You may be lost in the beauty of Pena Palace while you explore its grounds, trying to absorb every single detail, romanticising about the times when Kings and Queens stepped on the same grounds and potentially admired the same sights. But while you walk through its verandas and terraces, your eyes will eventually turn and … Continue reading Sights of Portugal: the Castle of the Moors in Sintra
In an attempt to try to stay sane one must take advantage of the few (but yet existent) possibilities. As any returns to normal travelling might be difficult to foresee, as the future remains cloudy, I must try to preserve any remains of mental health. Many have heard of Sintra. The first time I visited … Continue reading Sights of Portugal: Pena Palace in Sintra
First time in a few years I won't be travelling this Easter. I was supposed to be hiking in Norway at this moment, breathing the air of the fjords, feeling small in comparison to Nature. This Easter I'm in Portugal, staying at home. It is our duty. It's not supposed to be easy. It certainly … Continue reading A different Easter
Those months I was living in the Spain, the question I got asked the most after learning I was from Portugal was... ¿Sería mejor si fuéramos uno solo país, no? Which means... Wouldn't it be better off if we were one same country? My answer would be an automatic No. Without a given thought. And … Continue reading How is Portugal different from Spain – by a native Portuguese
I've realised a couple weeks (thank you Facebook) it was 7 years ago I finished my 6 months of studies in Madrid, part of the Erasmus program I had enrolled to. Madrid was the only place in Europe that wasn't buried in 10 meters of snow during the winter I could actually afford to live … Continue reading Madrid (2013) – 3 essential life lessons I learned in Erasmus
It might seem like a oxymoron but it's often when I travel and found myself in strange lands that I feel I belong to something. When I go through the arrivals gate, I always find the same expectant faces. Wide eyes carefully skipping from one face to the other. The smile bright smiles suddenly emerging … Continue reading Finding home in strange places
The marks of communism in Bucharest aren't just in the massive ugly blocks of apartments but also in the decrepitud left behind of that was once the Little Paris of eastern Europe. I've documented this before, but left behind the biggest symbol of this era - the Palace of the Parliament, most infamous creation by … Continue reading The heaviest building in the planet
I wanted to finish the year in a positive note. 2019 was a challenging one, personally, I've driven through very dark roads. But on the bright side, I've achieved things that made me proud of myself and made me believe that I can do everything I've set my mind to. For instance, my long standing … Continue reading 2019 – the year I completed 25 countries visited
Walking in the old town of Bucharest, amongst the streets where nightlife happens, where people go to eat, drink, chat, to laugh and to dance, you'll find the unexpected. The Stavropoleos Monastery is home to a group of nuns who run it in the middle of the city. The name comes from the greek stavropolis, … Continue reading Stavropoleos Monastery in Bucharest, Romania
Once upon a time there was a place in Europe, in a country named Romania. There was a class of wealthy inhabitants who aspired to leave, only to come back with heads full of magnificient ideas. Ideas to make that place as elegant and cosmopolitan as Paris, where they had just come from. They brought … Continue reading Once upon a time in Little Paris, in Bucharest Romania
