Living in the UK

As some of you might know, I moved from Germany to the UK about a bit more than one month ago. It has been quiet a change, but I managed to settle in and will provide you with regular posts from now on!

 

Keep your eyes out for some UK-related posts in the next months! And of course some general travel posts about other places, spaces and things.

 

With winter just around the corner, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite pictures I took so far. It's taken on the island Titipan, a Carribean island near the Colombian coast.

 

The Wishlist

So, I thought I'd share with you places and/or countries I am dying to visit.

The first entry of this kind is about San Andrés/ Colombia. Since I have not visited this place yet, I do not have any own pictures that  could share with you.

Why do I want to go there? I think the video says it all, really. I expect breathtaking beauty of nature paired with the laid-back atmosphere of the Carribean. Let's hope I won't be disappointed once I get there! I found some more nice pictures online, but if you type in "San Andrés" in Google's search engine, there are thousands of pictures like those. (also on pinterest, I checked already)

Where is this small paradise located?

Although it belongs to Colombia, it is located 220km from the coast of Nicaragua.

It consists of 2 groups of islands and 8  outlaying banks and reefs.

How can it be reached?

Well, I have never been there, but I guess it can be reached via boat or plane. Although I much prefere going by plane since I find taking boats extremly boring and tiring.

How about you? Would this be a destination you might consider as well? Let me know in the comment section below!

Note:I  did not take any of the pictures in this entry myself since I have not been to San Andrés/Providencia yet! If you are the owner of one of the featured pictures, let me know and I will remove it or add the source.

Cartagena de Indias

I promised to share the secret about the most beautiful city I have been to with you. So here we go!
It is the incredibly beautiful City of Cartagena de Indias, located on the Carribean coast of Colombia in the Departamento de Bolívar.

This is what the streets in Santo Domingo (part of the Old City of Cartagena) look like

Barrio Getsemaní

How can you reach Cartagena? Cartagena has an international airport with flights hourly flights to and from Bogotá. There are also connections to mayor Latin-American and US-American destinations. There are also bus connections to a large variety of Colombian cities and to Maracaibo (Venezuela).

What is so special about Cartagena? It is the mixture that makes this city special.The beautiful colonial Ciudad Amurallada (The Walled City), the city's Carribean beaches and the modern districts of Boca Grande and Laguito paired with the fascinating Colombian culture and hospitality makes Cartagena, at least for me, to one of the most beautiful places on earth.

What is there to do? First of all, the Walled City of Cartagena is the biggest and most impressive sight. There is also a castle (Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas) and some convents to visit. For example the Convento de la Popa, located on a hill overlooking the city. Do not miss to have a look at the monument of La India Catalina, situated at the entrance of the city comming from Manga.
Apart from the sights, there is a lot to do in Cartagena, like hanging out at one of the city's beaches, shopping in one of the malls or going to the cinema. I highly recommend a night out. Cartagena is said to be THE domicile for the rich and famous of Colombia and there sure is a lot to see.
Famous Colombians like Juanes (musician), Shakira (musician) and Gabriel García Marquez (Nobel Price in Literature winner 1982) have houses in Cartagena.

There are also some very interesting places to visit near Cartagena, but this will make another blogpost.
I spent two whole months doing an internship in Cartagena, so if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me!

El Peñón de Guatapé - Colombia

El Peñon de Guatapé, also called El Peñol, is a giant monolith located 86km northeast of Medellín in the province of Antioquia. It can be easily reached by taking one of the local busses that leave from Medellíns “Terminal de Norte”, and the bus ride will take a bit more than one hour. The climate in this area is at about 20 to 25°C on average troughout all year.

So what can you expect?

Once you climbed up el Peñón, you can expect one of the most beautiful sceneries I have seen until now. I’m really not too much into scenery but this place is truly amazing. Keep in mind that at about 2,2 thousand meters above sea level, climbing up the stairs of the over 200 meters, from the ground, high Peñón is more exhausting than you might think.

I guess it’s best to let a few pictures speak for themselves.

El Peñol

This is what the surrounding area of El Peñol looks like - picture is taken from the top of El Peñol

To sum it up, I think El Peñón and the Town of Guatapé make a really good day trip if you happen to be in Medellín. Especially if you find Medellín stressful, which I don’t but I can imagine some people will, this will be a great way to take a break from the city and escape to the beautiful nature of Antioquia. You can round it up with a trip to the nearby picturesque town Guatapé where you can order the typical dish for this region: the “bandeja paísa”.