Some people kill their braincells with drugs or alcohol. Mine are dying from three-day bus journeys.
On the first of three buses back to Sarajevo. I'm exciiiiiiteeeddddd. Also, don't think I've ever done the Dover border crossing in broad daylight.
I am in the process of discovering that 4gb of RAM is not enough to run Google Hangouts in Chromium and do anything else at all at the same time.
False alarm. It's not all vegan, and whilst they do have a large range of (labelled) vegan sorbets, they don't have any vegan non-sorbet ice cream. Slightly disappointed.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT. A VEGAN ICE CREAM SHOP JUST OPENED IN SARAJEVO. IN. SARAJEVO. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. STAND BY FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
London is TOO BIG ugh it's absolutely preposterous. Also I started with nearly £25 on my oyster card yesterday and finished with exactly £0.00 so somebody explain to me how daily capping works please? I admit there was a little bit of zone 5 involved, still this is absurd.
For the last year I have been honoured to be part of the OCCRP Data Team, working with and for amazing tecchies and journalists, wrangling data I'd never dreamed of and learning things about the world I never expected. I'm loathe to leave but change beckons and this month I'm excited to be joining the fully-remote data-wrangling-for-good workers cooperative Open Data Services. I'm honestly astounded I keep finding great jobs in tech that support my idealistic world view, let me make a living working for positive change, with people who share my ethical stances, whilst travelling the world. I know I'm astonishingly privileged to be able to be so picky about the kind of jobs I take in the first place. It's mindblowing that I have been consistently in work for the past few years despite this.
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Edinbraaaahhhh. Food at Snax, Herbivore Kitchen and Holy Cow; wandering near the Castle, Holyrood, and Forum.
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A walk through Holyrood on a sunny day. The Museum of Childhood; St Giles Catherdral; wandering through town. Buffalo 'wings' from Land of Bourbon; doughnuts from ConsiderIt; soup from Forest Cafe.
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Random Edinburgh, featuring vegan froyo from Frisky, the Suffragette March, and antics in the Hoose.
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Misc London, featuring food chez Laurel, chez Polly, at Piebury Corner, Bijou, and Vegan Yes. And transit to Dover.
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Delicious, beautiful, slightly drizzly Sarajevo.
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Vegan potluck at Prana; cafe wandering with good people.
Data Team trip to the Bobsled track, and down on the cable car.
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Last day in Sarajevo, one night in the yoga studio, road trip to Croatia..
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London -> Prague -> Vienna -> Sarajevo.
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TFW you politely decline an invitation to speak at a meeting and then they want an explanation why. When I first declined, I ran through possible explanations and excuses in my head, and then decided I don't need to justify myself. Then the follow-up just threw me. I've been working for years on saying no to stuff, on not over-committing, on focusing on few things at once. I can finally do it, and I don't owe anyone an explanation when I can't perform free labour relating to a distant side project that I'm barely involved in any more. And yet. Just.. respect peoples' energy and time, folks.
I stayed a month in the Trójmiasto (Tri-City) area on the north coast of Poland. The three cities, Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk, are connected by a handy fast train, or stunning walks along beaches or through the woods. There were plenty of veg*n places to eat, and I didn't get to try everything on HappyCow. But here's what I did try: Gdynia i Krowa Kala A vegan burger bar right outside the SKM exit of the main Gdynia train station. I went there a few times due to convenience on my way back from the city center. It's open late, and has a lot of varied options. No English menu, however, and staff didn't seem keen on translating anything for me. Since it was all vegan, I picked at random. There's wifi, but no power that I could see (I didn't look very hard) and not much seating. (I never saw it full though.) I tried a seitan burger one time, and a tofu grill another time. Both pretty decent. Full of salad and sauces, and hard to eat. The bread is toasted, which doesn't help. They also offer pita though (and gluten-free bread). The fries were particularly good, seasoned with something a little spicy. On another occasion I got 'pierogi samosa', because I had to know... and they were neither