Botanic garden - Belfast

The botanic garden in Belfast is beautiful and we found some gorgeous and exotic plants both in the gardens and inside the greenhouse.

O jardim botânico em Belfast é lindo e encontramos flores bonitas e espectaculares tanto nos jardins como dentro da estufa. 

What did you think? Interesting, isn't it?

Que acharam? Interessantes, não são?

The post before

I see life as an adventure and I always try to take the best out of every situation. The post published just before (below this post) was written during a bad moment. I tried to humour it which means I was at least having a pretty good day.

We took the job in Prague because it was an offer for both me and Johan. We knew how difficult it can be to find a job, let alone two jobs in the same city. We took the job despite its low salary, never guessing it would be further decreased afterwards. We had met the boss a couple of times before in conferences. He seemed ok. After a week on the job I realised that the job was really not what I wanted. I thought I was hired for my technical skills but when I got there I was not allowed to touch "the buttons" I had touched daily for three years in my previous job. We felt we were expected to work a lot more hours than the regular eight stated in the contract. Truth is, we did more in eight hours than most our colleagues in ten. We were always under great pressure and being pushed and constantly asked to show results. That worked in the opposite direction. I have worked under pressure and it's ok when it's necessary, but it was hard to deal with when it was for no reason and applied on only the two of us. We started being less efficient. Others were less efficient and didn't get as much pressure, so... It didn't work but the deadlines started to be at least a bit more doable. We also learned how to say no. In time, we noticed other problems as well. There was no communication whatsoever. We never knew what was going on in the group. We could be performing an experiment that the boss had already done the week before, unsuccessfully. We would spend three weeks finding the same problems he had found before, but for some reason didn't tell us. We wasted a lot of time that way. There were no compliments (I got one once, in two years) but there was laughing at me when i made mistakes several times. We had a feeling he didn't like our work. On our last month he asked my replacement to pick my brains on this and that, because I did it really well. He had never said it to me directly. It would have helped my motivation. A lot. 

I had already been doubting if this was the career I wanted and the two years at that job made it much much worse. The working ways represented quite exactly everything that is wrong with research these days. The objective of the group was not to advance in scientific knowledge but to increase the number of publications. That meant loads of publications, in average to low quality journals, without good enough results. As soon as any of us had put together 3 graphs we would be asked immediately to start writing an article. No matter how good or important the results were. A few days before our last day the boss asked us to be back two days after our contract ended, to help him look good to some visitors. We refused. The contract would be over. He had no clue of how we felt. He also expected us to finish papers in the following months, that had not been finished. The plan was to finish everything during my contract but he kept giving me new tasks and I ended up not having enough time. The day we said goodbye, the last time I saw him, he shook our hands and told us "so, after you move and when you are ready to work send me an email". Ready to work??? We are leaving and we are never ever going to work for you again! He REALLY didn't understand anything. We made it clear (again!) that our papers would be taken care by our replacements and we wouldn't be dealing with things anymore. A novelty in the scientific world, not working beyond your contract.

I was really unmotivated during those two years. I was so unhappy. I dragged myself to work every morning like if I was going to my own funeral. Sunday evenings were dreadful and I refuse to even attempt to remember going back from vacation. I was always tired. I blamed it on my running but I knew it was not. I had no energy to go out. I stopped having a social life. There was a lot of sadness and there were a lot of tears. Sometimes, I wonder if I even touched upon depression. I was glad me and Johan were in this together. We not only supported each other but we were also the proof that we were not crazy. It was real, we both felt the same way. We longed for the day we would leave. We left. The happiest day was actually the one that happened a year ago. The moment we told the boss we were leaving. The disappointment in his eyes was priceless. He did care about us, so why were we treated that way? Why was everybody in the group treated that way? I will never understand.

No one deserves to feel that way. I hope none of you does, and if you do something is wrong. It is not supposed to be this hard. Or at least I want to believe so. This was the last time I wrote about this. Looking back I know it took me months to recover. To let go of the hate and of the cloudiness in my chest, but it's all gone now. I won't even think about it anymore. It's behind me now. 

