Some days ago we said goodbye to 2019 in the cold night of Geneva, while looking at the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Quai du Mont-Blanc. It fact, spending the New Year’s Eve abroad was one of our travel wishes fulfilled in 2019. But it is not the only one.
In 2019 we lived intensely. We made lots of things and although it seemed we would not have much free time to travel, finally we managed to visit some destinations that had been in our wish list for a long time.
La Alpujara is an Andalusian region located in the southern slope of Sierra Nevada (literally meaning “snowy mountains”), in the Spanish provinces of Granada and Almería. The region is mainly formed by valleys and cliffs that go down from the top of Sierra Nevada. La Alpujarra is home to some of the most beautiful villages in Spain with their white houses and an unusual architecture. Moreover, the region is also interesting due to its gastronomy: honey, cheese, jam and specially the Trevélez cured ham.
A road trip across La Alpujarra is a good idea if you have one or two free days when visiting Granada and its world-famous Alhambra. The villages of LaAlpujarra Alta (the highest area of the region) are all connected among them with a sole road. You just need to drive from Lanjarón to Trevélez to enjoy the most stunning landscapes of La Alpujarra.
It is said that by ancient times Zeus sent two eagles from the two ends of the Earth. The eagles, flying at equal speed, should meet at the centre of the world. Both eagles met at Delphi, so Zeus placed a stone (omphalos) in that place. Since that time, Delphi was a true pilgrimage site.
Nowadays, Delphi is one of the must-see sites in Greece and a unique archaeological complex. Its location is as stunning as its cultural richness. Do you want to join us in our journey to the centre of the Classical world?
I remember the day we arrived at Sukau Rainforest Lodge as one of the best of our trip to Borneo. We got up early in the morning in the small island of Selingan (Turtle Island), in the middle of the Sulu sea. Then, a boat took us back to Sandakan and we changed into a bus to reach the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. After lunch, another boat picked us up again in Sandakan jetty. That boat went up the Kinabatangan river for more than 2 hours.
The Kinabatangan river offers one of the most wonderful landscapes in Borneo. This river is home to a great amount of wildlife. A sacred oasis that fortunatelly survives among palm oil plantations. And surrounded by all this nature, there is the Sukau Rainforest Lodge, which is considered by National Geographic as one of the Unique Lodges in the World. In fact, this lodge is well kwown because it has access to the richest wildlife in South East Asia.
Granada might be the most beautiful city in Spain. Reconquered by the Catholic Kings in 1492, I always imagined a charming city, unique for its Arabic past. But Granada was even better than I dreamed. After years in our wishlist, we finally managed to visit Granada this summer. In August, the city was really hot but we still enjoyed it a lot.
We travelled from Barcelona to Granada by high-speed train and one of our first stops after a long journey was the famous Mirador de San Nicolás – “mirador” means “viewpoint” in Spanish. Although this viewpoint is the most crowded in the city, it is not the only one. The Alhambra is always present wherever you look around. If you want to enjoy the best views of Granada, don’t miss the following sites.
