Finally.
I don’t often follow politics. Too often, it feels like an endless stream of arguments, outrage, and short-term thinking. Still, I try to stay informed about what’s happening in the world, and today I did that by listening to Mark Carney‘s speech at the European Parliament.
What stayed with me most was not a specific proposal or a political victory. It was the feeling that these were leaders who are seriously thinking about the future. About cooperation. About stability. About what we want to leave behind for the next generation.
What happened? Yesterday Ursula von der Leyen set the tone. She spoke about closer ties between Canada and Europe. The exact nature of this new relationship was not yet clear, but at least part of it involved the word “member”. Imagine that: Canada, part of Europe. Today, Carney built on that vision convincingly and highlighted how much both sides have to offer. Next month, concrete steps will be taken. For Europe, that is impossibly fast, but there it is. When there is a will, there is a way. For the first time in a long time, I felt something that has become rare in politics: optimism.
This is the plan that was devised. When we return I’ll post a travel evaluation.
We visited 
On the third day we went to the island of La Graciosa, which we had already seen from the viewpoint on our first day. A half-hour boat ride took us there. We bought some sandwiches and rented bikes for a long ride across the island. Getting lost was impossible: there’s only one clear route. At one of the beaches, Alex and I found some salt. It looked surprisingly clean, so I took a little with me to experiment with later. We returned on the last boat of the day and headed back to the villa.
The guy went on to manage traffic, and a few minutes later my son called me. He had taken a picture with his phone and was zooming and scrolling. Something was there. A piece of pink in the dark black volcanic surroundings. I took a picture myself, to get a better look, and there it was. A girl had wondered a few hunderd meters into the vulcanic surrounding to hunker down and leave a poop. A typical case of when you have to go, you have to go.
Miguel, Alex’s godfather and Alan’s pan-godfather, has a conference where he was invited to give a talk. He’s attended conferences all over the world before, but this time it’s in 
Oh no, a big storm was on its way… Emilia. Many public and semi-public activities were cancelled. The forecast for Saturday was high waves (up to 12 meters!) and strong winds. Not the best situation for a boat trip to Tenerife, but so be it. We had the first boat on Saturday. Also the last, because after that all trips were cancelled. It was an interesting crossing.
Every year, Sinterklaas visits the Hotel Barbacan in Maspalomas, in the south of the island. The hotel is a favorite destination for many Dutch guests, and maybe that is why they have fully embraced Dutch traditions. Sinterklaas comes by for all the Dutch children staying at the hotel, but Dutch residents of Gran Canaria are also welcome, and sometimes even receive a personal invitation.
A chuletón is a large ribeye steak with the bone still in. These steaks are massive—over a kilo—and meant to be shared. In Spain, going out for a chuletón is much more than just dining out. It’s a social event, something to enjoy together with friends. Since the 
About once a month, we follow the same ritual. We leave from the square near where we all live and drive to the restaurant. We start with a beer and choose a huge cut of meat, anywhere between one and two kilos. The steak is prepared, and then served to us with a hot stone so we can do the final touches ourselves. Naturally, it’s accompanied by a good bottle of red wine. Then it’s time to eat and above all, to enjoy. We always go on Thursdays, because there’s always space and we don’t need to book or wait.