Now, I will go out enjoy the sun, the day and life in general.

10 signs you might need a new boss*

1. In your first day she/he pointed to all equipment and cited the price.
2. She/He asked you to start doing something complex at 16h on your 2nd day, making you stay 4h extra that day.
3. She/He asked you if you are coming on Saturday during your first week.
4. She/He decreased your salary after 2 months, blaming it on miscalculations.
5. She/He laughs at your written grammar, but she/he makes worse mistakes.
6. She/He still uses internet explorer?
7. Her/His way is the only way.
8. Her/His motto is: More pressure more motivation.
9. Her/His other motto is: quantity is more important that quality.
10. She/He thinks she/he is the best boss in the world.

Key:
1-2 options are true: it might not be perfect, but it never is.
3-4 options are true: start looking up for other options.
5-9 options are true: you are desperate to leave!
All of the options above are true: you should have left, preferably the day before you started!!!

*I wrote the text above on a really bad day at work. That day I realised I really had to leave my job as fast as I could. I held on to this post and I thought I would publish it on the day I would finally quit. That day is today for me (YAY!), as I am writing, but it was a year ago for you, that are reading. I decided to not publish this post today, because liking it or not I still have to work for another 3 months and it would not be correct to publish this just yet. That's why you had to wait for a year to laugh at my magic quiz!

You got to love Sweden #12 - Services

Services in general are great and very efficient in Sweden. 

Here is an example from today:

I had an appointment at 14:50, at the migration office to take my photo and fingerprints for an ID card. As a good Swede-pretend I got there at 14:42. I was welcomed by a nice lady who registered my arrival through my appointment code. She asked me to take a seat and wait until my code was called on the TV screen. I sat. In less than 60s I was called. My photo was taken. My fingerprints were taken. I signed on the machine. That was all.

I exited the office at 14:49.

The card is free.

The card will be sent to my address.

No fuss.

PS. Of course not everything is a bed of roses and I have had to stand in queues here as well, but for less time, and way less often than in all the other places I have lived.

Em geral os serviços na Suécia são bons e eficientes.

Aqui está o exemplo de hoje:

Tinha marcação às 14:50 para ir aos serviços de emigração para que me tirassem uma foto e as impressões digitais, para fazer um cartão de identidade. Como uma boa sueca-a-fingir cheguei lá às 14:42. Fui recebida por uma senhora simpática que registrou a minha chegada através do codigo da minha marcação. Disse para me sentar e esperar que o meu código fosse chamado no ecrã. Sentei-me. Em menos de 60s fui chamada. Tiraram-me a foto- Tiraram-me as impressões digitais. Assinei na máquina. Tudo pronto.

Saí de lá às 14:49.

O cartão é gratuito.

O cartão vai ser mandado para o meu endereço.

Sem problemas.

PS. Claro que nem tudo é assim tão bom e também já tive que esperar em filas, mas nunca tão demoradas nem tão frequentemente como em todos os outros sítios onde morei.

Amanhã tenho teste

Há anos que não dizia isto.
Amanhã tenho teste.
Pequeno, mas ainda assim um teste, por isso hoje não vou escrever a história semanal do costume.
Para a semana...


Tomorrow I have a test.
I can't remember the last time I said this.
Tomorrow I have a test.
It's a small test, but still a test, so I won't write the usual weekly story.
Next week I will...

See you in 4 years

For two weeks I had the olympics for company. All the time I was home I had the TV on. I watched golf and wrestling for the first time ever. I watched diving and water polo for the first time in four years. I watched, mesmerised, the best gymnasts in the world do their thing. I supported the underdogs in table tennis, tennis, basketball, handball and in other sports. I supported Portuguese athletes. I supported Swedish athletes. I supported other athletes. I admire their effort and their fair play. I enjoy reading about the stories of the olympics. Like the boy who 8 years after taken a picture with his idol, beat him in the pool. Or the girl who stumbled, lost her shoe and ran her race barefoot. Or the man who after beating cancer, trained hard and got a gold medal. Or the girls who got engaged right there, in front of the whole world. That's what the olympics are all about. It's not (only) about the medals or who wins and who loses. It's about the tears of happiness. It's about the tears of disappointment. It's about persistence, motivation and willingness. It's about fair play. It's about peace. 

