2016 Travel List
It's a long weekend here in Valladolid (we have Monday and Tuesday off due to Carnaval). But instead of exploring another Spanish city, I'm cozying up in my apartment, saving up for two trips I have planned for the last two weekends of February. Comfortable as I am, I've still got that wanderlust, so here I am whipping up a post of some destinations I hope to cross off my travel list before I head back home in June.
1. Stockholm, Sweden (19-21 February)
This February, I'll be heading to Stockholm to watch my cousin Maya perform. My cousin is a dancer at Sasha Waltz & Guests, and this month they are performing a popular piece in Stockholm. My sister was planning to go long ago, and she convinced me to go too. Then I recently found out that my other cousin (Maya's sister) will be joining us as well. I haven't seen her in years, so it will make for a fun reunion.
Other than seeing my sister and cousins, I'm really excited to see Stockholm. I've only been to the Scandinavias once, and it was when I was 11 years old, on a summer camp in Norway. Despite the high prices and predicted cold, I'm quite excited for the trip.
2. Oviedo and Gijon, Asturias (26-28 February)
This year, there are more of us from the University of the Philippines doing the auxiliares de conversación program. Furthermore, several of us were also in the same Spanish student organization in our university days. Last year, we decided to arrange a meet-up, and the destination we chose was Asturias. Unfortunately we won't be complete, but it should still make for a fun weekend.
Asturias has always been up there on my Spain bucket list. The region is famous for its green landscapes, fabada and sidra (cider), and I can't wait to experience it all first hand.
3. Morocco (19-30 March)
For this year's Spring Break/Semana Santa trip, my sister Angela and I have booked tickets to Morocco! It will be out first time in Africa, and to say we're excited is an understatement. (We're also trying to convince our other sister Isabel to join us. Though she'll be coming from the Philippines, so it's tougher for her). So far our itinerary includes Tangiers, Chefchaouen, Fez, Marrakech, and Essaouira, as well as a 3-day desert tour from Fez to Marrakech.
4. Huelva (8-10 April)
I never really had much of a desire to visit Huelva before, but I currently have two friends living there, and they make the city sound quite appealing. I messaged them a couple of weeks ago, and told them I hoped to visit. One of my friends then mentioned that by April, the weather should be warmer so we could take a day trip to some nearby caves and go swimming. So we tentatively calendared in some dates, and I'm now on the lookout for cheap bus or train tickets.
Interestingly for me, Huelva is the only province in Andalucia I haven't been to. So going to Huelva would tick off me visiting all the provinces in Andalucia!
5. Santander, Cantabria (22-24 April)
Santander has always been on the top of my Spain travel bucket list (right after Galicia, which I finally managed to visit last November), and I hope to make this trip happen in April. I have always been drawn to the culture of Northern Spain, and Santander is no exception. I'd love to see its landscapes, particularly the beaches of the Cantabrian Sea, and partake in its gastronomy. Santander is known for its quiet and laid back quality of life, and should make for a lovely weekend trip.
6. Extremadura (6-8 May)
I'm still on the fence about Extremadura. I do want to visit the region, but I don't have particularly strong feelings about it. One of the pros of my list is that this is the last region (assuming I make it to Asturias and Cantabria) that I have to visit to have been to all 15 regions of mainland Spain.
Some of the popular destinations of Extremadura are Trujillo, Cáceres and Mérida, Mérida being the most popular because of its well preserved Roman ruins. It was once one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire. May is still weeks away, so I have some time to think about it.
7. Destination unknown (20-22 May)
I'm saving this one weekend to travel with one of my best friends Lyle. We lived together in Granada last year and were travel buddies pretty much the whole year. However, since I moved to Valladolid, we've only gotten to see each other once (when I made a quick detour to Granada the weekend before I flew home in December). Hopefully we'll make one last trip happen in May before I head back home to the Philippines in June.
On the top of my head I'd love to visit the south of France, Nice and Marseilles in particular. I've also always wanted to see Porto and Fatima in Lisbon. A bit further away, there's still so much of Eastern Europe I've yet to travel to (though I'm wondering if I should save all those cities for a combined backpacking trip together...). The options are endless, there's still so many places to visit!
8. Bogotá, Colombia (June)
Last summer, I directed an international summer camp in the Philippines, and we had a delegation from Colombia join us. The Colombian leader mentioned how much airplane tickets were to and from Madrid (they had to fly via Madrid to come to the Philippines), which got me thinking of visiting them in June. Flights are relatively inexpensive as round trip tickets from Europe, so since I'm already here, it might be a now or never chance to travel there.
However, I have the tricky problem of visas to think of because my Spanish residence permit will expire on 31 May. And since I plan to go in June, I may not be able to reenter Spain after leaving. I still have to go to the foreigner's office to ask about this, so for now, it's still a maybe.