pierogi nor samosa. More like mini deep fried cornish pasties stuffed with samosa vegetables? A big portion though, and they travelled well. They have different desserts here every day, too. One time I got a really great jam-filled doughnut. If I ever get back there, I want to try the pita with deep fried oyster mushrooms. They were out when I asked for it. I got a falafel pita instead, with distinctly non-traditional falafel, but still good (the next day, in Amsterdam). Bio-Pierkarnia A chain of eco-bakeries, with multiple branches in all three cities (though not all of the branches listed on HappyCow actually seem to exist). I mostly went to the one next door to i Krowa Kala, for obvious reasons. It's not all vegan, but about one third of their cakes, pastries and desserts are. The one by Gdynia station also has a wide range of vegan grocieries, and takeaway sandwiches and salads, some of which are vegan. Good prices. My favourite cake was an amaranth chocolate slice, which I will continue to fantasise about for years. It's nothing special generally I think, I just have a special taste for that particular kind of cake. On other occasions, I had a fruit tart, chocolate orange muffin, ... Bioway A canteen-y sort of place in town, all vegetarian and the staff were able to tell me what was vegan. Pretty hearty and healthy stew-type options which were all pre-prepared. More stuff on the menu, but I was lazy to find out what it was. Not overly exciting, but good for want of anything else. Veganica I spotted this place in Gdynia; it wasn't on HappyCow. Felt pretty new, staff still seemed to be finding their feet. I'd just eaten, so I had a random smoothie. It was.. pretty bad. I saw her putting water in, which was an obvious red flag. So yeah, needs work. Maybe the food is better. (All veggie, not all vegan). Tlok A nice cafe for working, which always has one vegan cake on offer, and takes coffee very seriously. I spent a morning there. Sopot There's a GreenWay here right off the pier. A convenient location, but I never ended up in Sopot over a mealtime, so I didn't go there. Kulki Anulki An organic icecream shop with a few vegan options, not far from the beach. I asked for a recommendation and was told to try the banana and dark chocolate together. I never eat two scoops of ice cream of any kind, and I wouldn't normally go for banana. But I did as suggested, and it was incredible. The banana by itself was way better than I expected, and coupling with the bitter chocolate brought out some kind of amazing tang. Gdansk Vege Port This was hands down my favourite place. I went there a bunch of times. On some occasions, I took the train all the way to the suburbu of Wrzeszcz just to eat here, then left again. Or I looked for excuses to pass through Wrzeszcz on my way to or from an adventure. It's all vegan, and they have an exceptional pizza menu. There are also other dishes, a combination (not fusion) of Polish and Italian. The homemade lemonades are good too; one time there was rhubarb. They also have cake and ice cream. My favourite pizza was one with not-chicken, pickled cucumber, and crispy onions. Pickles on a pizza! Revolutionary. The cheese was delicious and melty always, and the more ordinary pizza toppings were perfectly cooked. They have a range from very simple to fairly unusual options. I also tried gnocchi bolognese and 'rollo', a not-chicken wrap. Atmosphere is nice (wifi, power), it was rarely busy, and the staff are super friendly (maybe because they saw me so frequently). Once I stopped by just before closing and they were cashing up, but they still made me a pizza and let me stick around another 20 minutes to eat it. I took a non-vegan local on one occasion, who subsequently return without me, with other non-vegans, who were similarly impressed. I think this may be a tie for my favourite ever vegan pizza, with Vegazzi in Budapest. Avocado There are two branches of Avocado that I went to, and whilst definitely the same mini-chain, they had quite different menus. I went to one at dinner time and one at lunchtime though, so maybe that was a factor. Both good. Within walking distance of Brezno beach is a large space, with a really big and varied dinner-type menu. I ate creamy coconut tofu and fresh spinach curry, and a really fantastic cake. I picked the cake for it's fluffy coconut exterior, and to my surprise and delight the inside revealed itself to be layers of chocolate and sour cherry. I could be convinced that this was a magic cake that adapts to the desires of the eater. The other Avocado is in Wrzeszcz. It's on the same street as the vegan supermarket, and Fukafe, and the other side of the station from Vege Port. Location is top, but the space is much much smaller. I ate deep fried pancakes, stuffed with lentils and spinach, with a really good side salad. The cakes looked good too, but Fukafe next door has a wider range of fancier ones, and was calling me. Fukafe A wide range of fancy