And that's why I will miss the olympics, as I always do.
207 weeks waiting.
2 weeks enjoying.
Persistence.

Durante 2 semanas tive os jogos olímpicos como companhia. Sempre que estava em casa a TV estava ligada. Vi golfe e luta greco-romana pela primeira vez na vida. Vi mergulhos para a piscina e polo aquático pela primeira vez em quatro anos. Vi, pasmada, os melhores ginastas do mundo a fazer aquilo que melhor sabem. Apoiem os mais fracos em pingue pongue, ténis, basquetebol, andebol e em outros desportos. Apoiei atletas portugueses. Apoiei atletas suecos. Apoiei outros atletas. Admirei o seu esforço e fair play. Adorei ler sobre as suas histórias. Como a do rapaz que oito anos depois de ter tirado uma foto com o seu ídolo, o bateu na piscina. Ou a rapariga que tropeçou, ficou sem um sapato e fez o resto da corrida descalça. Ou o homem que depois de bater o cancro, treinou que nem um louco e ganhou uma medalha de ouro. Ou a das raparigas que ficaram noivas ali mesmo, em frente ao mundo inteiro. É sobre tudo isto que são os jogos olímpicos. Não são (só) sobre medalhas, quem ganha e quem perde. São sobre lágrimas de alegria. São sobre lágrimas de frustração. São sobre persistência, motivação e força de vontade. São sobre fair play. São sobre paz.

E é por tudo isto que eu vou sentir saudades dos jogos olímpicos, como sempre sinto.
207 semanas à espera.
2 semanas a aproveitar.
Persistência.

Scottish Highlands

Last time I had been in Edinburgh was back in 2011. It was summer. My sister was on vacation and joined as well. Johan had just defended his Ph.D. thesis and was about to move out of Scotland. After being in the city for a couple of days we decided to take an excursion to the Scottish Highlands. There's a lot to see in the Highlands, as it is a very rich area in history, and probably the best way to visit the area is to rent a car, but there are also many excursions by bus. We found a bus tour that took us to a few iconic sights and we had a good time. The weather helped! For some reason, that trip never got posted here and I took the chance to do it now. 

A última vez que tinha estado em Edimburgo foi em 2011. A minha irmã estava de férias e encontramo-nos lá. O Johan tinha acabado de defender a sua tese de doutoramento e estava prestes a mudar-se da Escócia. Depois de estarmos na cidade uns dias decidimos fazer uma excursão pelas Terras Altas escocesas (Highlands). Há muito para ver porque é uma área muito rica em história. Provavelmente a melhor maneira de visitar as Highlands é alugando um carro, mas também existem muitas excursões de autocarro. Encontramos uma que gostamos e que nos levaria a vários sítios interessantes e gostamos muito. O tempo ajudou! Esta viagem acabou por nunca ser documentada aqui, sabe-se lá porquê, e aproveitei para falar sobre ela agora.

 The highland cows / As vacas das terras altas

 Glencoe

Glencoe is actually a village that is located on the site of the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692, in which 38 members of the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by forces acting on behalf of the government of King William III following the Glorious Revolution. The village is surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery and is popular with serious hill-walkers, rock and ice climbers. It has been seen in numerous films, including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as the home of Hagrid, and the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall, also known from Ian Fleming's original novels as the birthplace of James Bond's father Andrew Bond. It is a very special place and its beauty is unique.

