Lisbon / Lisboa, Portugal (10/31/2021 - 11/05/2021)

It was nice to be back in Lisbon after roughly three decades since my last visit (as a child). I remembered nearly nothing about the place aside from narrow cobble stone roads and the complete inability to find our hotel. In all likelihood it remained mostly the same, albeit now a favourite destination for digital nomads, and wealthy non-EU citizens seeking a second passport for a nominal fee. An interesting coincidence with the 'digital nomad' comment above is that the "25 de Abril Bridge" has a very similar design to the Golden Gate Bridge. Unlike the home of the latter, Lisbon was very affordable, clean and safe. 

It is easy to fall in love with this city, with its tiny cafes and shops amidst a mixture of medieval, Pombaline (post-18th century earthquake that nearly erased the city), and modern buildings. It is heaven for fresh seafood lovers (first time I tried barnacles!), as well as those that partake in the enjoyment of pastéis de nata (custard tarts) - which I very much did. 

I did not have too much time to explore as this was travel for work, nor did I have a chance to go outside of Lisbon. I hope in the future I will have this opportunity.

Driving the Pacific Northwest (10/13/2021 - 10/28/2021)

Nearly 3.5 years ago, I had the great pleasure of driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco mostly along the Pacific Coast Highway, and had wanted to do something similar the first opportunity I could.

This time it was a drive from Seattle to Palo Alto where I had my next set of business meetings to attend to, instead of flying between the two cities. 

We first began by driving to Mt. St. Helens National Park (unfortunately we did not have time to go to the actual peak, which the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions of our lifetimes and the largest recorded landslide), then through Mt. Hood, the Warm Springs Reservation (surprisingly, after all these years, the first American aboriginal reservation I've visited), and spending the night in a cute little town in Oregon called Bend (which little to our knowledge served as a refuge for big tech employees during the pandemic). 

The next day began with a visit to Newberry National Volcanic Monument before heading to Crater Lake, which was honestly one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen (the pictures do it little justice, sadly).  

The last long drive finished with a night in Chico before heading into Point Reyes, San Francisco, and the Bay Area. 

The trip reminded me of the various national park and 'Americana' articles I used to read in National Geographic as a kid, and hope I can get the chance to do this in other parts of this great country.