By 
Hi Nextinationers,
I’m finally back.
If you have read my last post, a month and a half ago I said goodbye to Moscow after 5 wonderful years living there. If not, you can read it by clicking on the link.
Today, however, I would like to tell you about my 2019 and some of my resolutions for 2020.
★ Summary of 2019 ★
Since we arrived back in Madrid, it is being a time of adaptation. Yes, I know it is my country, but I have not lived here in the last 7 years and many things have changed since then: the country, the people, me.
Or at least, that is the perception I have. Maybe the country and the people remain more or less the same and this is me who has changed so much that everything seems different.
This does not mean that I don’t appreciate being back, quite the opposite in fact. I am seeing Spain with other eyes and I want to rediscover Madrid as if I was a tourist, see everything as who enjoys everything again for the first time. Marvel at its streets, its parks, etc.
I really want to travel this year around Spain. There is so much to see! I still have several places to visit in my own country and also, I want to go back again to those places where I have already been because you always find different places and see things with different eyes and in another way when you go for a second time.
This month and a half we are trying to create a new “home” in Madrid, which has involved two movings: from Moscow to Madrid and another one within Madrid. You can imagine how crazy these weeks have been!
The good thing about this is that I am doing a lot of interior design and I am quite enjoying it. It’s okay to do something different for a while, don’t you think? I could never be one of those people who spend their entire life doing the same thing day after day.
It has been all so intense the last weeks that now, finally, I can sit down and start thinking about my 2019 and start recapping everything what I have done, what I have not done and what it has brought me this past year.
The truth is that sometimes I think that if it were not for this kind of posts, I would not have time to recapitulate and project new goals in my head towards the new year, so I think this post is, above all, necessary for me as a person and for Nextination.
Looking back, I have achieved more than I thought and although I have finished the year not as well as I expected, for some “personal little problems”, I want this 2020 to start strongly and is auspicious because I have always thought that even years are better! Or at least, I remember that way.
For example, in 2010, I have moved to Brazil and spent a few months in London. In 2012 I decided to quit my job at the time and moved to Shanghai, China, and a few months later, just before the end of the year I was engaged to my boyfriend at that time. In 2014 we left Shanghai and moved to Moscow and in between we got married. All the above during an even year.
★ Resolutions for 2020 ★
For this 2020 I have a very special project in mind that I hope will become true and to be honest, I have a good feeling about it. After all, it’s an even year and also leap! This can only bring good things, right?
Speaking about travels now, I am very relaxed about them for the moment and although I have been to FITUR last week, my mind, as I said, is more about traveling around Spain mostly now.
Other resolutions for this year are eating better and in a more relaxed way. Also, I need to start doing some exercise like yoga and some kind of fitness that makes me move more. I want to walk around Madrid, exploring every corner in the city. I would like to spend a day during the week visiting a new place in Madrid and discovering new cafes and restaurants. I have in mind to do some photography course and a Photoshop one and as well as retake my piano lessons because, finally, I have a piano at home with which I can practice.
In short, this year I don’t want to focus only on the blog and my Social Media. I will still be around here a lot of course, but I want to focus on another things now.
Anyway, right now I want to remember the moments that I consider most memorable this past year. Let’s start!
★ Memorable moments of 2019 ★
Finally get to visit New Orleans.
I took a steamboat in New Orleans, enjoyed jazz on Bourbon Street and visited the famous Lafayette Cemetery, the Voodoo Museum, toured its famous cotton plantations and did a swamp tour watching alligators.
NOLA, aka New Orleans was so high in my list since forever for a million things. Its history with a mix of cultures, races and religions, its music, its food and that French and Spanish heritage are just a few reasons to want to visit it. The whole city is wrapped in a mystical, magical and mysterious atmosphere.
40 things to do in New Orleans
Texas Road trip: Houston, Victoria, San Antonio and Austin.
I started 2019 in Texas, United States. We decided to spend Christmas and New Years Eve with a part of my husband’s family so we decided why not to do a Texas road trip and visit New Orleans too. I loved starting the New Year listening to a Texas music concert.
Two weeks in which we were able to visit cities as different as Houston, the small city of Victoria where we stayed with the family on a Texan “ranch”, San Antonio where we toured its river in one of its boats and got lost in its Mexican neighborhood or my favourite, Austin, famous for its live music venues with great atmosphere thanks to its university.
24 hours in Austin
Fitur
I went to FITUR for the first time. Yes, I remembered it as something memorable even if it sounds perhaps weird, because I did some trips thanks to that and, also, I met other travel bloggers. This year I went again.
