One year living in Arizona/USA

A year of new beginnings, a year to change direction and start again.

Overall, I am grateful with god and life.  

Life has seasons and winter will also pass. 

We can always decide to move on and focus where our heart shines.

Beginning 2023 I moved to one of the most hot places in earth: Arizona . 

After a long summer above 42 degrees, I still feel it was the best decision I made.

Moving to a new place has been a new journey for me physically and also emotionally. I consider myself very lucky to have a new start. Nevertheless, it has not been easy. With some ups and downs on my way I am learning to give up what I left behind and start creating a new life with a better mindset. 

Mid 2023, I lost my dad and this has been a grief journey for me. My dad gave me his last breath to teach me to be grateful, to teach me to start living again and to teach me to take every single day as if it was the last one. It is impressive how life can change in few seconds. I am thankful with life for putting me in the right place and in the right time with him. 

2023 taught me how everything is impermanent. Even strong relationships changed being away for some time. I am still working on accepting changes and accepting life as a constant flow. 

It has been a year of reflection, and I believe this has been a year to explore: 

Explore myself in a new country.

Explore a new mindset and vulnerabilities.

Explore something new in my diary life.  

I made traveling part of my routine, more than 3 months traveling in last 11 months. 

I explored nice hikes and natural parks in Arizona and Utah. 

I explored climbing and I love it. 

I explored a new job that I like. 

I met very nice people, and I also explored loneliness being in a new country. 

I started a volunteer program. 

I spent time with my family – while they are here. 

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As I learned in the Camino of Compostela life does not always give us what we want, but what we need. Nothing and nobody last forever. We are our only companions for life and it depends only on us to make every single day of our life better, trust the process and leave the rest to the universe. 

Thank you 2023 for this new opportunity and a year! 

Thank you Marce for being so strong! 

Thank you dad and family!

Thank you to the ones that have been supporting me in this journey!

Welcome to all new journeys and experiences, I am ready for them!

Camino Santiago Compostela

El camino no es un destino sino un recorrido … Cada persona al caminar va creando su camino..  Aprendí que no encontramos en el camino lo que buscamos, sino lo que necesitamos aprender.

Santiago de Compostela

Incluso después de caminar varias jornadas, no hay un destino! Es solo un recorrido.. el paisaje cambiara, conoceremos nuevas personas…. y aun asi cuando creamos que nuestros pies no pueden recorrer más pasos, volvera amancer, y si lo queremos siempre podremos seguir caminando!

Muxia

El camino, es como nuestra vida! Tiene una belleza natural..  Un paisaje, un atardecer, una piedra, y sin embargo muchas veces queremos encontrar lo que buscamos en algo grande y no contemplamos los pequenos detalles… Queremos tener tanta perfeccion en nuestra vida, que no apreciamos lo que ha estado allí todo el tiempo.

Finisterra

Aprendí que hasta caminar puede llegar a distraernos….

Entonces no es necesario seguir cada etapa, cada ruta, debemos decidir nosotros nuestro propio recorrido….  El arte del camino no es caminar, sino aprender a reflexionar y para ello se necesitan incluso más kilometros!

He aqui lo que he aprendido en los ultimos 6 dias….. en este pequeno recorrido por el camino, toma tiempo para valorar lo que el camino nos ofrece, y toma aun más coraje descubrir nuestro propio recorrido!

Turkey

Turkey…

Turkey it is a coulorful country with a mixure of  spices, beliefs and cultures.  Stepping in Istambul I felt directly in the bridge between Asia and Europe.

It is amazing to see the role of the religion in the turkish life, besides prayers it also influences the diet, working culture and relation between men and women.

From the great Bazars to the turkish baths, every single corner of Istambul is interesting. If it is not a mosque, it is a spices or handicrafts market, a pastery or a Restaurant with very tasteful Food. People are very open and willing to share their culture.

 

 

 

 

Greece

Santorini:

The best spot to see the sunshet, in Company of a greek

Our itinerary in the Islands:

Preveli Beach – Rethinmo

Rethinmo – Chania

Chania – Falassarna Beach

Falassarna Beach – Elafonisi Barrio PlayaThe best beach I have ever visited

Elafonisi – Chania Playa: Second best beach

Chania – Heraklion Playa

 

Weihnachtsmarkt

Christmas market in Wroclaw  07.12:

Aschafenburg 06.12

Baden – Baden /Strasbourg (12-13.12)

Aprés 4 ans ´je continue a aimer la petit France!!!

