It’s that time again when I look back at my year in travels and think about what I managed to see of the world in 2019.
It only feels like yesterday when I was tucking into my 2018 Christmas dinner with family and ringing in the New Year with friends. Now I’m doing it all again. This realisation of how quickly time passes reminds me of how I ought to seize the day more. I don’t want life to pass me by but really want live it. Maybe I’m saying this because I feel like I didn’t accomplish a whole lot this year, but then again, I did promise myself I was going to do lots of relaxing after finishing my Masters last year. I don’t like breaking promises.
I didn’t travel as much as I would have liked, but 2019 was great for me in terms of enjoying myself and indulging in London’s offerings. This being said, I still visited India, Spain, Belgium, Isle of Wight, Norway, Argentina (including Patagonia) and Brazil. Next year I hope to do more travelling but here are my highlights of 2019!
Marvelling at the Stone-Carved Treasures of Mamallapuram in India
I’d been dreaming of visiting India since I was a child. When I was growing up I used to live next door to an Indian family and everything about their culture fascinated me. The colourful clothing, chant music, ornaments of Hindu Gods and the aroma of spices that would drift through into my garden when their mother was cooking. So in February, I finally went!
I only had two weeks so instead of travelling long distances to cram in the major attractions like the iconic Taj Mahal, the startling pink palaces of Jaipur or the pristine beaches of Kerala, I settled upon concentrating my time in Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost state.
I loved everything about my trip but my highlight of this region was the ancient city of Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its hand-carved monuments. It’s hard to believe these monuments exist, carved entirely from one huge rock, you’ll find yourself gawping in wonder at every turn.
Meeting Penguins from Ushuaia
Patagonia had been high on my list since forever, and this year I finally made my way there! Some of you will already know that I love the Arctic, so naturally I’ve always wanted to head to the southernmost possible region of the world: Antarctica. However, since stepping foot on Antarctica would require me to sell one of my kidneys on the dark web, I ‘settled’ for Ushuaia, which is commonly referred to as the gateway to Antarctica.
Ushuaia and the whole of Tierra del Fuego archipelago didn’t disappoint. It’s very similar to the kind of places you’d see in the Arctic – small, windswept towns surrounded by huge mountains and fjords and much of the same wildlife too. However, one of the things the Southern Hemisphere has which the Northern Hemisphere doesn’t are penguins! Most of the penguins live in Antartica but you can also reach them on a day-trip from Ushuaia by boat. I really wanted to steal one of these adorable, little creatures, but I didn’t fancy my odds at immigration.
'Learning' Spanish in Barcelona & London
At the beginning of 2019 I decided I wanted to learn Spanish. Since I possess absolutely ZERO talent for learning languages, I knew I wouldn’t be able to rely merely on Youtube tutorials and Duolingo so I booked for a weeks’ long beginner class in Barcelona back in April and then a 10-week course in Canary Wharf (London) a few weeks later in June.
I had an amazing time in Barcelona but admittedly I didn’t put in as much effort revising as I did gorging on food (unsurprisingly). This is partly because I went with my friend, Lee, who knows quite a lot of Spanish so I relied on him when we needed to use it. I really enjoyed my classes in Barcelona but the ones I took in Canary Wharf were even better. Sadly, my Spanish is still practically non-existent but I shouldn’t let this deter me. This year I plan to persevere with it… practise makes perfect…or in my case, I’ll just be happy to nail down a simple conversation with a native speaker. ¡Deséame suerte!
My 1st Trip to Cambridge
I can’t believe it took me 30-some years to finally visit the historical city of Cambridge, famous for its university and architectural triumphs. If you’ve been to Oxford before, it’s unsurprisingly not too dissimilar – the two cities have had something of a rivalry since time immemorial. Aside from wandering around the impressive city centre and visiting a few of the university campuses where the likes of Stephan Hawkings and Charles Darwin once lived, my absolute favourite bit was visiting the home of former Tate curator, Jim Ede, at his home-turned-museum, Kettle’s Yard.
Outdoor Cooking Along the Bergen Fjord
It was such a delight to be back in Norway, this time exploring the Western Fjords. I flew into Bergen, then headed around the stunning Hardangerfjord, visiting small towns such as Ulvik that are surrounded by huge glacial mountains and fjord views, before flying back out of Stavanger. The day I think back to most is the morning when I took a boat trip out to a tiny island in Bergen to go fishing for sea urchins and scallops. With a bucket in hand we also collected periwinkles and seaweed closer to shore to add a bit more taste to a fish soup we were rustling up for an early lunch. Once we gathered enough to feed ourselves we cooked it on an open fire overlooking one of the finest fjords views western of Norway.
Epic Mountains & Glaciers in Santa Cruz, Patagonia
Santa Cruz is arguably Argentina’s most beautiful province. The nature is out of this world, with few places on Earth coming close to the panoramas of Los Glaciares National Park. The park is huge and is home to such iconic landmarks like Mount Fitz Roy and Perito Moreno Glacier. I spent a few days in the small towns of El Chalten and El Calafate which are ideal places for hiking and seeing many of the main attractions of this region.
Santa Cruz is definitely a place I’d love to go back to again, I only scratched a tiny surface of all the available hiking routes. I did a 20-km return hike to Laguna Torres which was incredible, but next time I have my eyes set for the Mirador Las Torres hike which offers the best view of Mount Fitz Roy. Since it had been raining heavily the day before we were advised against it. Alas!
Ghent's Fairy Tale Castles & Canals
I absolutely loved Ghent! It’s topped the list of my favourite Belgian cities for sure. It’s brimming with Flemish charm – in a similar way to Bruges but with less tourists, and personally, I think it’s far more interesting.
Ghent has a fabulous balance of old and new to explore. A city where you can marvel at its historic medieval centre while relaxing in hipster cafes or browsing through fancy design shops. It’s also the ideal city break holiday for a romantic weekend away with its picturesque canal, Gothic architecture and the medieval splendour of Gravensteen.
Eating My Way Around Barcelona
Although my objective for visiting Barcelona was to spend a week at a language school learning Spanish, the main focus was definitely food! I inevitably put on weight gorging my way through tapas after tapas and hopping from one tantalising food market to another.
I had some of the best pulpo of my life, and tried a few new dishes for the first time including Fideuá, which you could call paella’s less famous but equally tasty cousin. It’s made with buckwheat noodles instead of rice, and usually includes seafood and can also be prepared with black squid ink and served with alioli. Yum yum yum!
Getting the Precarious Chairlift to Alum Bay Beach
These rattly, old, chairlifts will send anyone with a fear of heights to an early grave. I’m scared of many things but a fear of heights isn’t one of them. My poor friend, however, clung on for dear life and practically kept her eyes shut the entire time. Fortunately for her, the ride didn’t last long but she missed the views from our seat which were stunning.
The chairlift took us over to the small but beautifully formed pebble beach of Alum Bay where I looked for fossils (unsuccessfully, I add). The beach is famous for its cliffs of multi-coloured sand, composed of many minerals to create a rainbow effect of red, grey, white, and yellow layers. It also has a glorious view of The Needles, which are a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about 30m out of the sea.
Generally Making the Most of London
What’s the point on living in London if you don’t indulge in its cultural offerings? This year I tried to see as many gigs, concerts and exhibitions as I could. Highlights included seeing Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House, Thom Yorke at the Barbican, the Van Gogh and William Blake exhibitions at the Tate Britain, a talk between Brian Eno and Srecko Horvat at Evolutionary Art Hackney and best of all, seeing Steve Reich at the Barbican. Steve Reich was an absolute dream come true and the performance was all topped off with accompanied visuals by Gerhard Richter.
