Category: Madrid Diaries

Visa applications are a nightmare. The amount of paperwork required sometimes borders on the ridiculous. But it had to be done, and it was done. Tickets, visas, hotels, logistics were all worked out and kept in readiness for the great day. In the meanwhile, I had to figure out my presentation. What would I talk…

It is always a lot of planning at work to ensure that everything is tied up before you travel so the team can carry on. You also need to check for conflicts of calendars and a million other details before you decide to go. Add to that a complicated situation at home with old parents…

Here was another chance to see the Book of Games. There is a certain thrill in being asked to present a paper at an international conference. When I received the invitation, I felt almost vindicated for the years of work I had put into traditional games. Its lonely sometimes studying a subject no one else…

It was about five years later, in 2015 that a few friends decided to visit Spain. My ears perked up. I had long dreamed of seeing the Book of Games by Alfonso X of Castille. I was determined to try and find out something about the book while I was there. I traced it to…

I always have trouble pinpointing when it all began. I don’t think it is as clear cut as the word makes it out to be. The word “began” seems to suggest that nothing related happened before that. But that’s not true, is it? Things do happen before. Things tend to flow one into another. But…