cakes and coffees. Not cheap, but quite spectacular and unusual selection, so worth it. A nice atomosphere (wifi, power) to hang around for a while, too. I tried an iced latte, and a spinach cake. On another occasion I went in for a cookie but they had none, so I took a coconut energy ball to go instead. It was the only thing that would travel well, though I wouldn't normally go for that as they are so often disappointing. This one however, even after a day of sitting in my backpack on buses, was really great; moist and rich. Spozyvczak An all-vegan supermarket in Wrzeszcz. It has all the usual stuff, at all the usual (highish) prices. I stocked up on Vego, and they also have a freezer full of great looking ice creams, though I never got one (having always passed by after stuffing myself at Fukafe or Vege Port). Atelier Smaku A gormet vegan gluten-free foodtruck. I finally got vegan pierogi from there; they weren't great, but they were cheap and filling. You can also buy them from the vegan supermarket to cook at home. No English menu, but it is on the website. Guga Spicy Guga Spicy sits beside Guga Sweet, by the river in Gdansk. Guga Sweet is a bakery, and was closed when I stopped by, but on request they ran across to fetch desserts from there in Spicy. It was really expensive, and clearly in a generally expensive area of the city. I passed by chance on the Long Night of Museums, surprised to find them open after 10pm. I ate summer rolls (on the menu as spring rolls, which is misleading... I love spring rolls, I only like summer rolls). They were good anyway. I followed with a giant bowl of udon packed full of vegetables, seaweed, and tofu. I took a coconut 'bounty' cake to go, which was fantastic for breakfast the next morning. Manna68 A nice fairly formal restaurant, close to the touristy area of Gdansk, I was randomly wandering different streets on my way to the train station (to go to Wrzeszcz for Vege Port) when I passed this place by chance. I'd seen it on HappyCow, but not felt inspired to seek it out. But since I was there, I stayed. It's not cheap, but not unreasonable. I ate mole chilli, which was not spicy, but quite chocolatey. They have a brownie on the menu which can get you a free coffee if you guess six ingrediants.. I was tempted, but went with a chocolate mousse instead. It was disappointing! It had good toppings - almonds and pomegranate - but should have been darker and richer. The espresso was ridiculously tiny. Oh also for some reason in the the bathrooms the audio playing was a Spanish language learning tape (phrases repeated in English then Spanish) but with really bizarre sentences. Couldn't tell if real. If you want to know what I did in Poland when not eating, try my posts from May.
Vegan in Trójmiasto (Gdynia / Sopot / Gdansk)
Part one of Vegan in Vienna earlier this year. I passed a few hours in Vienna this afternoon, between buses. It's a Sunday, so not a lot of food options. I walked (about an hour) from Stadion bus terminal to Vegetasia, an all-vegan Chinese buffet. The food was really good, from fried stuff, to fresh stuff, to rice, noodles, soups, and sushi. Ooh and savoury bao! There were desserts too, but I didn't have space. All-you-can-eat is €10.90, and by Vienna standards this is damn good value. I also had a 'cocktail' of aloe vera, lychee and lime, for €6.50, which was generously sized (though too sweet for me really, I've gotta stop ordering lychee things). The interior is well-lit and spacious too, and there are also tables outside (I'd had enough of sun by then). The staff are friendly, and there's wifi. Main drawback is they close between 1500 and 1700, so I couldn't stay there longer. Then I walked, about 35 minutes, to Erdberg bus station.
Spent half a day in Amsterdam, saw some cool people at WebSci. Took a nightbus to London. Three days getting to know the Open Data Services dev team, who have generously agreed to employ me for the forseeable future. Went to Citizen Beta's civic tech meetup. Briefly caught up in Hull trains' crisis, but eventually made it to Lincolnshire and spent the weekend with family. Hid in a box to surprise my brother on his 21st birthday. He was not surprised.
A few days with Tigo bird and family. Train to Edinburgh. Co-working in CodeBase; maxin', relaxin', (eating) with friends. Sat in a salt cave for an hour (it was free). No appreciable difference to my nasal functions.
Nightbussed from Edinburgh to London. Spent far too much money travelling around London to see people. Also did some co-working. Fixed a bug, broke the tests, fixed the tests, etc. Hung out with these puppies. Nightbussed to Vienna, via Prague; spent a Sunday afternoon in Vienna (eating). Bussed to Sarajevo.
Hung out in the OCCRP office. Saw the sights of beautiful Sarajevo; went to Karuzo; hiked from Bukovik to Skacavac. 3 yoga classes. Watched a chunk of newest Brooklyn Nine Nine. Tinkered with sloph (some progress on fixing broken tagging). Worked 3 days.