Glencoe é uma aldeia localizada no sítio onde ocorreu o Massacre de Glencoe em 1692, no qual morreram 38 membros do clã MacDonal de Glencoe pelas mãos de forças do governo do rei William III, a seguir à Revolução Gloriosa. A aldeia é rodeada por montanhas espectaculares e muito populares para caminhadas de nível difícil e escalada. Esta área tem servido de cenário em vários filmes, como por exemplo em Harry Potter e o prisioneiro de Azkaban, onde era a casa de Hagrid e em 2012 no filme Skyfall de James Bond. Nos livros de Ian Fleming, que deram origem aos filmes de James Bond, esta área é também conhecida como o local onde nasceu o pai de James Bond, Andrew Bond. É um local deveras especial e de uma beleza inacreditável.

Still Glencoe. Look how small I am! / Ainda em Glencoe. Tão pequena que sou!

 Loch Ness (from the bus, therefore blurred) / Loch Ness (do autocarro, logo desfocada)

 Urquhart Castle, the highlight of our tour / Castelo de Urquhart, o ponto alto da excursão

Urquhart castle sits on the shore of Loch Ness and it is one of the largest in area in Scotland. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. The place breathes history and the best of all is that one can go about exploring it all. It was our favourite sight that day. How couldn't it be?

O castelo de Urquhart fica na margem de Loch Ness e é um dos maiores castelos na Escócia em área. As ruínas actuais são de entre os séculos XIII e XIV. No entanto, foram construídas sobre uma fortificação já existente na altura, que se julga ser da era medieval. Fundado no século XIII, Urquhart teve um papel importante durante as guerras da independência da Escócia, no século XIV. No castelo inteiro se consegue sentir a presença de uma história tão rica e o melhor de tudo é que se pode visitar e explorar tudo. Foi a nossa parte preferida da excursão. Como poderia não ser?

 Me and my sister having fun / Eu e a minha irmã a divertirmo-nos à grande

The tour ended with us navigating in the famous Loch Ness. Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch (the gaelic word for lake) by surface area (56 km2). It is quite large and very deep (230m is the deepest point), so in volume it is actually the biggest. It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined! It is most famous for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also affectionately known as "Nessie". Of course we saw Nessie, but shiuuu, don't tell anyone...

A excursão terminou connosco a navegar no famoso lago Loch Ness. Loch Ness é o segundo maior loch escocês (loch é gaélico para lago) em área de superfície (56 Km2). No entanto é também muito profundo (a parte mais funda chega aos 230m), portanto em volume é o maior lago. Existe mais água doce em Loch Ness do que em todos os lagos de Inglaterra e País de Gales juntos! É famoso por os supostos avistamentos do Monstro de Loch Ness, carinhosamente apelidado de "Nessie". Claro que nós vimos a Nessie, mas shiuuu, não digam a ninguém...

Urquhart castle view from the lake / Castelo de Urquhart visto do lago 

It was really nice to write this post today, and remember this wonderful day we had in the Highlands. I would happily go back and explore other castles and beautiful sights in Scotland. I hope you enjoyed it as well. 

Foi muito bom escrever este post hoje e recordar este dia fantástico que passamos nas Terras Altas escocesas. Gostava de lá voltar para explorar outros castelos e locais da Escócia. Espero que tenham gostado também. 

Art here and there #5 - Edinburgh

St. Andrews square

The art of drinking tea... anywhere and everywhere.

Edinburgh

The castle from afar / O castelo visto de longe

Edinburgh is not only the Royal Mile, as you might imagine. It is the meadows, a green area where people go and play, barbecue or simply lay down with a book. It is the uncountable pubs spread all over the city. It is Princes street and its shops. It is Arthur's seat and the gorgeous view from the top. It is entertainment (museums, festivals, musicals, comedy shoes, etc.). And much more. 

Edimburgo não é só o Royal Mile como podem imaginar. É também the meadows, uma area verde enorme onde se pode jogar, fazer grelhados ou apenas deitar e ler um livro. É também os seus bares incontáveis espalhados pela cidade. É Princes street e as suas lojas. É o Arthur's seat e a vista fantástica no topo. É entretenimento (museus, festivais, musicais, espectáculos de comédia, etc.). E muito mais.

Left: Princes street gardens - each bench has an inscription and it's in memory of someone who passed. Anyone can donate a bench to the city. A beautiful memory I say; 

Right: Scott Monument - a Victorian Gothic monument to the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the largest monument to a writer in the world.

