In 2014 we started this series of posts: 12 months, 12 photos , one per month, as a kind of photographic summary of our year. Then came 2015, 2016 and… now it’s time for the summary of 2017 !
Looking back allows us, in a way, to relive each trip again, and yes, our 2017 has been another great year of travel 🙂 It also reminds us how lucky we are to be able to live the life we always dreamed of: traveling when and where we want, working from “home” or from any other point on the planet, discovering new places and enjoying ourselves very very much.
In 2017 we set foot on 3 continents : Europe, America (for the first time) and Asia (for the 7th year in a row!). But enough of the spoilers… here we go with our 12 months, 12 photos:
1. JANUARY: VERA
I started the year in Italy, at home. I spent Christmas with my family while Rober did the same in Sigüenza. Before returning to Vera (Almería) , where we live when we are not travelling, I spent a few days in Padova, the city that brought us together back in 2007. Returning to a place that has changed your life is strange: it is almost never as you remember it, but even so, it is one of those places that I have a special affection for. Not returning to the places that made you happy… is not my thing!
In Vera we returned to the routine , which when you spend some time away is anything but boring: watching series on the sofa, working in your home “office”, going to the supermarket or cooking, are things as simple as they are difficult to reconcile with a nomadic life . And the fact is that as we get older we enjoy spending half of our time traveling and the other half in a place that we begin to feel like “home”. Being next to the Mediterranean, with free tapas bars, an enviable climate and a super quiet area… well, it helps a lot 😉
We also got Flow, a purple moped that comes straight from the past XD. It's a bit worn out but it helps us explore all the little corners of our area.
2. FEBRUARY: COPENHAGEN
To celebrate my birthday we went on a surprise trip (yes, we didn't know the destination until we got to the airport). We ended up in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. As we've already told you several times, we're more of a "southern" person: we love Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal, but we have to say that Copenhagen has something special and it was a pleasure to walk through its streets of colorful houses (although it was so cold! haha).
3. MARCH: GRANADA
In March we went on a quick getaway to one of our favourite cities: Granada. Here, as always, we got lost in the Albaicín and stuffed ourselves with tapas, although there was also time for a first: we had never been up to Sacromonte and we simply loved it.
Granada was also a meeting place : after seeing each other in India and Malaysia we met up with our friend Eviña (the third time we had a Spanish meeting haha) and with Sara and her backpacker dad 🙂
4. APRIL: VALENCIA AND BARCELONA
As you can see, the first part of the year has been quite calm, and after a hectic end to 2016 (we spent the last months of the year in Asia), our bodies asked for some peace . But peace does not mean stillness and April surprised us by heading to Valencia (uhhh that rice a banda) and Barcelona, our second home. We said goodbye to Vera, packed our backpack and went to live the great adventure of the year…
5. MAY: EAST COAST OF THE USA
For whatever reason, the United States never caught our attention, until one day we lost our minds a bit and decided to venture on a great journey through that vast and different land. We arrived with a few prejudices and left in love with a country that looks a lot and very little like what you see in the movies (yes, at the same time).
The first part of the trip took us along the East Coast , from Boston to New Orleans, and even at the risk of being unoriginal, we will say that the stop we liked the most was New York.
6. JUNE: ROUTE 66 + WEST COAST USA
June was the best month of the year : we traveled Route 66 aboard a huge motorhome, we saw Walter White's house as an unexpected gift for Rober's birthday and we even tried his blue meth (made of candy, don't get me wrong haha).
We also had a blast at Universal Studios and toured the West Coast (amazing) with Ire, one of Rober's sisters, and her partner, Santi. We traveled thousands and thousands of kilometers, we were cold and hot, we saw mountains, waterfalls, canyons, deserts and the Pacific Ocean.
It was a trip within a trip… and yes, it was one of the best ever.
7. JULY: CUBA
After celebrating Independence Day in Miami with one of my best friends (Nancy, I love you so much!), we boarded a plane to an island we've always known for: Cuba. Here, to be honest, there was no love at first sight ... it's a very peculiar destination, with a history (and a present) that makes you rethink many things. But there's one thing that's certain: Cuba is one of the most unique destinations in the world and that's something to be thankful for.
But we will always remember the trip to Cuba for another reason: this is where our respective parents met . Yes, after 10 years of dating we finally chose an intermediate destination so they could see each other: an island in the middle of the Caribbean, not bad, right? (Some people might think that Mallorca was closer).
8. AUGUST: SIGÜENZA
Maybe the heat in Cuba almost killed us, maybe the two months in the United States were well spent, maybe we are no longer up to this kind of running around… but we arrived in Spain wanting to stop for a while.
Well, our desire to relax lasted a few weeks, because at the end of August, after having spent some time in Rober's village, Sigüenza, pampering Luca and recharging our batteries, and having returned to our little house by the Mediterranean, we booked a one-way flight. Where? Keep reading…
9. SEPTEMBER: VERA AND CABO DE GATA
September was a month of total return to school, with our future trip already decided , we spent a month writing a lot, working on the blog and enjoying Andalusian life... Have we already told you how much we like living in the south?
10. OCTOBER: BARCELONA AND ITALY
In October we packed our backpacks again and went to visit one of our best friends, Soufian, in Barcelona. After a few days of beers, wandering around and good conversations (and other cool reunions, like the one with Ester and Jordi) we got on a plane to visit my parents and my homeland: Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Italy is one of our favourite countries (and not just for the pizza, which is also great), but it is so beautiful and so complete that going back is always a great idea. We also stopped by my grandmother's village (oh, that homemade lasagna), we visited Little Venice, we went to explore Lake Como and we met up for dinner with our friend Luca for a Neapolitan pizza and with our former flatmate Matteo for a frutti di mare salad.
11. NOVEMBER: SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA
November marked the continuation of a tradition : for the seventh consecutive year we set foot on the Asian continent. First stop: Singapore. And from there to Malaysia, again… but we never tire of this exotic land (or its food).
We visited Langkawi, where the weather was horrible, and Georgetown, the food capital of Malaysia and full, full, full of street art: a little paradise for us.
12. DECEMBER: THAILAND
And we are back in Thailand. We have already lost count of the number of times we have visited this country. We travelled around Bangkok, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Phuket with Rober’s other sister, Patri, and Giaco, her boyfriend. It was great. And I am writing these lines from a nice flat in Chiang Mai, the city we have chosen as our home for the next few months. We already spent some time here last year, between markets, good food and temples, many temples. Chiang Mai is another of our favourite places and from here we wish you…
Merry Christmas and an even happier New Year, full of travels and dreams come true!
Where will 2018 take us? We have no idea… or rather, we already have some idea, and it is a country where English is spoken! We will keep you posted!
