Still old news...

Hello again!

Continuing the recall on the old travels, just so we`re updated....

If you need any further details on the cities described on this or on the last post, let me know in the comments and I`ll tell you!

2012
       May - Serra Catarinense is a region on the Santa Catarina state, on the south of Brazil. It has high mountains, valleys, historic towns... It`s beautifull! Good to go on the winter, enjoy the cold weather, fireplaces... Very romantic! Simillar to the Serra Gaucha (or Gramado, Canela, etc in Rio Grande do Sul), but cheaper and with less wine... Just look out for the apple fair in Sao Joaquim, it crowds the hotels and increases the prices... And don`t forget to go to Urubici, there`s a beautifull view to the valley!

      July - Continuing my work related travels, I went to Chile! Santiago and a side trip to the coast to have lunch with some customers. It is a beautifill and well developed city! Choose a seat by the window so you can see the Andes when you cross it. And in the city keep hidrated and with eye drops. Due to the location where the city is built, in the winter all the polution remains above the city and it`s terrible to breath...

      November - I took 15 days vacation and went to Portugual and Spain. I arrived in Lisbon, rented a car and started the first day driving south. I was very tired due to the long plane travel, and the excellent roads that I felt very sleepy. The good thing is that they have several rest areas along the way and I could sleep a couple of minutes... Slept the firs day in Faro, in a Hostel. Well, I got old... =( I got really annoyed by the noise of the other guests in the room, couldn`t sleep well... Not fun anylonger... The city is cute, by the seaside, very nice to walk around.
                 From there, I crossed to Spain, to Granada. I wanted to see the Allambra, and it was worth it! Beautifull architecture, details, history... Amazing!!! from there I drove through the coast up to Gibraltar. My parents had travelled around Morocco for 3 weeks and I was to pick them up where the boat arrived. The tip of the Iberian Peninsula is England's territory, so you go from border caos to extremelly organized and english speaking (and pubs) just by crossing an airport. Yes, the entrance is the famous street that crosses the airport. The space they have is very small and there is a large rock mountain in the middle of it. It`s interesting to see.
                Now with company, we went to Cadiz, Sevilla, nice historic city and back to Lisbon. The rain didn`t stop, from the next day in Granada up to Lisbon. It's really anoing all this time under the rain, with wet shoes...
               We stayed a couple of days in Lisbon (they eating Bacalhau and I enjoying the views) and they left to Brazil. I went to Porto, really nice city, loved it! Afterwards back to Lisbon and to Brazil...

2013
     February - again the Carnaval holiday. I try to avoid the main party places and cities, so we rented a house with a couple of friends in Governador Celso Ramos, in Santa Catarina. Almost deserted beach, few people, low prices, excellent! Of course by the following years people found out and crowded the place....

     March - Work related travel to Bogota in Colombia. I spent the weekend, so I could visit Monserrate (the mountain with city views), the turistic neighborhoods, and the Botero Museum. I loved it, and it`s free!!! On Sunday I went in a day trip to the Salt Cathedral, it`s a cathedral inside an old salt mine. it`s really different from everything, very nice tour, I recommend!

     March - Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, back to the Ibere Camargo Fooundation, I love the architecture of this museum! And walk around the old downtown and eat a Pelota`s sweet or ice-cream with fruits on the Municipal Market. But mostly, the Torta de Sorvete on Moinhos, the best icecream cake in the world!!!

     April - I took my grandma to Maragogi, it`s a city/beach on the northeast of Brazil. It was as the Cancun resort, all inclusive, beach front, large pools, day trips. If you can choose, I recommend go to Cancun. They are more prepared to serve the customer, you have a better experience, whilste in Brazil nothing is very good... It`s crowded, the food is so-so, they don`t even have coconuts! The beach is amazing!! But not woth the trip... On the other side, I enjoyed visiting Recife and Olinda, nice cities, nice history, beautifull views...

     June - I went to Panama on a business trip, but I got to go to the Casco Viejo to eat and visit the Panama Channel. It`s awsome to see the huge boats crossing the channel!

     July - Back to Colombia, but this time no fun, just business... We went also to Barranquilla and Medellin. Until now, my favorite is Medellin, calmer, cleaner, more trees, not suffocating as Bogota.

2014 will come on the next post... it`s a lot of travels!!!