In 2018, I had two headquarters, both of
them in the Iberian Peninsula, but which are each
other's antipodes in this territory. In this fertile year, I went with the flow and I missed the north to head south. Depending on the atmosphere, I increased my latitude and
altitude, while decreasing the scale of the map of the places that I have
visited, continuously wondering whether I will keep on transporting when I
reach the equator of my life or whether I will sediment somewhere one day. Some
also say that this emigrant is too accelerated, but they cannot imagine how
petrified I have become with everything that life has offered me up to date and which I dune… I mean, dunno how to explain. Without any further extent, here
you are the 15 places that I liked the most in 2018:
15. Ilha
Barreta (PORTUGAL)
This is a place that has marked both the
beginning and the end of 2018, since it has been my study area. In other words,
a place that has helped me learn about my passion and meet my life goals by
means of challenges; in exchange of that, I have also made my small contribution
to it, giving rise to a sort of friendship relation between us. Like some
writers, this island has its pseudonym and is better-known among the people as
Ilha Deserta (Desert(ed) Island). It is true that quite a lot of tourists go to
the island every day, thereby questioning the suitability of its name, but
it is quite easy to avoid the visitors, as most of them tend to stay in the
first metres. Thus, within 15 minutes you can escape from the crowd and have
the feeling that you own the island, but in reality, it is the island that owns
you and leaves you in another dimension, pensive, prisoner of its beauty.
14. Praia do
Camilo (PORTUGAL)
As we will see throughout this ranking, the
coast is its lord and master. Although I generally prefer the mountains to the
beach, I must admit that the Algarvian coast is far more appealing than the
mountain range. The southern coast of Portugal basically consists of amazing
cliffs extending continuously for about 80 km. I had many doubts to choose only one
of them, but this year, I picked this particular beach near Lagos, because
aside from being a miniature indicator of the typical Algarvian landscape, I
have visited it in almost every season. This way, I could see different faces
of the same beach, from darkness to liveliness, from isolation to
massification, from automatism to complete connection. Just like that film
that you have watched over and over again in which, despite having watched it a
hundred times, you can find something different every time. During my last visit,
however, I was not so motivated, since I thought that I would no longer be
surprised. Then, out of the blue, a huge storm began, whose lightnings took all my prejudices away, as if the beach was willing to express its offence for
having questioned its fascinating capacity.
13. Segovia
(SPAIN)
One of the things that I like most about this
ranking is that it contains places from all over the year,
from the beginning to the end, which emphasises the importance of the 365 days. This year, for the first time,
I had the chance to discover Segovia, which I found such a great historical
city. I initially went in search for the Roman Segovia, but all of a sudden, I came across the
alcazar from the Arabian Siqubiyyah and a few minutes later, I was appreciating
the huge cathedral from the Modern Age Segovia. This rich heritage, therefore,
originates from many periods and as the city knows its value very well, it
offers plenty of corners to admire these pieces of art. I had heard very positive
comments about Segovia more than once, but it has been very nice to finally have had the possibility to confirm all this.
12. Grottes
de Bétharram (FRANCE)
Living close to the border offers the clear
advantage of changing country on demand. Due to that, I had the opportunity to
go to these caves located in mainland France. It is true that they are very
touristic, but regardless of their exploitation degree, all caves contain a special type of energy that strongly attracts
me. They perform magic, because they completely annulate the life-giving light from the Sun through the formation of their own ecosystems
in the darkness. Along with this, not seeing the Sun leaves you in a totally different
temporal dimension, as time does not exist underground, or at least not the way
we know it above ground. Time seems to go by more slowly, obeying the rules of
relativity, or perhaps it is the one above ground that goes too fast, you do not
know, you do not care. In this space, there is neither rush nor need to find
answers. You keep on moving across that slow-motion dimension, while staring at
thousands of natural sculptures that could compete with those in Segovia. Yet
here building monuments also takes millions of years, so only the most patient
architect could have crafted these immense pieces of art. That who totally
masters the strength of each carving move, the only one achieving millimetric
precision, that who, despite having total confidence in its abilities, is
extremely humble, to the point thatits name has only two letters: UR*.
* Note: 'Ur' means water in Basque.
* Note: 'Ur' means water in Basque.
11. Budapest
(HUNGARY)
For more than 5 years, I have been eager to come to this city and I finally made it in 2018. A dream that came true. Being one of the major European capitals, it contains loads of appealing buildings and that would be sufficient to captivate a tourist like me. But in addition to that, I experienced some feelings that cannot be so easily explained. First of all, the admiration that I have for the Hungarian language, not only because of its sound, but also because of the mystery related to its location, and that very mystery made me smile every time that I heard that charming collection of phonemes. Perhaps the local incomparable food also had an influence, since it has nothing to do with the gastronomies of other countries west of it. But most importantly, what really touched me was the fact that I was finally visiting a country with which I had so many connections, since life has put wonderful Hungarian people on my way, as if wanting to stress that I should visit the country. It is true that I still have loads of things to explore, but while I was learning about the country’s culture, a feeling was taking over me: that of having begun to return Hungary what it gave me.
