1- Around the world
I wish I had started the year with a real trip around the world. For now, I had to settle for the one I did for a couple of days in January at FITUR without the need for plane tickets. I remember it very fondly because it was the first tourism fair I attended as a blogger, I met many colleagues in person for the first time, I decided I wanted to visit Poland and, above all, I began to develop the idea of a great trip solo. I was also lucky enough to meet one of the greats in person, Paco Nadal, who sparked my curiosity to discover Colombia (everything in good time) and proved to be very approachable.
2- Pintxos and laughter in Logroño
Clearly, Logroño must have something special for me to have traveled there twice in this 2013 and on both occasions accompanied by my best friends. Wines, pinchos, wineries, charming villages and, it must be said, a lively nightlife. However, there was barely enough time to get to know Logroño and cross over to the Rioja Alavesa to visit Laguardia and discover the modernist building of the Ysios wineries.
3- Extremadura and my first time
In April, I had the opportunity to be invited, for the first time, to a blogtrip that allowed me to find out what ecotourism is and its importance in a beautiful natural setting like the Monfragüe National Park. But also I slept like a queen at the Parador de Guadalupe, learned what a geopark is in Villuercas and not only observed birds of prey but was also able to hold one in my hand.
4- Poland: a dream come true
At FITUR I discovered a country that I had honestly never noticed and, since then, I had the dream of visiting it. So, as my philosophy goes, I had to make that dream a reality and in April I flew to Krakow to fall madly in love with the city, so much so that I had to write it a love letter. The salt mines of Wieliczka and the harsh concentration camps of Auschwitz completed the route. Definitely, Poland deserves a return visit to explore the rest of the country, which is full of gems.
5- The light of Cadiz
In April there was no rest and I went almost on the same day from cold Poland to the warm south of Spain thanks to the kindness of Torre Tavira. Cadiz is fascinating for two things: its light and its people. Both were a constant throughout the entire route: Conil, Vejer, Tarifa, Jerez, El Puerto de Santa María and Cadiz. Dolphins, Roman ruins right on the beach, tuna, pristine white-washed houses, waves, history, horses, bulls, wines and always a gastronomy to take your hat off to. If you add to that some wonderful travel companions, how could I not remember it.
6- Returning to Oliva
If there is a beach that I return to time and again, it is Oliva in the Valencian Community and in 2013 the tradition could not be broken. A great friend and a trip full of laughter to enjoy the clean water, white sand, dunes without hotels or buildings, the famous Oli-ba-ba to dance on the beach until dawn… It has it all, which is why I know I will return many more times.
7- Thailand and happiness
September arrived and with it my first solo trip that took me through Thailand and Myanmar for three weeks. A challenge that stopped being one as soon as I set foot in Bangkok to become pure pleasure, the pleasure of traveling alone, at your own pace, without rushing, enjoying details that you overlook when accompanied. I discovered that happiness depends on oneself and, sometimes, it is as simple as it is surprising, smiling in silence.
8- Myanmar, the best memory of the year
Without a doubt, the brief five days I spent in Myanmar are the best memory of 2013. Getting lost on a bike among the thousands of temples of Bagan is simply unforgettable, just like seeing how the sun illuminates the green plain dotted with pagodas and temples at dawn. The country, recently opened to tourism, is changing by leaps and bounds and is 100% recommended. A destination to return to and get to know in depth.
9-Berlin and its skies
October brought me a gift in the form of a blogtrip to Berlin to inaugurate the new Iberia Express route from Madrid to the German capital. There was barely enough time to taste an appetizer of everything this giant city offers: history, art, beer, modernism, museums, bikes, nightlife… Just with that and by taking a look at its skies you can get an idea of what to see in Berlin in just 24 hours.
10-Medieval route in Burgos
The month of October continued to be generous because it revealed to me in a single weekend three charming villages with a medieval legacy hidden in the northeast of Burgos. Frías dazzles with its imposing silhouette, its castle, and its hanging houses. Oña not only keeps a Romanesque monastery but also a Secret Garden full of works of art. And in Poza de la Sal you can learn about the childhood of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente by strolling through its cobbled streets or visiting the salt flats.
11- And suddenly, Murcia
With November came a discovery: Murcia. A city sometimes forgotten for no reason but full of light, with an unmistakable accent of its own, and which left me with many beautiful memories. I’ll remember the breakfast next to the orange trees, the walk along the banks of the Segura river, the taste of the ‘marinera’ (Russian salad tapa on a bread ring topped with an anchovy) in the Plaza de las Flores, and the coffee under the shelter of the cathedral.
12- Always Segovia
There was no better way to end the year than in what I consider my homeland: Segovia. A weekend in December in my tiny village, taking shelter from the cold by the fireplace, eating a wood-fired oven-roasted suckling lamb of the kind that makes history, and rediscovering the pleasure of visiting places like the Hoces del Duratón, which still impress me despite having been there many times.
