Strategy, development and knowledge
I had the opportunity to visit these two countries, which have some very distinctive characteristics. Geographically they are in Asia, but culturally they are part of Europe. They are a truly unusual combination, a transitional territory where at times one can feel as though one is on one continent and at times on another. Both countries were also part of the Soviet Union, a past that has left traces in the culture and identity of their cities.
Spending a month in Belgrade, exploring some of the cities and towns in Serbia, and making a brief visit to Montenegro was a pleasant surprise. For context, I spent a few weeks in Bosnia before arriving in Serbia, which gave me a useful point of comparison. My knowledge and understanding of the Balkans grew considerably during the couple of months I spent in the region, both through visiting these countries and through everything I read and the opinions I gathered from local people.
Three weeks in Bosnia and Herzegovina gave me the chance to discover a beautiful country, very different from the rest of Europe I know, with an open wound that is clearly still far from healing. It is a place I definitely recommend visiting, although it may not be for everyone.
Paris is unquestionably my favorite city and has been since my first visit. I know, it is a cliché. I would love to be more original and choose a less famous, less touristy place, but the heart wants what it wants, and mine has beaten for Paris for years. Living there for a month felt like inhabiting my own skin for the first time.
I spent an incredible month in Barcelona, a city I had visited before but left wanting to know better. After a month, I think I still have the same desire to continue exploring it. There are many Barcelonas: its districts are so different that one can emerge from a metro station feeling as though one has reached a completely different city.
Spending two months in Santiago was a somewhat strange experience because the similarities with Mexico are so numerous. Since beginning the New Era, I have always felt a clear cultural difference between every city I have visited and life in Mexico. But in Santiago, I felt as though I were in Mexico.
The New Era finally brought us back to a city we had long hoped to revisit. We already knew Buenos Aires, and our first impression from a short trip had been excellent. We loved the city then and were excited to return.
Our arrival in Asunción, Paraguay, was rather eventful. We were in Curitiba, Brazil, so we had to fly to São Paulo and connect from there to Asunción. The first flight departed at 6:53 a.m., which meant arriving at the airport two hours earlier, at 4:53.
Rio de Janeiro thoroughly deserves its nickname, “Cidade Maravilhosa”. It truly is a wonderful city, where I spent two incredible months. It feels much cleaner and greener than São Paulo, with hills and mountains covered in dense vegetation everywhere, and a coastline of white sand and blue-green sea. As soon as I arrived in Rio, I felt a certain familiarity with the city that I could not explain.
São Paulo welcomed us with cold weather, drizzle and darkness. For me, that is already an idyllic beginning to the story. I have a gothic streak. We did not technically arrive at night—it was 5:30 p.m.—but by then it is already dark during the austral winter.