10. Aiako
Harria (BASQUE COUNTRY)
As I have mentioned before, places from all over the year have made it to the list and now, it is the time for one that entered
in the last minute. Albeit having known it for a really long time, I was so pleasantly surprised
when I hiked this mountain last winter. I personally love the path itself and
that day, there was a mysterious fog that drove me completely crazy. It reminded me
of Scotland, because the landscape was changing every 30 seconds, thereby
unravelling what was covered before and suddenly hidding the only points that you could previously observe. And there were all the summits, swinging in this insane
come and go, saying hello and goodbye, competing to stand above the fog and to draw the hikers' attention. In the end, the summits looked
like the fingers of a hand between which the fog was gently sliding, thus
caressing the granitic walls. And I find it so funny to feel so touched in
a place that I had known for a really long time. Same place as always, but when you live abroad,
the foreign place becomes the always and what has always been the always becomes
the non-always, and that sudden non-always character is what will always leave a scar on you.
9. Itálica
(SPAIN)
Sometimes,
when you are in a nearby place, you still make a huge journey, maybe not in
space, but in time. Indeed, it is possible to travel through history by making use of
your head.
Albeit having a passion for Physical Geography, I highly value
historical places, especially if their origin is located in Ancient History. Right after
crossing the door, 2000 years separate your body and your mind, and magic is
flowing from each stone, as they store mysterious tales within, tales that have
developed over thousands of years. And it could well be that those remains were
the narrators of Lepidus’ legend, perhaps I did not make it up and it was a
real event. Because in history, only some specific episodes told by a handful
of people reach us and there were so many unsaved things going on that if you
think about it, any story could be true.
8. Monsaraz
(PORTUGAL)
Get carried away and everything will be great.
You can make the worst-looking place special depending on your choices,
since lessons sprout here and there and you are the one deciding when to
harvest them. Monsaraz is an incredibly beautiful town that hides a very interesting
history inside its walls, to which its monuments bear witness. But aside from that, the experiences that I lived that day gave the final touch. “We have to protect each other”
they said and we knew exactly who those “each other” were. Pure truth, coming
to us as a revelation, but somehow, we had been looking for that message by
carrying out seemingly unrelated actions, until we found it. And at the
end of the day, a huge rainbow showed up, i.e. a phenomenon that excellently
summarised our last hours: because rainbows illustrate the blending of colours,
thus being indicative of the multiculturality of that day; because the rainbow has
been the compass of many civilisations and in this sense, it would represent
those moments when we were lost and when it showed us the right path; and
finally, because it is the symbol of revolution, so it could well be our
personification, as we had just rebelled against the prejudices of society.
7. Sandrati
Tunela (BASQUE COUNTRY)
We
now move to a natural space where anthropogenic elements also have a small
representation. Nature and culture
combined in my favourite proportion. Right after the start, you are surrounded
by Aizkorri’s immensity with its unmistakeable profile and it seems to you that
you are the only human that has ever walked those lands. Your closest company
is your own echo, a very entertaining hiking companion nonetheless, because
the sound goes mad in that gigantic stage, hitting over and over against those
limestone walls, as though imitating the electrons in an atom. Then, after advancing a
bit, one comes across the Sandrati Tunnel. This mole-built underground bridge
drills the rock sideways and somehow it wants to warn us about the fact that nature will lose its hegemony thereafter, because very interesting cultural elements will add to it. It is true, since archaeological remains suggest that this tunnel has been used for millennia and so, all sorts of buildings have been constructed, inter alia, the Sandrati Hermitage. If we accept that the tunnel is the doorstep to the mole's home, the hermitage would be its lair itself.
Among the treasures that can be found on the
other side of the tunnel, a royal path that attempts to avoid the limestone sinkholes clearly stands out, and even if its Roman origin has been recently denied, that
does not make it less magical. After having sufficiently enjoyed all these appealing features, you can cross the dark tunnel once again and now
you can stop at the doors of the hermitage, where you will most likely begin to reflect. Because it is
not a coincidence that most of these chapels are located in breath-taking spots, as the beauty of nature enhances the connection with spirituality and
overall, with yourself. Thus, any passer-by will feel an extraordinary energy and he will readily understand how clever hermits were.