Mexico!

The south of Mexico offers much more, than what I personally thought.

We decided to stay in Playa del Carmen, instead of Cancun for being  less touristic.  It is a place with a lovely beach surrounded by nice hotels, if you walk in the fifth avenue there is a lot of atmosphere: bars and restaurants with Latin music, this is the way how someone can start to enjoy holidays and full the spirit with joy.

To go dancing, we tried salsanera, probably the best and cheapest place to dance salsa. Coco Bongo is definitely out of budget (70usd entry). For eating my favorite places were bodeguita del medio, with very nice Cuban dishes and Pirata for the Sea food. Of course, you can not miss the fresh juices in the fruteria every morning.

Near to the Rivera Maya there are more than 20 cenotes « water caves » in the yucatan peninsula. here the water is very clean perfect for snorkeling or scuba diving. we visited Chaak tun, this is a cenote just situated 2 km from playa blaca. For around 300 pesos you can visit both caves.

For a day tour, it is worth to go visiting Conzumel. A perfect island that offers diving and snorkeling, excellent reefs and the best spot to look for sea turtles and variety of corals. Besides its charm, this is the perfect place to buy handcraft and jewelry.

Another must is Tulum, starting with nice ceviche de pescado  in the Barracuda. As conzumel this island offers green water with thin sand. Furthermore, I really liked the Mayan city with its ruins.

Regarding culture and historical places, we could of course not skip one of the new seven wonders of the world. described as the most famous and best restored of the Yucatán Maya sites, Chichén Itzá, is an impressive symbol of the mysteries of the culture Maya. A representation od the astronomy, arithmetic, and Mayan mysteries.

 

 

 

Croacia

 

Buda – Pest

Easter in Eslovenia

…. « In the small central square of Ljubljana, the statue of the poet stares fixedly at something. If you follow his gaze, you will see, on the other side of the square, the face of a woman carved into the stone of one of the houses. That was where Julia had lived. Even after death, Prešeren gaze for all eternity on his Impossible love.” … »

Veronika lies there, she has committed suicide!   , the idea being to make the press believe that she has killed herself because people don’t even know where Slovenia is. Paulo Coelho!

What makes Slovenia perfect, is exactly that: the fact that it is still an undiscovered country  with no many tourists. located in central Europe and a part of Yugoslavia until 1991, the country borders with Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.

This is a magic place to be, it combines a bit of mystic, romanticism, urbanism and medieval times surrender by vineyards and mountains, there is too much to explore.

We arrived at Ljublijana, after a long drive. the city of dragons and love, that you can find in cafes and churches. A way to spend the day is  to go to the food maket where you can find all sort of food from Indian to Veggie food. have a walk in the city an appreciate the art.

It was easter, so the best idea for me was to go jogging the lake, feel the energy of all the people running and doing yoga around the lake. then time  to have a local breakfast and prost with easter eggs! our friends Uribito and Teja made it for us, a piece of Slovenian cake was also not to be missed.

Another attraction are the caves and wine regions in the direction to the Croatian border. A trip on the boat, and for sure a coffe next to the river

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zona Cafetera

Colombia is one of the top suppliers of coffee in the world. one of the regions where the coffee is produced is in the eje cafetero also known as the coffee triangle consisting in the departments of Risaralda, Quindío and Caldas.

we visited Quindío and stayed 8km away from Armenia in a traditional finca del café. Armenia is a big town that suffered from an earthquake in 1999. Since then the city has not been fully recovered. Nevertheless, if you visit the town you wiil find a high amount of local trade, as well as tourists jumping into the city to get another way of transport. in the main city there is a lot of commerce of hand made crafts.

The region of Quindío has many things to offer besides the production of coffee and plantains. I would recommend the following places worth visiting:

Finca Buena Vista: Open only on weekends and Fridays. here you will enjoy an amazing view of the coffee region plus a guided tour of the finca del café.