Although those 3 days are super crazy because you go from meeting to meeting, it is amazing to see all the activities that the different stands prepare, with traditional dances and food. Also, you collect a lot of information from a lot of destinations. It is perfect to plan your next vacation.
Continue discovering Moscow
I visited some places again and again in Moscow like the Izmailovo Kremlin that seems like a fairy tale, but also new places like the Vodka Museum where we did a vodka tasting surrounded by Soviet posters. Can you think of something more Russian?
Also, I enjoyed the beautiful Christmas decorations that Moscow has in January and February and also its incredible restaurants, exhibitions, concerts, theatres, gastronomic markets, etc.
If you want information about where to go, what to visit, about restaurants and cafes, what to do if you go with kids and much more, you will be interested to click here below.
Hot Air Ballooning in Dubai´s desert
In 2019 I visited Dubai for the second time thanks to Visit Dubai. Seeing the sunrise from a hot air balloon in the desert, touring the dunes by jeep, strolling through the souk, driving a boat or seeing the city from the sea are things that will not cease to amaze you.
Touring its different areas, cross the Deira in one of the traditional wooden boats called “abras” surrounded by seagulls and watch the sunset from there, are things you can not or should not miss if you visit Dubai. It is simply amazing!
Discover what you can not miss in Dubai
Czech Republic road trip
In 2019 I was finally able to remove Prague from the list of places I want to visit but not only that. I also visited the country for a week thanks to the Czech Republic Tourist Board and I was able to marvel at all that the Czechia offers.
I liked Prague a lot but I loved Czesky Krumlov, Brno and the Moravian region. Moravia is one of those places that you cannot miss if you visit the Czech Republic, because the country is much more than Prague. This region, full of castles and vineyards will amaze you.
Getting lost in the streets of Salzburg
I got to visit Salzburg thanks to “Visit Salzburg” and relive the moments of “The Sound of Music” that was filmed there. I also visited several villages in the lake region such as Mondsee and Sankt Gilgen. Both so beautiful!
Visit the country of a “One Thousand and one nights”.
Last year I fulfilled another of my dreamed destinations when visiting Uzbekistan, the country of !One Thousand and One Nights! The heart of the Great Silk Road through Central Asia and the famous Marco Polo. Its architecture is extraordinary, of a Persian origin, since Uzbekistan was under Persian influence for several centuries.
Falling in love with Singapore one more time
In 2019 I not only returned to Singapore, one of my favorite cities, but I also stayed there for 3 weeks. Without a doubt, the best trip of the whole year! I have the best memories of this city where I have definitely left a piece of my heart!
The truth is that I’m surprised that Singapore, without being a city as big as others, has millions of things to do. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I love it. Undoubtedly, for me it is essential that the places I visit have many things to see and do.
Singapore´s most complete guide
Discover hidden places in the Netherlands.
I visited The Netherlands again, but this time I have discovered new towns and amazing places thanks to the Amsterdam Tourism Board.
I visited Edam, Zaanse Schans with their famous green mills along the river where we sailed by boat, or the new city of Almere that stands out for its innovative architecture.
Visit the colorful and lively city of Bristol
I discovered Bristol in the UK for the first time thanks to the Great Britain Tourist Office and I was amazed at this city, totally unexpected.
The city was awarded the title of European Green Capital in 2015 and named more than once as the best place in Britain to live. This lively and vibrant city, partly thanks to its two universities, is colorful and has a lot to see and do. Click below if you want to find out more.
Delight in the Roman baths.
I rediscovered Bath, only half an hour from Bristol and an hour and a half from London. I relaxed in its Roman baths where I enjoyed a couple of hours of relaxation where centuries ago the Romans themselves did it too. How amazing is this?
Bath is one of the most beautiful cities in the United Kingdom, in fact, it is one of the most visited, not only in the United Kingdom but worldwide, receiving almost 4 million visitors every year, and it is not surprising why.
Enjoy the turquoise waters in Mallorca
This 2019 I visited Mallorca for the fourth time, however, I stayed on the island for 2 weeks so I could get to know a more authentic Mallorca this time as well as discovering places I haven’t been before, marvel at its landscapes and beaches, delight with the food, and fall in love forever with this island.
I am looking forward to go back soon again. Very soon I will let you know everything in a blogpost.
Visit Riga, in Latvia
Also known as “the Paris from the North”, all its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Go prepared to see an impressive Art Nouveau architecture as well as wooden constructions of the 19th century.