Esquerda: os jardins de Princes street - cada banco de jardim tem uma inscrição e é em memória de alguém que já não está entre nós. Qualquer pessoa pode doar um banco à cidade. Uma recordação bonita acho eu; 

Direita: Monumento Scott - um monumento de estilo gótico e victoriano em honra do escritor Sir Walter Scott. É o maior monumento do mundo dedicado a um escritor.

Left: View from Princes street / Esquerda: vista de Princes street

Right: Princes street gardens / Direita: Jardins de Princes street

St. Andrew square / Praça de St. Andrew

 Botanic gardens / Jardins Botânicos

Backside of the Royal Palace. The church is in ruins, but it must have been magnificent!

O lado de trás do Palácio Real. A igreja está em ruínas mas deve ter sido uma igreja e tanto!

Holyrood park and one of the best skies we photographed this year!

Parque de Holyrood e um dos céus mais bonitos que já fotografamos este ano!

Holyrood park with a view over Arthur's seat.

Parque de Holyrood com vista para Arthur's seat.

Arthur's Seat is the largest of the three parts of the Arthur's Seat Volcano and is the main peak of the group of mountains in Edinburgh, forming most of Holyrood Park. The hill rises to a height of 250m and provides beautiful views over the city. Its top can be reached by any direction as there are many different paths around. The climb to the top is easy, especially if taking the most common path, from the east. Walking this path one gets slowly more and more of the view (below).

Arthur's Seat é uma terça parte, e a maior, do vulcão de Arthur's Seat e é o pico principal das montanhas que rodeiam Edimburgo, formando uma grande parte do parque de Holyrood. O pico está a cerca de 250m e oferece vistas fantásticas sobre a cidade. A subida até ao topo pode ser iniciada de qualquer um dos lados, uma vez que existem vários trilhos diferentes. A subida é fácil, principalmente se se fizer através do caminho mais comum, a este. Ao subir por este caminho vai-se lentamente vendo mais e mais da cidade (em baixo).

 View over the castle / Vista sobre o castelo

View from the north path, to a small lake and the Firth of Forth, the water that later becomes the ocean. (The photos just above and just below were taken 5 years ago.)

Vista do trilho a norte sobre um pequeno lago e sobre o Firth of Forth, o pedaço de água que mais tarde mistura com o oceano. (As fotos em cima e em baixo foram tiradas há 5 anos.)

The crags, on the way to Arthur's Seat. One can climb here, but a free license is necessary. 

Os penhascos a caminho de Arthur's Seat. Pode fazer-se escalada aqui desde que se obtenha uma licença que é gratuita.

View over the suburbs, with its typical few-story houses.

Vista sobre os subúrbios, com as suas casas tipicamente mais baixas.

Don't get scared, because the path is this one but it goes around the hill, not straight up. The people you see are climbing using the more straight way. 

Não se assustem, porque o caminho é este, mas continua em volta da montanha, não sobe a pique. As pessoas que se vêem na foto estão a escalar pelo trilho mais a direito.

Almost on top / Quase no topo

 Johan enjoying the view, almost at sunset / O Johan a apreciar a vista, quase ao pôr do sol

Since it was summer, sunset was quite late and we were too hungry to wait for it at the top. Still, on the way down we got another beautiful sunset sky. I don't know if the sunset is always beautiful like this or if Edinburgh simply decided to reward us for going back again. Either way I'm thankful!

Uma vez que estamos no Verão o pôr do sol era tarde e nós tínhamos demasiada fome para esperar por ele no topo da montanha. Ainda assim, enquanto descemos fomos brindados com mais um céu e pôr do sol lindíssimos. Não sei se o pôr do sol é sempre assim ou se foi Edimburgo que simplesmente decidiu nos premiar por termos voltado à cidade. De qualquer das formas estou muito agradecida!

I hope by now I have convinced you all that Edinburgh is well worth a visit!

Espero que por esta altura já estejam todos convencidos a visitar Edimburgo!