6. Praia da
Falésia (PORTUGAL)
Let us go back again to the coast. Praia da Falésia is the last beach that I discovered in Algarve, in a very touristic emplacement, but even the best-known sites can be full of charming corners. Its name means “Cliff Beach” and I find it so funny if we take into consideration that the Algarve is a land full of cliffs, and what's more, that this is probably one of the least steep beaches, at least compared to its rugged counterparts on the west. When you arrive there, you will observe that the cliffs present a sequence of hot colours and there they are, staring defiantly at the blueness of the sea. No wonder, because water easily disintegrates these rocks, thereby organising massive erosion parties. Falésia does not clearly follow the patterns of the nearby beaches, but in spite of being so different, in spite of having much softer rocks, it does not lag behind and turns its distinctive characteristics into advantage, thus claiming its own character. Every time that I visit it, I recall those times when I was a child and I used to fill glasses with sand of different colours. And just as it happened to me some 20 years ago, I could spend endless amounts of time watching all the combinations of that beautiful kaleidoscope.
5. Bardeak (BASQUE COUNTRY)
We will move away from the coast for a short while so as to travel to this wonderful place. This Natural Park of Navarre is an anthropogenic desert, cousin of Praia da Falésia. Therefore, it shares its revolutionary character with its relative by strongly contrasting with the green colours so characteristic of the Basque lands. What is more, if the Basque Country were the Earth, we would say that this desolate, arid landscape would be extra-terrestrial. In geology, this type of areas are known as badlands, as the concept focuses in the erodibility of the rocks, since when it comes to the experiences that these places can offer to the travellers, they are not poor at all. For instance, it is very nice to see that even the smallest channel has the potential to leave its trace in the rock, just like nameless artists lave their graffiti on the abandoned walls of the biggest world cities. And we should not underestimate the power of these small agents, as they are numerous and when they join forces, they attain greater strengths than an average river, as proven by the gigantic canyons in the area. Thus, they teach us a lesson about tolerance and respect, while also reminding us of the importance of gathering together. This way, if we do not reject those who are unlike us, we can create a diverse society based on what makes us different, a society far stronger than any one on Earth.
4. Ponta
Ruiva (PORTUGAL)
I do not know why, but something encouraged me to come to this place. In last year’s ranking, when I talked about Cape São Vicente, I explained that I needed more time to explore the surroundings. Well, this year I have satisfied my curiosity and I have set foot in the ginger Ponta Ruiva. Drawing my attention from the distance, it became more and more interesting as we got closer, forming a geological dictionary: abrasion platform, bay, chevron, deformation, erosion, flysch, hiatus, joints, greywacke, metamorphism, normal faults, schists, turbidites, unconformity… many ingredients to drive a naturalist crazy. And among them, one clearly stands out: unconformity, which in geology is just a discontinuity in the deposition of sediments, but whose meaning can be broadened. Firstly, if you look downwards, you will be surprised by the formation of red cliffs on top of the dark shale, so the colours constitute a vertical discontinuity. Moreover, it is isolated, there is no other red cliff nearby, thereby being discontinuous in the North-South direction as well. Lastly, when it comes to time, investigators have discovered a huge geological gap in this site, thus expressing its disagreement with the continuity of time. This means that we have basically no idea of what happened for millions of years. It could be anything, or perhaps nothing at all. My hypothesis is the following one: Maybe this was the only survivor of a large family and hence, it does not look towards the adjacent cliffs, but towards the sea, hoping to find its siblings at some point.
3. Parque
Natural da Arrábida (PORTUGAL)
When stars
align so that you go on an apparently absurd adventure, do not miss the
chance, because it will be worth it. Last-minute ideas can be the best ones, as
long as you keep an open attitude, since inward looking bodies do not have any
space for presents. These two sentences perfectly summarise those days spent in
Arrabida Natural Park. Originally, we were not meant to come here, but all the
signals drove us there and even if we did not really understand why, we decided
to follow them. Nevertheless, the beginning was quite of a disaster, as if we
wanted to test our own faith, but the irresponsibility of going totally
unprepared was compensated with the acceptance of unexpected events and the
search for instant solutions to the problems. And when you truly believe in
your capabilities, even the biggest obstacle is unable to frighten you. In my
opinion, rather than properly organising a trip, maturity is about solving any unforeseen circumstance.
Once the
tests of the first day were overcome, we went down the mountains until reaching
the coast and just like the altitude, the difficulties progressively diminished. And then we received the improvisation-related reward. Three colours were
perfectly mixing in the landscape in front: the intense green from the
background mountains, which were in turn overlying an appealing turquoise sea, and the very
white-sand beaches that tried to imitate the hues of the cloudy sky. That
triangle completely confused us, since one felt transported to the Cantabrian Sea
and the other one to the Caribbean Sea, i.e. to two places that barely have anything
in common, what confirms the imbalance that we were experiencing.