And those are my travel plans for the first half of 2016. What about you? :)
1. Stockholm, Sweden (19-21 February)
 |
| Gamla Stan in Stockholm (Photo source) |
This February, I'll be heading to Stockholm to watch my cousin Maya perform. My cousin is a dancer at Sasha Waltz & Guests, and this month they are performing a popular piece in Stockholm. My sister was planning to go long ago, and she convinced me to go too. Then I recently found out that my other cousin (Maya's sister) will be joining us as well. I haven't seen her in years, so it will make for a fun reunion.
Other than seeing my sister and cousins, I'm really excited to see Stockholm. I've only been to the Scandinavias once, and it was when I was 11 years old, on a summer camp in Norway. Despite the high prices and predicted cold, I'm quite excited for the trip.
2. Oviedo and Gijon, Asturias (26-28 February)
 |
| Fabada and sidra (Photo source) |
This year, there are more of us from the University of the Philippines doing the auxiliares de conversación program. Furthermore, several of us were also in the same Spanish student organization in our university days. Last year, we decided to arrange a meet-up, and the destination we chose was Asturias. Unfortunately we won't be complete, but it should still make for a fun weekend.
Asturias has always been up there on my Spain bucket list. The region is famous for its green landscapes, fabada and sidra (cider), and I can't wait to experience it all first hand.
3. Morocco (19-30 March)
 |
| Chefchaouen, Morocco (Photo source) |
For this year's Spring Break/Semana Santa trip, my sister Angela and I have booked tickets to Morocco! It will be out first time in Africa, and to say we're excited is an understatement. (We're also trying to convince our other sister Isabel to join us. Though she'll be coming from the Philippines, so it's tougher for her). So far our itinerary includes Tangiers, Chefchaouen, Fez, Marrakech, and Essaouira, as well as a 3-day desert tour from Fez to Marrakech.
4. Huelva (8-10 April)
 |
| Caves in Aracenas, Huelva (Photo source) |
I never really had much of a desire to visit Huelva before, but I currently have two friends living there, and they make the city sound quite appealing. I messaged them a couple of weeks ago, and told them I hoped to visit. One of my friends then mentioned that by April, the weather should be warmer so we could take a day trip to some nearby caves and go swimming. So we tentatively calendared in some dates, and I'm now on the lookout for cheap bus or train tickets.
Interestingly for me, Huelva is the only province in Andalucia I haven't been to. So going to Huelva would tick off me visiting all the provinces in Andalucia!
5. Santander, Cantabria (22-24 April)
 |
| Playa de la Magdalena, Santander (Photo source) |
Santander has always been on the top of my Spain travel bucket list (right after Galicia, which I finally managed to visit last November), and I hope to make this trip happen in April. I have always been drawn to the culture of Northern Spain, and Santander is no exception. I'd love to see its landscapes, particularly the beaches of the Cantabrian Sea, and partake in its gastronomy. Santander is known for its quiet and laid back quality of life, and should make for a lovely weekend trip.
6. Extremadura (6-8 May)
 |
| Teatro Romano in Mérida (Photo source) |
I'm still on the fence about Extremadura. I do want to visit the region, but I don't have particularly strong feelings about it. One of the pros of my list is that this is the last region (assuming I make it to Asturias and Cantabria) that I have to visit to have been to all 15 regions of mainland Spain.
Some of the popular destinations of Extremadura are Trujillo, Cáceres and Mérida, Mérida being the most popular because of its well preserved Roman ruins. It was once one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire. May is still weeks away, so I have some time to think about it.
7. Destination unknown (20-22 May)
 |
| South of France (Photo source) |
I'm saving this one weekend to travel with one of my best friends Lyle. We lived together in Granada last year and were travel buddies pretty much the whole year. However, since I moved to Valladolid, we've only gotten to see each other once (when I made a quick detour to Granada the weekend before I flew home in December). Hopefully we'll make one last trip happen in May before I head back home to the Philippines in June.
On the top of my head I'd love to visit the south of France, Nice and Marseilles in particular. I've also always wanted to see Porto and Fatima in Lisbon. A bit further away, there's still so much of Eastern Europe I've yet to travel to (though I'm wondering if I should save all those cities for a combined backpacking trip together...). The options are endless, there's still so many places to visit!
8. Bogotá, Colombia (June)
 |
| Bogotá, Colombia (Photo source) |
Last summer, I directed an international summer camp in the Philippines, and we had a delegation from Colombia join us. The Colombian leader mentioned how much airplane tickets were to and from Madrid (they had to fly via Madrid to come to the Philippines), which got me thinking of visiting them in June. Flights are relatively inexpensive as round trip tickets from Europe, so since I'm already here, it might be a now or never chance to travel there.
However, I have the tricky problem of visas to think of because my Spanish residence permit will expire on 31 May. And since I plan to go in June, I may not be able to reenter Spain after leaving. I still have to go to the foreigner's office to ask about this, so for now, it's still a maybe.
And those are my travel plans for the first half of 2016. What about you? :)
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