Middleware 2011 in Lisboa, Portugal

After NESEA'11 in Perth, I flew direct to Lisbon for Middleware'11, where I was chairing the Middleware for Sensor Networks (MidSens'11) workshop. For me this year's stand-out event was Future of Middleware (FOME), which featured 16 short talks from big names in the middleware field. It provided lots of inspiration.

I was pretty tired after my flight from Australia and unfortunately BA lost my bag in Heathrow (I know, predictable) and I came within minutes of having to open my workshop in my sweat-pants and hoodie. Thankfully, disaster was averted. 

 Interesting Statue Outside the Holiday Inn

Caren joined me on Thursday evening and together we had a long weekend of exploring Lisbon's neighbourhoods and restaurants. We had two particularly good meals; one at Tapas 52, a neat little tapas bar and one at Cravo e Canela (garlic and cloves). The latter was a little heavy on sweet flavours for my taste, but the meal was saved by an excellent bottle of fruity white wine called Quinta de Sao Francisco.

My favorite spot in Lisbon was the Santa Cruz do Castelo neighbourhood and the imposing Castle of St. Gerorge, which as panoramic views of the city:

 A Rooftop Cottage in Santa Cruz do Castelo

There was a great sense of community in Lisbon and you can see a little of it, in the photo-art display of the older neighbourhood residents.

Photos of the Older Residents

Every part of Lisbon was covered in art, from traditional displays, to legal street decorations and illegal graffiti. Even though its a stencil, I particularly enjoyed the picture below. My new golden retriever pup certainly gives the orders.

Fun Piece of Graffiti

My favorite spot by far was the Castle, which has a pleasant garden feel ad great views of Lisbon.

I Pose by the Castle Entrance

St. George

Caren by the Castle

Garden-Like Castle Grounds

View of the City Squares

View of the Bridge

Perhaps the nicest part of my trip to Lisbon was the weather; for most of our day it was pleasant and warm; there were even oranges in December!

Oranges in December!

We Have a New Arrival this Christmas

Today I collected Penny, our Golden Retriever puppy from the breeder's. Here are some pics:

 On the Train Home

Napping

Posing for the Camera

Playing Football

I'll post some more photos of Penny's adventures soon.

NESEA 2011 in Perth, Australia (2/2)

Here are the second batch of photos from NESEA'11 (this set were taken with my camera, whereas Kevin Lee took the previous set).

NESEA'11 was held at the same time as the World Sailing Championships and the conference venue was right on the waterfront, so it was easy to catch a race during the breaks:

Windsurfers Racing

One thing that travelling has taught me is that its a really small world. Caren's brother Killian is working in Perth at the moment, and he was able to join the conference social cruise:

Killian on the Boat

The cruise was really great and we had some spectacular views. We even saw a dolphin, but no one was quick enough to get a photo.

Sunset on the River Swan

Perth Skyline at Night

NESEA 2011 in Perth, Australia (1/2)

Its been a busy few weeks. Last week I had work visitors from St. Andrews, Lancaster and Darmstadt as well as my Inaugural Lecture, all of which was good, but left me exhausted.

Then at 7AM on Saturday I hopped on a plane for Perth, Australia where I chaired the NESEA'11 conference. It was a busy week, but everything ran smoothly, which is a big credit to Kevin Lee, who was the local organizer at Murdoch University. The highlight was definately our cruise on the River Swan from Fremantle to Perth. Some photos follow:

 

Doing the Work Thing

 

The Attendees Walk to the Boat

Sailboats on the River Swan

The Setting Sun

After the conference, I had just one half day free, so I hit the beach and then explored Fremantle. Here are a few photos:

Playing Sharkbait

Conversing with a Stoic Fisherman I met

Perth was lovely, but 6 days just wasn't enough, especially as I spent five of them working 12-hour days. I am already planning my return.