What to do in Riga in 72 hours
See one of the most beautiful sunset in Cyprus, the island of Aphrodite
I visited Cyprus thanks to “Visit Cyprus”. It is also known as the Aphrodite Island because according to Greek mythology, Aphrodite was born here, from the foam of the sea that bathes one of its beaches.
In Cyprus, I enjoyed the blue waters, the cliffs, the salty lake where you can see flamingos and its beautiful villages. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and retains large archeological remains as different civilizations have passed through it. In fact, the island, once, belonged to the Knights Templar.
Getting lost in the colorful streets of Bologna and its porches
Another trip I did in October was to Emilia Romagna region in Italy. Perhaps, by this name it does not sounds very familiar to you, but it surely does if I tell you names like Bologna, Parma or Modena.
I had heard a lot about this region and, really, such an amazing things but it is true that, you have to go to really appreciate it.
The European capital of Culture in 2000, in 2006 it has been declared by UNESCO a “creative city of music” and, its “porticoes” are, today, candidates to be declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
Bologna is one of those cities where you have to go to get impregnated with it, to marvel at every corner, with that unique atmosphere, with its hustle, with its colours, with its food and with its people! Thanks to the Emilia Romagna Tourist Office for the beautiful experience!
Sailing the Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line.
In November I have finally been able to experience what it is like to do a Sea Cruise and I did it in the Caribbean thanks to Norwegian Cruise Line. Without a doubt, an experience that I will never forget.
Five years later, I returned to Miami and this time, I loved it. I will write a blogpost about the city soon.
After almost two days in Miami, we embark on the Cruise and sail the Caribbean for 7 days visiting Honduras, Belize and Mexico and enjoying the waters of the Caribbean and everything the boat offered.
Disconnect in an old Cistercian Monastery
Finally, after a couple of intense weeks due to moving back to Spain, I could enjoy a relaxing weekend at the Monastery of Valbuena thanks to Castilla Termal Hoteles.
Located in an old Cistercian monastery, founded in the 12th century, it is the perfect place for a weekend disconnect getaway. Just two hours from Madrid you will find the relaxation you need, in the middle of nature and between vineyards. This 5 star hotel offers you the best facilities: Spa, Massages and a restaurant with the best food I’ve had since I returned to Spain a month and a half ago.
Another important fact is that this hotel houses the headquarters of the Foundation of the “Edades del Hombre” which promotes the sacred art of Castile and Leon, which is why they organize several exhibitions for this purpose since 1988.
In addition, it is located on the Ribera del Duero Route, which means that you are surrounded by wineries. We were able to enjoy a wine tasting at the nearby Arzuaga winery.
Live Christmas in Madrid
This 2019, after two years without coming home for Christmas, I enjoyed the Christmas time in Madrid this year. It is true that Spain is not famous by making much display of lights at Christmas.
However, one day we decided to visit what they said was the European city of Christmas this year, Torrejón de Ardoz in Madrid. I was impressed by all the Christmas decorations here, food trucks, and many attractions and things for children.
Spending the New Years Eve surrounded by family in the Netherlands.
This year, finally, after 2 separate abroad, I could spend the New Years Eve in the company of almost all my family in The Netherlands.
One of the most memorable moments was to walked around Amsterdam and discovering new places. On the 31st of December, the weather was great and sunny so we decided to go to the beach in The Hague.
In winter, only a couple of open sites remain, as the rest take them apart. Interestingly, one of those sites was one of my favorites when I was there in June.
The whole place is made of wood, with tables outside and inside with a multitude of chimneys and a dim atmosphere and candles. We went to eat there on the terrace and stayed until the sun went down. A beautiful sunset with a glass of wine in hand, the sparkling fire of the fireplace and the best of companies.
I can not ask for more. It was the best way to say goodbye to the year.
★ Customers with whom I have worked this 2019 ★
- Visit Dubai
- Visit Czech Republic
- Hotel Corinthia in Prague
- Visit Salzburg
- Iamsterdam
- Love Great Britain
- Centauro Rent a car
- Visit Cyprus
- In Emilia Romagna and Bologna Welcome
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Castilla Termal Hotels
- Shein
- Black coral
- Highly preppy
Thank you very much everyone for being on the other side reading me and accompanying me in some way on my trips too! I love you!
Thank you very much for always accompanying me on my trips, virtually and for reading me every day!
If you have any questions or questions, you can send me an email or write it in comments.
If you want to see more pictures of my travels, since here I only put a few, do not hesitate to follow me in my Instagram clicking here. and subscribe to the blog here:
Thank you so much for reading me.
If you liked the post Pin it!
What do you think?