Salento: very close to the valle de Cocora. Also a very nice spot with an amazing view. We enjoyed our stay with a horse ride very worth to pay. In salento there are many restaurants offering delightful fish called trucha. many hand made crafts, and also coffee shops to have a rest

Panaca: This is an agricultural and animal farm. kids can interact easily with pigs, horses, hens, dogs cats and all sort of animals

coffee park: this is a thematic park that offers many attractions including a roller coaster and a show worth to see every day of the history of coffee and its production in Colombia

Recuca: this is the best guided tour of the coffee culture, process and production of coffee in Colombia told with the finest humor of a Paisa. Be prepared to dress up and dance one of the most traditional dances of the region.

Cartagena & Rosario Islands: Paradise on earth

Cartagena is located in the Caribbean cost of Colombia, is one of the main ports in America, and nowadays is well known because of its Colonial architecture. It is also known as  » Colonial walled city  » and was designated In 1984 a Unesco world Heritage site.

The official entrance to downtown is the Puerta del Reloj (Clock Gate), here started our trip. I was a little bit ashamed for not being in this city before, as it is one of the most touristic cities in Colombia, and for sure one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been.

Cartagena is much more than a colonial city: when  you visit the city, you will be surrounded by  colorful houses, horse carriages,plenty of history from the colonial times, massive churches, plazas where you will see people dancing « Mapale » and other typical dances from Colombia, coffee zones, and trendy shops from the best designers in the Country. I personally loved the locally made crafts.

Regarding the food, you can taste the best food directly in the street: Cocadas, in the noth entrance of the clock gate, or buy a fruit or agua de coco from the palanqueras. (Ladies that carry the fruits in their heads), arepa de huevo, and the best fried food in the plaza San diego. If you have a better budget you can also afford a ceviche in front of Santa Teresa hotel, and try the sea dishes that different restaurants offer. If you chose, to try something local you can visit the Coroncoro restaurant located in the Getsemani neighborhood, Dorothea, or kiosko el bony directly in the beach.

If you are looking for a room, with a low budget, you will find plenty of hostels in Getsemani, but a better choice depending on the number of travelers, could be to rent an apartment located in bocagrande or laguito.(http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rentals/colombia/cartagena)

Islands close to Cartagena:

Isla del Pirata: one of the 30 islands which makes up the Isla de Rosarios archipelago. This is a private island, you can expect to pay between 95,000 COP and 115,000 COP which includes the trip to and from the island, and a delicious lunch (freshly caught fish with coconut rice) the advantage of this place is that is not as crowdy as playa blanca, you can relax in the beach and do some snorkeling in the cristal sea. if you decide to overnight, you also have the option to book one of the bungalow that the island offers.

Isla Baru, Playa blanca: This is the most touristic but also one of the most traditional beaches in Colombia. In the high season you will certainly find a jam-packed full of tourists, and local sellers pushing you to buy anything. Nevertheless if you go in the low season, you will find a very nice place to relax with the white sand & cristal water of the sea. You can get there overland or by boat.40,000 COP. I personally recommend to take the opportunity once you are there, to get a massage worth 30,000 COP.

Italy – Torino

Christmas!

Bratislava

Bratislava

 

23.05 – 24.05

 

 Our experience in Slovaquia, started with the visit of the production plant of Volkswagen near to Bratislava.   They are the third biggest producers of cars in the world, in terms of volume.

For me It was rather clear, a proof of the Taylorism in the 21th century: big chains of production, high control, repetitive tasks and the degradation of the workforce.  The reason: “just in time “standards and efficiency. As sad as it may sound it seems that this old model works well in the automotive industry, at least in terms of profitability, and it makes you wonder how long and how much more we can and are willing to progress at the expense of humans. 

 

This is Slovaquia, a mixture of the old and the new, As the prices started to get lower than in west Europe, I started to feel standing in the east part of Europe. It is easy to perceive  the remains of communism.  Nevertheless, Bratislava, the capital city has emerged  from the communism era in time to be part of the Europen Union, and nowadays seems to be a promising city for commercial investors.

We took advantage of the conditions, and decided to go for a walk into the city centre, located 20 min far from our hostel. Bratislava is a really small city, and the main area is around the centre where all Cafes, restaurants and bars stand. This time we found the best local spot to eat typical food, fried cheese and schnitzel for 3,5 euros, and the very best Kofola: The Coca  Cola from the east. They argue that this was the original one,  I don’t know if it is true, but I must say it tastes better.

