This year had everything, good memories, challenges, lessons, new variants, depending on your frame of mind. I’m grateful that after a long time, I was able to travel to Vienna, go on a journey in Tuscany, attend a concert in Berlin, to enjoy a meal at a restaurant in Bologna, meet friends in Madrid or visit a museum in Bucharest.
First, I remember in 2021 a longing for travel and many Berlin weeks and festivals – Berlin Fashion Week, Art Week, Photography Week, Berlinale Summer Special, Festival of lights, plus Musikfest and Christmas markets.
Moreover, spending some time in 2021 in dear Bucharest was wonderful, a city that has changed since I was living there, as is only natural. I love Bucharest for everything it offered me over the years, ever since I was a student.
Many (more) reasons to visit Romania, besides family and friends, are to swim in the Black Sea, the Carpathian mountains, or events as the Romanian Design week and the George Enescu Music Festival.
Seeing with new eyes
My first visit in June was in the same time with the EURO 2020, as Bucharest was one of the host cities, together with Budapest, Munich, Copenhagen, Seville, London, Moscow and apparently, also Baku.
Football aside, I enjoyed paintings and pearls at Malvensky jewelry house, a favorite, and the Romanian Design Week, called “Together” this year. I went to see the Arhitecture exhibition, located at the National Museum of Art of Romania. And I couldn’t leave without paying a visit at the “Brancusi Exhibition”, on the last floor of the same MNAR, or going to familiar cool bookshops – Cărturești and Antix libris.
Lastly, Lights on is a festival that generated an exciting artistic installations – “I miss you”, an installation in Chicago and London, that had a reply in Cluj and a reaction of the dialogue in Bucharest with “I’m waiting for you”.
Instead of conclusion. All we have is Now
Mircea Eliade, a Romanian author, said that miracles are everywhere, you just have to see them.
As each year, thank you for the most read top 5 stories from 2021:
- Journey to Firenze, Toscana – Florentine food, art walks and sunsets
- Taste of Bologna – memorable Tagliatelle al Ragu, gelato and portici
- Tapas for lunch, flamenco for dinner and De Madrid al cielo – mix – sunshine, rooftops, Paseo del Prado, flamenco at Teatro Español, & more tapas
- Berlin Friedrichshain – Berlin history, East Side Gallery and creative restaurants
- Brâncuși Week & The Endless Column – Brâncuși moments in Paris, Târgu-Jiu, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest & again Paris
I enjoyed writing all stories, but my personal favorites are the ones made in Italy – Florence and Bologna.
Farewell 2021 and Happy New Year!
Travel Journal 