As every year, along with the Christmas carols, the polvorones and the marathons of “home alone”, comes our summary of the year of travel . The first of the series was back in 2014, and we thought it was a great idea to look back and remember the best moments of the year that is ending. And this 2018 has been another great year of travel. We traveled through 5 continents : we started the year in Asia, we went to Oceania, we returned to Europe, we visited America and we set foot in Africa for the first time. Not bad, right?
January: Thailand
We ended the year in Thailand and spent the first month of 2018 there. Those who know us know how much we love Chiang Mai, it is our Asian home, a city where we feel super comfortable and which we find hard to leave. Between temples, massaman curry, motorbike routes, nice cafes, work hours, visits to markets and planning the next trip, the month flew by. And the time came to set foot, for the first time, in an immense country…
February: West Coast of Australia
Australia! The truth is that it never really caught our attention, I mean, we always wanted to see koalas and kangaroos (who doesn't?), but it wasn't a dream destination... So why did we go? Because we found an irresistible offer! So on February 5th we landed in Perth, the most populated city in this part of the country, and started a road trip along the West Coast of Australia. Throughout the month of February we slept in a prison, took selfies with quokkas, traveled thousands of kilometers aboard a giant van, swam with manta rays, sunbathed on beaches with turquoise waters, watched sunsets in the desert and we began to understand that this would, without a doubt, be a great trip!
March: South Coast of Australia and Tasmania
After driving along the Great Ocean Road, which many define as one of the most beautiful scenic roads in the world, we arrived in Melbourne and it was love at first sight. We stayed for almost a week in the Fitzroy neighborhood, which reminded us a lot of Astoria, in New York. Then we moved a few kilometers south to do housesitting and take care of a giant and good-natured dog and an absent cat. It was the break we needed after traveling all over the south coast and part of the west coast of this immense country. We ate dumplings, saw penguins, explored museums, walked around the neighborhoods of the city and even visited the doctor (a spider bit me on the cheek and my face swelled up like a balloon!). Melbourne seemed to us one of the best cities in the world to live in. Will we return? Who knows!
March was also the month of our trip to Tasmania, a very well spent week, during which we discovered this emblematic island. They call it little New Zealand and we are not surprised at all: it is beautiful as hell.
April: East Coast of Australia
We spent the month of April entirely exploring the east coast of Australia. Km after km in our van, we passed by the beach with the whitest sand in the world, the blue mountains, nature reserves full of kangaroos, a koala hospital, the most hipster town in Australia (Byron Bay), we flew over the coral reef, sailed down rivers infested with crocodiles, slept in a wooden cabin surrounded by jungle and, of course, we visited Sydney (for me the most beautiful city in Australia, Rober stays with Melbourne hehe).
When the plane took off for Europe, we knew we were leaving an amazing land, one to which we will probably return in the future. We also have a pending debt: Uluru and the Red Center!
May: Greece and Italy
We landed in Athens with some jetlag and a craving for gyros. We had already visited the Greek capital from other trips, and as on those occasions, we had a total connection with this city, so we stayed 5 days before flying to my home in Italy. They were relaxed days, with walks through more and less touristy neighborhoods, delicious and cheap food, views of the Acropolis and beers at sunset.
Italy was our next destination. Here we recharged our energy, both emotionally (those hugs from the family!) and in our stomachs (those ice creams and pizzas!). Rober travelled with his parents to Verona, we met in Padua, we travelled to Venice and, while I returned to my homeland for a few days, they continued exploring the Belpaese, specifically they went to Rome, one of the travel dreams for almost all of us.
June: Vera and Warsaw
In June we returned, after a few months, to Vera Playa, where we live when we are not travelling. Something as simple as going to the supermarket to buy, cooking and eating on the sofa watching a series, seemed lovely to us. Not to mention sleeping in the same bed, going to the same bathroom, having a washing machine and, of course, working in our little office! After so many years travelling from one place to another, we discovered that having a base is as important as continuing to travel the world. Balance. That's what we really need.
But we are hopeless backpackers, so at the end of the month the opportunity to travel to Warsaw, Poland, came up and we didn't hesitate for long! Warsaw welcomed us with cold and rain, but we quickly warmed up with its beers and its pierogis, a kind of addictive dumplings.
July: Vera and Amsterdam
Back in Vera and after a few dips in the Mediterranean and a lot of typing in front of the screen, something unexpected happened, or rather… something expected happened early: Iago! On July 13th our nephew was born, the most handsome boy in Spain (and if you push us, in the Universe). We drove from Vera to Madrid to visit the little one and his mommy, and the next day to Alicante: another trip was due… Amsterdam! Here we hugged our friend Jordi again, we wandered around a lot, slept little and had a great time. And those canals… ains, Amsterdam is so beautiful!
August: Basque Country
We had both travelled to the Basque Country before: Rober when he was younger and I for work. But this summer we organised a great road trip that allowed us to get to know this region much better. And wow: Euskadi is so cool! We left wanting to go back, and of course we will. What landscapes, what villages, what pintxos. In the Basque Country everything is exaggerated. And we love it.
September: Andalusia
At the beginning of the month my parents came to spend a week in Vera Playa, but luck wasn't on our side at all: it never rains there and boom! It rained almost every day. Luckily they had already seen it before. However, with rain or shine there is one thing that never changes: the delicious tapas we stuffed ourselves with!
In September we also travelled to Seville for the wedding of one of Rober's best friends, and we took the opportunity to stop in Cordoba on the way to Sigüenza. Another trip was looming and we went to…
October: Sicily
Sicily! We had been eyeing this beautiful and complete island for a few years now. It really has everything: good food (more than good), interesting cities like Palermo, Ragusa or Syracuse, little islands with blue waters, archaeological parks, charming villages and even volcanoes where you feel like you're in another universe. Seriously, if you want to enjoy a complete and quite accessible trip, there's no need to go to the other side of the world: Sicily is an excellent option!
November: Mexico
In November we were able to fulfill one of our travel dreams: visiting Mexico. We also did it on one of the most special dates in this country, the Day of the Dead celebration. It was a unique experience, one we will never forget. We will also never forget the excitement of standing in front of the Chichén Itzá pyramid, the exhaustion of climbing the Calakmul pyramid, the walks through the colorful streets of Campeche and Valladolid, watching Coco in the cinema while everyone sang or stepping on the beaches full of sargassum (we weren't very lucky with this, to be honest). The trip lasted 1 month, during which we visited the Yucatán Peninsula, but Mexico is huge and we still have a lot to discover!
December: Egypt
Travelling to Egypt was something so unexpected that we almost didn't believe it ourselves. We had planned to leave it for 2019, buuuut, we found a really good offer and decided not to miss it. We visited the country with Rober's parents and, for the first time since we travelled, we went on an organised tour (an interesting experience, although we'll definitely stick to independent travel). Seeing the pyramids, the columns of Karnak, the sunrise at Abu Simbel, sailing down the Nile, experiencing the chaos of Cairo... Wow, it was brutal, yes, it was a brutal trip. The best way to end a great year of travelling! If you have the chance to travel to Egypt, go.
And now we are writing to you from my home in Italy. We will spend Christmas here and then Rober will go with his family to celebrate the New Year in Jaca. What does 2019 have in store for us? Who knows… there is some destination we would like to visit, but I better keep my mouth shut so it doesn't bring bad luck.
And we take this opportunity to wish you Happy Holidays , close to your loved ones and away from social networks, close to good food and away from bad vibes. And above all, may 2019 be a very good year for everyone! And thank you so much for reading us, of course!
