diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index d0cf62cdb43921910bc8d68d76498674527ade1d..527a09f8be569421899d80f1b11b1d22de03b269 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ default:
       - .pip-cache/
   before_script:
     - python3 --version
-    - curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py -o get-pip.py
     - pip3 install --upgrade pip
     - pip3 install build twine
 
diff --git a/src/dynare/dynare.py b/src/dynare/dynare.py
index f1cb45ba45f9726d4c7aa71dc8d6529d833cd5cb..b4888dedef9e530ed491b91eeeb4a192163891e9 100644
--- a/src/dynare/dynare.py
+++ b/src/dynare/dynare.py
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ def dynare(model: str | Path) -> Context:
         model = Path(model)
     jl.seval("using Serialization")
     jl.seval("using Dynare")
-    jl.seval(f'@dynare "{model.resolve()}"')
+    # Double-escape '\' as julia will also interpret the string. Only relevant on Windows
+    resolved_path = str(model.resolve()).replace("\\", "\\\\")
+    jl.seval(f'@dynare "{resolved_path}"')
 
     jls_path = model.parent / model.stem / "output" / f"{model.stem}.jls"
 
diff --git a/src/dynare/dynare_context.py b/src/dynare/dynare_context.py
index aa7710c8895a01245ae76f1289ac1d3d2903bca8..a6d5d7db8a1daff269b2ce419756543f88b9582c 100644
--- a/src/dynare/dynare_context.py
+++ b/src/dynare/dynare_context.py
@@ -746,7 +746,11 @@ class PySGSolver(Enum):
         )
 
 
-TASlib = ctypes.CDLL(os.getenv("LIBTASMANIAN_PATH"))  # Load the shared library
+libtas_path = os.getenv("LIBTASMANIAN_PATH")
+if libtas_path:
+    TASlib = ctypes.CDLL(libtas_path)  # Load the shared library
+else:
+    TASlib = None
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -770,6 +774,8 @@ class PyTasmanianSG:
 
     @classmethod
     def from_julia(cls, jl_tasmaniansg) -> Self:
+        if not TASlib:
+            raise ValueError("It looks like Tasmanian is not installed. Please install from https://github.com/ORNL/TASMANIAN and set LIBTASMANIAN_PATH")
         c_func = getattr(TASlib, "tsgConstructTasmanianSparseGrid")
         c_func.restype = ctypes.POINTER(ctypes.c_void_p)
         pGrid = c_func()