I'm back!
Well, I clicked my heels a few times, and now I'm back from Gambia and won't be traveling again for another month or so. I had a quick trip to Canada which prevented me from having a big "welcome back" for everyone (since, relativitistically speaking, you all went away from me :-). But I'm around now and "pre-employed", so have lots of free time to reconnect with friends. As I search for jobs (a few offers already in hand) I'm not restricting myself to SF, so don't assume I'll be around forever!
I saw Toronto for the first time, and while it was nice, I much preferred Montreal and Vancouver. Toronto was just too spread out - not a very walkable city by my standards, and the public transit, while efficient, was not sufficiently developed. (I tend to ignore bus lines, since there is no substitute for a good subway system!)
I also saw Madrid just before returning home. Like Barcelona, also very beautiful, but somehow more manageable. I much prefer Barcelona, and yet Madrid had its charms and seemed like a very serene and livable city, whereas Barcelona seemed more glitzy, modern, and active. (Madrid, as you recall, was where they held massive protests against gay marriage last year).
Hope to hear from and see my local blog-friends soon. For the others, I'll try to get some new pictures up soon.
I saw Toronto for the first time, and while it was nice, I much preferred Montreal and Vancouver. Toronto was just too spread out - not a very walkable city by my standards, and the public transit, while efficient, was not sufficiently developed. (I tend to ignore bus lines, since there is no substitute for a good subway system!)
I also saw Madrid just before returning home. Like Barcelona, also very beautiful, but somehow more manageable. I much prefer Barcelona, and yet Madrid had its charms and seemed like a very serene and livable city, whereas Barcelona seemed more glitzy, modern, and active. (Madrid, as you recall, was where they held massive protests against gay marriage last year).
Hope to hear from and see my local blog-friends soon. For the others, I'll try to get some new pictures up soon.