss out on life because I’m waiting for someone to share it with.

    I had planned to write about how this was a really good strategy for planning travel with other people – and how solo-travel can be complementary to travelling with other people. And I think this is true.

    But outside of travel, I wonder about the broader implications of my need for self-sufficiency. And whether I’m missing out by refusing to rely on other people.

    Eventually I concluded that I want a life full of interesting people doing amazing things, and to be that myself. Which means unpredictability, adventure, and at times the prioritisation of something else than what was originally planned. Amazing things require support, but also space and freedom to be achieved. Sometimes the space is harder to give.

  • Things I May Never Get Used To In Berlin

    Things I May Never Get Used To In Berlin

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    I have loved spending a few months in Berlin. I’ve loved my leisurely exploration of the city, and the fabulous people I have met.

    But there are some things I may never not find bizarre.

    Lack of credit cards. Most places are cash only! There aren’t even that many ATMs! This drives me mad.

    Fizzy water. Urgh. Expats seem to use willingness to drink this as a measure of how much you have amalgamated.

    Only one water fountain at the gym. I’m convinced that this is because water fountains dispense only still water.

    No kettlebells at the gym. Apparently this is because people were letting go and injuring each other? Bizarre. I found a really nice gym, but I do feel a bit like I’ve been transported back to the 00s there.

    Cyclists on the pavement. The cycle paths I have learned to look out for (after a couple of near misses). But people cycling on the pavement? Sometimes whilst talking on their mobile phones? Ai.

    Dogs, everywhere. I am terrified of dogs and in Berlin they are everywhere. On streets, in restaurants, tied up outside the grocery store, just roaming around.

    Waiting to cross the road on a deserted street. I don’t have the patience not to jaywalk.

    Grocery stores shut on Sundays. This requires a degree of organisation around food beyond what I am capable of.

  • Things I Love About Berlin

    Things I Love About Berlin

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    It’s been a great couple of months in Berlin. I feel like I could live here forever, but I’m not going to act on that yet. After-all, leaving is one of my special talents.

    But, I made a list of some of my favourite things.

    So walkable. I’ve taken public transport less than 10 times whilst I’ve been here.

    Loads to do. If you follow my this week posts you’ll see that I explore somewhere new each week. I was worried at first that it would be too dark, because the history here is very brutal, but actually there is a lot to do and see that doesn’t relate to the horrors of WWII.

    Abandoned places. So many that there is a blog all about it! I love abandoned places (I visited the abandoned theme park, and the abandoned airport).

    Great, cheap, food. Most meals are <10EUR, and I’ve come to think of meals over 15EUR as incredibly decadent.

    Chilled vibe. Berlin feels pretty relaxed, especially compared to say, London. Pedestrians can walk slowly without fear of repercussions. People are nice.

    Friendly. People in Berlin have been super welcoming to me, and I’ve been lucky to make some great friends.

    Quality of life is really good. Mostly the combination of all of these, but my overall impression is that people live in Berlin because they value that. Tech workers work hard, but not crazy hours. People will make last minute plans, or meet in the afternoon for coffee.

    People visit. I’ve had visitors from Canada, NZ, and the UK. The combination of cheap flights from London and the city itself brings people over.

    Bike lanes. If I actually move to Berlin, the first thing I will do is get a bike – there are bike lanes everywhere which is amazing. (Then, maybe I will get a bowl. And a hedgehog).

    Architecture. The buildings are beautiful, and wildly varying from one another. In general, I love cities where you can see the sky.

    Water. I love living near water, and I have been living really close to a river. There’s also an island in the centre of town (Museum Island).