2. Tulip
fields in De Stolpen (THE NETHERLANDS)
Surprise
me once and I will remember you; surprise me twice and you will always be part of me. It is hard to believe how lucky we are sometimes and because of that,
we need to surrender when things do not come up the way we wanted to, since
that will guide us somewhere else. Last year I could not make it and a delay in
2018 brought me here, having a good recollection of my visit to this type of fields two years ago.
Tulip
fields are a sort of landscape consistent with the country’s character. After
all, the Netherlands managed to build a nation in unsuitable lands and
likewise, to create images full of contrast in a country with no relief
changes. If the altitude does not provide enough diversity, may the colours
give it. These plants distributed along straight lines, which meet in the distant horizon,
constitute a huge colour explosion. When we arrived, the tulips were somehow waiting for us, unwilling to disappear until we saw them, as if that had been their vow for 2018. And
after filling up our souls during their last hours of life, they came back underground
with the intention of making next year’s curious visitors happy.
During
this year’s visit, a sentence in Paul Auster’s “The New York Trilogy” came to
my mind, which summarises that day pretty well: “A life touches one life, which
in turn touches another life, and very quickly the links are innumerable,
beyond calculation”. When you go against the flow, it is to nice to come across
people that not only respect your lifestyle, but also want to complement it.
And right there the beauty of the landscape and the locals enrich
each other and knock down all prejudices by proving that this world can be a
better place.
Because
second parts are not always worse than the first ones.
1.
Sines-Praia de Malhão (PORTUGAL)
Finally,
we have made it to the first position. I have had serious doubts about
ascribing this rank, as usual, because it is a great responsibility, but eventually the 2018 gold medal goes to the hike between Sines-Malhão.
Normally,
when we want to visit some well-known points in a certain area, we visit each
site separately and then move to the next one through transport. However, I
honestly prefer to walk the entire path connecting all those points, since it gives you the
opportunity of finding unknown places on the way and even those places that you
initially wanted to visit can surprise you, as they show up when you do not expect them.
During
this hike, I did not find the most astonishing beaches in the world, but all of
them were beautiful. Indeed, there were neither ugly nor boring places. Unlike in
Algarve, the landscape completely changed every kilometre, thereby giving the
chance to observe all the rainbow colours in a single morning. Additionally,
this coastal zone has not been so spoiled. Due to
this, it is full of hidden, nameless jewels, where you can enjoy the charm of isolation and anonymity.
During our
adventure, we saw all kinds of images: here spherical stones, there more common sand; here fine laminated sediments, then massively deformed rocks;
here pocket beaches, there those extending for kilometres; here those breathing
only for some minutes per day, there those successfully facing high tide; here
symmetrical beaches, there those with capricious-shaped stones in the middle of
the sea; here desert-like ones, there very green ones, but in between, those
combining vast sandy areas with pine forests; and occasionally, beaches were effortlessly eroded, giving rise to perfect badlands and ripples; conversely, sometimes the sea needed to use all its fury to create a tiny crack on the rock, although a
few metres ahead, the sea managed to strip off big pieces of those same rocks. It was so difficult to guess who was winning.
As for
colours, they built broken sequences. That is to say, when you thought that they
were following a certain tonal logic, the theme suddenly changed and an
unexpected tone showed up. For example, red sandstones to start with, followed by orange
footpaths camouflaging with the sand and then, in order to break the
monotony, green and maroon plants growing upon bright grey rocks. Yet the change of the change came right after in the form of laminated, black and orange rocks. And as a summary of all the changes of the changes of the changes, some sections blended green slopes, white sand and round grey blocks. Even the invasive species were really beautiful, since the hues of
these exotic plants fused with at least one of the colours around.
We were in
such a stage, making use of all the elements around us: water to clean, sand to
exfoliate, dunes to protect us from the wind, plants to lay in the shadow, animal
songs to fall asleep… Nature, that generous supplier that never runs out.
There are so many lessons that I was taught during that trip and which I would like to share with the readers:
get carried away; and take the risk; and make mistakes; and be afraid; and enjoy both sunrises and sunsets; and feel the texture of sand, then get naked and sense the caresses of the wind; and value good home-made food; and go down to the beach to play with the waves to subsequently jump upon the rocks bare feet to feel their roughness… And most importantly, trust chaos, since it is very wise. Finally, I would like to teach you a word, because I believe that you will need it in the future, as it must be your life philosophy from now on. Come on, repeat with me: EN-TE-LE-CHY.
get carried away; and take the risk; and make mistakes; and be afraid; and enjoy both sunrises and sunsets; and feel the texture of sand, then get naked and sense the caresses of the wind; and value good home-made food; and go down to the beach to play with the waves to subsequently jump upon the rocks bare feet to feel their roughness… And most importantly, trust chaos, since it is very wise. Finally, I would like to teach you a word, because I believe that you will need it in the future, as it must be your life philosophy from now on. Come on, repeat with me: EN-TE-LE-CHY.
