Vienna is, without any doubt, one of the most loved capitals in Europe. I had heard much about it, but had not found the moment to visit it properly, so I took advantage of a full week business trip there to start it a bit earlier and have the chance to feel what Vienna is all about.
Although it is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, it is not my type of city, although my perception can be slightly biased because of the weather (cold and grey) that accompanied us during our stay. The Austro-Hungarian Empire’s footprint is clear in every corner of the city, as Vienna was its capital for several centuries.
The Belvedere Palace and its garden is one of the key spots to visit. Schönbrunn is another interesting palace to visit, together with its gardens. We did not visit them during our tourist part, but I could enjoy it during a couple of early morning runs there.
But above all this, Vienna is known for the music. Most of us probably know Vienna’s New Year’s Concert in the Musicverein, which is the most popular concert in the world, but the mandatory visit in Vienna is its Opera, which is one of the busiest ones in the world, having a different play every day. It is also one of the most accessible ones, and anyone can buy very cheap tickets for that day’s play (do not expect to sit down, though).
Another thing you should not miss is the National Library, which is one of those gems that can be partially visited, a masterpiece in this city.
Overall, nice destination for a couple of days, and easily combined with other capitals within a short distance, like Prague or Bratislava. I will have to come back again, just for pleasure.
Taiwan is always a shocking destination for me. It reminds me to many other countries in the region, but to none of them completely. The island has belonged to China and to Japan, and both cultures are still present as of today. The way they use technology reminds me, on the other hand, to Korea.
People look at their phones all the time, regardless of what they are doing: working, driving, eating in a restaurant, or even in a date. They can be chatting with an intense use of smileys and GIFs, reading blogs or news, or simply playing a game. This makes me reflect whether this is where we are going or there is a culture factor that makes this addiction more extreme here than in Western countries.
At certain times of the day, you can see the streets full of children wearing their uniforms and, thanks to its safety environment, returning home on their own (in groups, though) from the school at a very young age.
Taipei is a futuristic city and the capital of a country which has a complicated political situation. China thinks that they are still part of the country, while some Chinese citizens consider it worth it to enter into a war to reconquer the island. In any case, you do not feel they are under a menace, unlike other areas in the region (for instance, Seoul).
This last visit to Taipei offered me the opportunity to discover it a bit better thanks to some free time, and wander around Taipei. I enjoyed the tasty street food in one of its many night markets, climbed Mount Elephant to see the sunset over the city, with the Taipei 101 (once the tallest building in the world) as a key element in its skyline, and just sat and enjoyed the hectic activity of the local people in their daily routine. I also visited the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, and headed to Tamsui, a small nearby town with older buildings and temples, and with a lot of seafood due to being closer to the ocean.
One thing that keeps surprising me when I am that far from home is the amount of information they have about Spain. The driver that took me to the company I was visiting was a young guy, who had never been abroad. He had never been outside Taiwan. Still, when I said I was from Spain, he immediately linked it to Cataluña, and he was really aware of what the situation was. I think there is a lot to learn from their education that makes everyone have a keen interest on what happens regardless of how far it is. My impression is that we are only really concerned for those news that affect countries like ours.
For instance, we are not aware at all of the typhoons they are constantly exposed to. I have been twice in Taiwan, and both times my return or some of my work there was in risk due to a typhoon approaching the island. In both cases, the typhoon did not hit Taipei in the end: either because of a sudden change of direction, or because of the typhoon weakening before arriving.
This last time was a combination of both cases, and the typhoon brought a lot of rain, but something still manageable: companies remained open, and I could fly back home in time.
These last few months I have been lucky enough to go to Lisbon a couple of times, with some time to wander around this city at the Tagus riverside, and full of history and life. The fact of having already been a tourist in this city allowed me the opportunity to enjoy it in smaller doses (my agenda did not allow me more, either, hehe).
I am sure I will be visiting it soon again, but for the time being, a short post with the pictures of Lisbon 2017/2018 visits, taken mostly during an early walk through the empty streets of the city in September, and a visit to the Cristo Rei, and to Caparica, in January.
When I was at college, I was about to go to a congress in Vancouver. It did not work out in the end, and ever since, Vancouver was somehow in my to-do list. Now, another conference had brought me there, and I have the impression that I would have seen a different city if I had come 15 years ago.
Canada in general, and Vancouver in particular, are going through a real estate bubble: plenty of new buildings are currently being built, and many others have been built in the last years. This is a bit surprising, as Canada is the second biggest country in extension in the world, and has less population than Spain. One would assume people do not need to live in skyscrapers in the city centre… but they do, and they pay for it. For instance, the whole waterfront, where the Congress Center, the cruise terminal and our hotel was, is less than 10 years old, and apartments prices there go up to one million USD.
People seem to be happy in general and, at least in August, they seem to have good quality of life, with mild temperatures, sunny days, and nature and sea really close by. You encounter plenty of good restaurants from all over the world, with a significant leadership of Asian ones. This brought my mouth and taste back to Japan a couple of times during our week in Vancouver.
Vancouver is not directly at the Ocean front, but in an inner bay, and that makes it a perfect host of several recreational ports, and water airports for the small planes flying to Vancouver Island. I could spend hours looking at the water aircrafts departing and landing, and it was quite entertaining to see the early morning docking activities when a big cruise arrived to the terminal, or how the pilot safely led these huge cruises into open waters, which is not an easy task due to the strong currents.
Once you leave the waterfront, all streets look very familiar: the typical appearance of North American cities. That look that we are tired to see in the movies: their particular signalling, the traffic lights after the crossings, wide lanes and big cars. The surge in prices have also created problems for many people, and the big number of homeless people is something that also strikes you when walking around the city.
When it comes to things to visit, there are not many “musts”, but you can be entertained for a few days easily. I would say Vancouver is a better place to live than to visit, or a nice complement when visiting other near nature destinations.
I was positively surprised by our first stop: Granville Island, a former industrial area which has been transformed into an entertainment area, with bars, restaurants, and a delicatessen market that makes you want to eat everything, from a piece of fruit to smoked fish.
Sunday was fully dedicated to tourism, and we spent the morning in the Anthropology Museum, which was in the opposite corner of the city, in the University. It is an interesting recommendation, as it mainly deals with the First Nations, i.e. the first inhabitants of that zone of the World before the Europeans arrived and changed everything. They are very present in the local culture (in the opening of our conference, for instance, there was a show by them) and they also seem to be protected by the law at some degree.
Other good spots are Stanley Park, a nice and convenient park in front of the waterfront area, or Chinatown, one of the most important ones in North America. As the main icon in the city, and a must for the tourists, Vancouver lists the Gastown Clock. This is a clock which runs with gas, and which whistles every hour in a very unique way.
In summary: not much to see, but lots to do, and a very comfortable atmosphere to chill out. That is Vancouver for me.
