After saying goodbye to a very travelled 2018 and with a last, unexpected and wonderful trip to Egypt, we started 2019 with the idea that the first part of the year would be very quiet. Why? Because at the end of January I had to go into surgery and I needed to rest and recover. I had the operation on January 22nd and I think about 10 days later we already had the tickets for the first big trip of the year… We can’t just sit still!
In the end, what was supposed to be a very quiet year has turned into one of the most travel-filled years of our lives . But enough with the spoilers! Here we leave on record, as is tradition and so that our bad memory does not play a trick on us in the future, our travel summary of the year 2019 !
January: Vera Beach
We started 2019 separately, Rober with his family in the Pyrenees and me with my family in Friuli. But soon we were together again, in Vera Playa (Almería), where we stay when we are in Spain (that is, very little XD). I already told you: at the end of January I had to have surgery and after spending a few days in the hospital (everything went well, even the food seemed delicious) I returned home and boom! I bought a flight. Where?
February: Cinque Terre
At the end of February we flew to Milan, where we spent a few very nice days in this often forgotten Italian city, before heading to Cinque Terre and Genoa, an area we hadn't yet visited and which we loved. We also went to my house and, taking advantage of the fact that our next flight would be leaving from Venice, we returned to the city of canals (and, of course, we went on a cicchetti route).
March: Colombia
And it was time for one of the big trips of the year: the tickets we bought were to fly to Colombia! It was our first time in South America and we have to say that we started off on a high note, because we really liked the country. Because of the operation we didn't want to "overdo it" so we "only" visited Bogotá, the Coffee Region, Medellín (where I had to go to the hospital again after a big scare :-p), San Andrés and Cartagena.
We left with the desire to explore the country more and we are sure that, sooner or later, we will return. If you want to go to Colombia, go. Don't hesitate 😉
April: New York
After a relaxing week in Cartagena, we put our butts on a new plane and flew to our favorite city: New York. We stayed there for a month and it was a-w-a-n-g-a-n-g, in fact we left wanting more and with the desire to live a while in New York. We were able to get to know Manhattan much better and explore more in-depth neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn.
During those days we had a visit from our brother-in-law Giaco, who brought us some great news: we were going to be uncles again! Aa ...
May: Canada
We left behind (not without much regret) the city that never sleeps and boarded a train called the “Maple Leaf” to reach our new destination: Canada. In a month we saw iconic places like Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Vancouver and we rented a car to get lost in one of the most amazing landscapes in the world: the Rocky Mountains.
It was definitely one of the best trips of the year: we saw dozens of bears, ate poutine a few times, and we couldn't agree on which city we thought was the best to live in Canada (Rober is #teamToronto and I'm #teamVancouver), but we both agreed that the country of maple syrup is a great travel destination.
June: Oregon and San Francisco
We returned to the United States. The first stop was a city that always caught our attention: Seattle, and it did not disappoint. From there we rented a car and traveled through much of Oregon and the California coast, until we reached San Francisco. Here we spent 2 weeks doing a house exchange and taking care of a 19-year-old cat (we always get older cats :-p). I also took advantage of “the proximity” and went to see one of my best friends, Nancy, who lives in Las Vegas and I met her wonderful daughter, Martina *_*
June was also when we returned to Europe. Barcelona was the city chosen to spend a week before “separating” ourselves for a few days: Rober went to Sigüenza with his family and I went to my house in Fagagna.
July: Almeria
We spent this month in Bedar, a small town very close to Cabo de Gata, doing housesitting in a mansion that our brother-in-law renamed “Bedar Hills”. Infinity pool, small garden and lots of tranquility (and even more work) were the common denominators of the month. But they were also family days (we celebrated our nephew Iago’s first birthday) and get-togethers with friends (hi Jairo, hi Claudia) 😉
August: Russia and Baltic capitals
We had been thinking about a destination for a while: Russia, and August was the month chosen (badly chosen) to visit its two most emblematic cities. Obviously we are talking about Moscow and St. Petersburg. We fell in love with them (especially Moscow) but don't go to Russia in August! Aibaaaa so much tourism :-p Much better to go in May or September, for sure. Or if you are brave... December! We left Russia knowing that we will return (sooner or later we will get on that Trans-Mongolian).
We took advantage of the trip to get to know the other Baltic capitals: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius and we have to say that it was a very, very nice trip!
September: Morocco
After passing through Sigüenza and catching up on the blog (aka: writing a lot) :-p we headed off to a new destination that, inexplicably, we hadn't yet visited: Morocco. We knew we were going to like it, if we like chaotic and exotic places, that's for sure, and indeed: we loved Morocco. We did a road trip from Marrakech to Fez, passing through wonderful places like Ait Ben Haddou, Erg Chigaga or Erg Chebbi. A fairly concentrated trip but one that didn't include other parts of Morocco, so we still have a few reasons to come back.
October: India and Maldives
From Fez we flew to Treviso, and back in Italy we spent a few days at my house, between pizzas and preparations. Preparations for what? To go to India and the Maldives with my parents! Traveling to India has always been my father’s dream and the Maldives were my mother’s cup of tea, so we decided to take advantage and do a 2×1 😉
In 2013/2014 we spent 3 months in India, and it's normal that the 15 days we spent there this time weren't enough, but it was a very nice reunion. We went through Delhi, Mandawa, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Jaipur, Agra and Varanasi, before taking a flight (well, two :-p) to Male.
In the Maldives we discovered 4 new islands: Maafushi, Gulhi, Huraa and Dhiffushi and we confirmed once again that no, you don't have to sell a kidney to get to know this destination (here's the proof).
November: Vietnam
November was the month that saw us return to one of our homes in the world: Thailand. We don't know what it is about this country (well, the cheap and delicious food helps a lot) but we are hooked. Before heading to Chiang Mai, where we will stay until mid-January, we spent a week in northern Vietnam.
Those who have been following us for a while know that Vietnam was not our favourite destination in Asia: the month we spent there a few years ago was a disaster! We lost a backpack with 2 cameras, a motorbike was stolen -_-, we were freezing cold and no, we didn't leave wanting to go back. But this second time was much better: we enjoyed Hanoi like children and returned to one of the most magical places in Southeast Asia, Halong Bay.
December: Chiang Mai
Oh, Chiang Mai, my love. We are happy here, trying a new restaurant every day (well, we often go back to some that we already have well marked), going for a ride on the motorbike (trying to avoid police checkpoints), visiting temples and looking for cool corners (there are a lot of them around here). Chiang Mai is our second home and, although it is true that there are more and more people and the €/Baht exchange rate is terrible -_-, we are still in love with it. What can we do?
We will end the year here, a great year of travelling 🙂
What does 2020 have in store for us ? The new decade for us will begin with a trip to a destination we already know: Japan, but this time to see its other side (the cold and white snow). The adventures don’t end here… Rober will travel to Myanmar in February and Lety to South Korea (where we will meet again in mid-March) 🙂 And then? Well, then a horizon of alternatives opens up for us, but we will have to wait and see…
