---
title: "Trips to Brisbane, Seattle, Madrid, and Shanghai (2018)"
date: "2024-06-14"
---


In 2018 I went to Brisbane, Seattle, Madrid, and Shanghai.

# 2018-05: Brisbane, Australia

I went to Brisbane for the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).
I was very impressed with how clean and modern the city was, and the fact that housing is very affordable compared to San Francisco thanks to the construction of numerous high rise buildings.

![A covered small plaza of some sort.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-22-21-23-34_DSC04648_fc06f47bf53b379ab09df88e904a595e96d9d86f_fe1d44438ef04827.jpg)

![Rainbow lorikeet at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-25-03-38-27_DSC04858_36b386dacee9a6627b15362f4d58df8fc2bb8699_400fb0321a5fe8ac.jpg)

![Skyline of Brisbane at sunset.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-25-07-00-01_DSC04988_059b3868b19d64f25557d84eea72fc18466c1d6e_107811ff0340cae3.jpg)

![Skyline of Brisbane at blue hour.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-25-07-13-01_DSC04996_bf1248f803fe3bfa70409b6c9667f9d5c9501f42_7df0c33f631a4706.jpg)

![Brisbane City Hall.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-26-02-25-55_DSC05034_39d9119b607ab6229e270d2c0c1acc52683f6a6e_46c596a6d215d463.jpg)

![Albert Street Uniting Church nestled betwixt the modern buildings.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-26-05-18-08_DSC05051_406b3a2acab7a423209201fe1348d95bbad2c5ee_df9c16e68afbac83.jpg)

## Day trip to the Gold Coast

I didn't have time to go scuba diving.
The Great Barrier Reef will have to wait until next time!
Hopefully it will still exist by then...

![](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-27-04-54-21_DSC05119_3c56b8436b2960aeb9a8bf9a4bf571ca6c133484_a0a23a65c1b38117.jpg)

![](https://i.dllu.net/2018-05-27-04-56-39_DSC05120_a902a066c432730b9389408582140aef402e5871_dc10fcb45351c285.jpg)

# 2018-09: Seattle, WA, USA

I went to Seattle to visit my friend.

![Space Needle viewed from the Dimension condominium rooftop.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-09-15-09-01-35_DSC07889_0f7d6e66118644938b7ce17fe8f1fc659e6deb0a_7d788050083d795f.jpg)

![The Ballard Bridge, a bascule bridge that spans the Lake Washington Ship Canal.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-09-15-23-01-49_DSC07963_beb08fb48f18adc25d448f40125662c516ed9190_1f2745970b55f986.jpg)

![Skyline of Seattle from Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-09-17-03-12-39_DSC08333_a53b537c6287fb29b51491d1f7d13a6c8df1c047_49132878d73c9a66.jpg)

# 2018-09 to 2018-10: Madrid, Spain

I went to Madrid for the IEEE International Conference on Robotics Systems (IROS).

![The _Palacio de Cristal del Retiro_ at dawn.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-01-05-36-15_DSC08494_8a479ebb7a37f50bda8b26ce4dd6697226e5a158_35192de967c26e03.jpg)

![Sol.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-05-10-02-45_DSC08779_bbcc8f17b664c78417c7161c6ff86d73a4dd228e_ab2a341396097184.jpg)

![Cathedral of the Royal Palace.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-05-14-22-46_DSC08887_32a8e2575acb5769cdc55fc2b131727251565e36_1e045a7ace050440.jpg)

![View from the rooftop of the _Circulo de Bellas Artes_. I got yelled by a security guard when taking the photo since I had climbed over a railing.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-05-18-05-58_DSC08969_1a1257015096aa3a84f070267d1c672a9694d228_3c2b1bc465948013.jpg)

![Some kind of delicious food.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-06-18-12-51_DSC09178_2ccaaec079d6d70dee46c42fc4c4ca3fb215a0d1_3b84913df969225a.jpg)

# 2018-10: Shanghai, China

I went to Shanghai to visit my parents!
My dad was working there at the time.

![Pudong viewed from the Bund.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-19-10-28-20_DSC09641_05f0a799b2b5a91d764f3e3400a537bb98c08bbb_dab44428d68748c5.jpg)

![Beautiful bridge in [Zuibaichi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuibaichi).](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-20-03-52-24_DSC09687_87c9ac17bbe62d014822857503086be43c0880e9_a04bb38f8d1d95eb.jpg)

![Porsche 356C at the Auto Museum.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-19-07-32-31_DSC09534_61d0df509107d89d39e3b24554759be9b89caa57_93acab1248bf84df.jpg)

![The Bund viewed from the Financial Center.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-21-09-14-40_DSC00190_52f3b69d4e739c374287597bfd78829f7229e8a1_f4f5db80345a093c.jpg)

![The Nanpu Bridge.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-21-10-18-24_DSC00276_8919d0dc790261e16f31b36a69cb39948c47e1c9_9fd73d5416f5499c.jpg)

![A big flower thing.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-23-08-47-55_DSC00731_97915a8ca97a5c743917d31b8a05c9407078d6cd_50be58837953cab4.jpg)

![The Bund at dusk.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-27-08-57-39_DSC01011_f60d1fa209d80c86fa70b22204d6b2d8c1070877_34effb8750d14fe0.jpg)

![The Transrapid to the airport.](https://i.dllu.net/2018-10-28-02-01-05_DSC01045_038fefc0c48b321c313a7d013f40195400a0e7bc_cbe6712dd95961ec.jpg)