Monthly Travel Journal – January & February 2020

It’s been a while since I posted the last travel journal. I skipped January simply because nothing really happened but I’m back in business, ready to share with you what happened in my life during the past two months.

I did some traveling, I planned a few exciting trips, I got scared of Coronavirus but more about this in the sections below.

Us in Porto

1. Traveling

January was the first month in a long time when I haven’t traveled at all. I always avoid traveling during winter in Europe. I don’t like cold weather. During winter, all I want to do is sit in my bed, watching a good TV series while drinking tea.

January was also the month when Coronavirus started spreading across the globe. I’m not afraid of getting infected but I’m scared of passing the virus to my parents and loved ones. The best things we can do right now is avoid travel. I know that this virus affected many people’s travel plans. I’ve seen it reflecting in my blog traffic and there is no doubt that the travel industry took a major hit.

While I don’t encourage panic, I believe that we should all be careful. We, young people, might overcome this virus but it’s the older people who are at risk. 

Should you cancel your travel plans? Probably yes. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

At the beginning of February we took a well-deserved vacation to Portugal. Portugal has been on my bucket list for such a long time and I was really looking forward to this trip. We planned one week in two incredible destinations – Lisbon and Porto.

Our first stop was in Lisbon. If there is one thing that I don’t like about Lisbon that’s the hills. We walked so much up and down the hills that when we got home each evening my feet hurt like hell.

Anyways, leaving aside my bad physical shape, I really liked Lisbon. I loved exploring the miradouros (viewpoints) and the narrow streets. However, my favorite spot in the city is LX Factory. What once was an industrial complex is now a place where artists can meet.

Full of shops selling hand-made items and tens of art installations, LX Factory is the place to be if you’re looking for a creative, cultural area. We bought some pastel de natas (egg tarts) and drank a glass of sangria while the sun set over the city.

LX Factory

We couldn’t leave Lisbon without visiting Sintra. We woke up at an ungodly hour in order to catch the first bus to Pena Palace. My mind was set on taking some awesome pictures at Pena Palace and nothing could stop me. I had to be the first one there.

Pena Palace

After exploring the palace and admiring its colorful architecture, we headed to Quinta de Regaleira. This place is most famous for the Initiation Well –  a circular staircase heading inside the ground. I liked the well but I enjoyed more the buildings in the park and their architecture.

Initiation Well

Our next stop was Monserrate Palace. Not many people visit this place and I couldn’t be happier. We had the entire palace to ourselves! We took some photos and decided to see Cabo da Roca as well.

Montserrate Palace

Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point in Europe. When we got there, the sun was about to set, shedding its orange light on the nearby cliffs. The view was spectacular!

After Cabo da Roca we went back to Lisbon, exhausted and tired. 

Cabo Da Roca

Our last stop in Portugal was Porto. We took the train from Lisbon, checked in our cozy apartment, and spent the next few days in this beautiful city. Porto’s architecture is quite different from Lisbon’s. Everywhere around the city you can see narrow houses covered in multicolored tiles. 

Out of the two cities, I liked Porto more. Soon I will post a few guides on my blog about these two cities. Can’t wait to share with you all the incredible places I’ve seen in Lisbon and Porto! Meanwhile, let’s talk about my travel plans because I have a few exciting news!

2. Travel plans

A few years ago I visited Iceland during winter, hoping to see the Northern Lights. We weren’t very lucky and we only saw a blurry, faded, green sky. This March I’ll be traveling to Lapland, Finland, to one of the most famous resorts in the area (more details soon on my Insta).

With a bit of luck, I’ll get another chance to see the Aurora Borealis. Also, we have other awesome activities planned such as husky sledding, snowshoeing, and more. Stay tuned for updates!

3. Blog updates

The Coronavirus definitely affected my blog traffic. Since my blog is mostly about Asia, I lost quite a lot of traffic. However, I’m confident that all of this will eventually go away and everything will get back to normal.

I spent the last months focusing on updating older posts instead of creating new content. However, I managed to write a few posts. Here they are:

See you next month with fresh updates from our trip to Lapland. If you have any letters for Santa, send them to me and I’ll make sure they’ll reach their destination ;). Thanks for reading my monthly travel journals!

May the travel bug bite you!

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Aurelia Teslaru

Aurelia Teslaru is a professional travel blogger and the writer behind Daily Travel Pill. With a 4-year experience as a travel writer and photographer, Aurelia only shares travel guides about destinations that she visited.

She has been to more than 40 countries during the past 10 years and aims to explore 50 countries before turning 30 years old. Aurelia is a digital nomad who transformed her passion for travel into a lifestyle. Read more about her here.

To follow her adventures, check out her Instagram and Facebook pages!


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