 Afterwards, with free tickets to try the vodka and Absenta we started the night at our hostel and the night went by.

 Second day started, with the second main attraction the Castle of Bratislava, a  city’s reconstructed 15th-century castle with views from the ramparts and has a 36o view of the city. The day continued with the visit to Jhonson Controlling,  a company that switched its model from business process outsourcing to Business center.

And this was Bratislava, walks through the ilumanated city, scenary spots for more picture, strange language, and maps of the city, the best bread  and finally some quotes for not being perceived as a turist. 

Prague

Prague

 

22.05

Prague is on my top list of most beautiful cities and places in the world!

It is bohemian, artistic and medieval.

Romantic, classic, artistic

Full of live and young people!

During the day the city is crowded with tourists visiting the most popular attractions:  the castle of Prague, the park of Kampa, and the multiples churches.  It is also worth to stand in the main square and wait for the clocks to ring every hour.

This time, we arrived in the city with the rain, our itinerary started walking through the small and sneaky streets, this for me is the best attraction and the best spot:  The red placards with the name of the streets, a couple of lovers holding their hands while listening to a piece of violin, or an artist painting one of the postal that will be for sure appreciated and valued by any visitors of the city.

Then we end in one of the few not touristic and rather local restaurants in Prague, as its name says: “Lokal.” It provides a high variety of Checz dishes: Cambembert chese fried (185 cz), Goulash soup (150 cz) potato salad (45 cz) and the original one: a glass of Bier (30 cz – 45cz) depending of the brand and size. I really recommend this restaurant is one of the cheapest places in the city,  it is a crowded place so it may better to make  a reservation.

Then the night in Prague starts: the city is beautifully decorated with lights,  and there stands the amazing castle and the bridge of Prague. It is just beauty,  just judge it by yourself:

 

About the nightlife, the city always offers a couple of beers in any of the bars and terraces of the cities, and for the ones who prefer party, there are plenty of clubs to know too.

Next day: we start with a company visit, BPO Solutions, a small company located in the outside area of Prague, a provider of Account services and a business partner of some consultant firms in the east of Europe.

The topic of presentation was  process outsourcing, and I found it really interesting considering the international and non-European background of the majority of attendees.  Good projects, tendencies of the markets, and why not future professional opportunities J.

Luxemburg

18.05 – 19.05

Back in time to a land of counts and dynasties, wars and victories, fortresses and promontories – we landed in Luxemburg!

Go wandering in the pathways to forests, castles & villages…  and get hypnotized with the beauty of this land.

The third smallest country in Europe, while one of the most international: more than a third of the population are immigrants, mainly Italians and Portuguese. The official languages are French and German. To our surprise the Luxemburgish (Mother tongue) was not considered for a long time a language. A heaven for taxes, and one of the healthiest economies in the old continent.

In my opinion a small country, but still a country with abundance and high standards! Very International, Medieval and at the same time modern! The best itinerary for me,  just to walk through the streets, find a nice spot in a park for a picnic, look for a geo-cash or spend some time in a patisserie!

And when the sun goes down, take the time and visit  Diekirch, have a beer with the locals and try to speak and follow up a conversation in (Luxemburgish – German and French)  If you success tell me how J.   As the motto call up the people’s character: “Mir welle bleiwe wat mir sin” we want to remain what we want, what is attractive for me about this place is  the link  with my own past (France) and my present (Germany)… and the future mind-set I am working on: abundance!

Echternach & Trier

We decided to follow the Tip of  our couchsurfer to visit Echternach and Trier in the way back to Germany!

Echternach is a small town near to Luxemburg with a big Basilica. The country ‘s most important religious building is the town’s main sight. After a rainy day we decided to buy a éclair, is it typical from France or Luxemburg? I don’t really know, but it was the top of the cream to finish our trip in Luxemburg!

Trier: The city of Karl Marx , it injects life among the Roman ruins, the main sight is the Porta Nigra that dates from the 2^nd century AD.

Nice statues of Karl Marx of about my size, I found this a very friendly spot to take photos and play with the colors!