Of all the questions we’ve been asked since taking a break back home and visiting family and friends, the most common one has to be “What was your favourite city?”
Which is a pretty tough question to answer.
We travelled to 55 different cities last year. All of them had their benefits and their flaws, but we were happy with almost all of our destination decisions.
However, that isn’t the answer that I give them, these people who are hungry for answers. (Or maybe just bored with our travel talk and want to condense the conversation into one easy-to-digest anecdote).
I give them the names of two cities, the two that I enjoyed the most. The ones that truly made me feel as though I was experiencing something exciting and new. The ones I could possibly even see myself living in one day.
And although this appeases them, I feel as though I have cheated the others, like a child who is picked as a favourite by their parents.
So, in the interests of fairness (and to stop all the questions – sorry, people, this is just easier) I thought I’d share with you my favourite cities from last year, starting with my two absolute favourites and the ones I always give as an answer: Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Amsterdam
What can I say about Amsterdam that I haven’t probably already waxed poetic about before? I had wanted to visit the city for several years before I actually made it there and have always had a strange sense that one day I will live there as an expat. Don’t ask me why, but I just always felt that it would be a good fit for me. And it was.
The quality of life in the city (the slightly more flexible work environments and the focus on cycling and using public transport instead of driving) make everyone so much more relaxed and happy. The melting pot of different cuisines is great for a foodie like me and the canals just give it the feel of somewhere “special”.
Hong Kong
Before I went to Hong Kong, I pictured it to be much like an Asian version of New York. And I was spot on.
It is like New York, but with even busier streets and better dumplings. The city’s skyline is one of the most extravagant and built-up of any city I’ve visited; just looking at it gives you chills (in a good way). It is somewhere you see on TV and in movies your whole life and then when you’re there, you really can’t believe that you actually ARE there. I had to pinch myself a few times in the five days we were there and I still only believe I was there when I see myself in the photos.
Las Vegas
Ahhh, Vegas. You all know how much I love Vegas.
Strangely, this is another city that I could honestly see me living in one day (that is, if my fair complexion could take the summer sun). What many people don’t realise is that there’s other things to do in Vegas besides sit in a casino all day and I love the vibrancy, the excitement and the wealth of restaurants and bars in the city.
Although many would probably criticise the fact that we started our round-the-world trip there, in our eyes there was no better place to start than in a city that both of us have loved our whole lives.
Sarajevo
I’ve talked before about how surprised I was at Sarajevo. Surprised by its beauty. Surprised by its cosmopolitan atmosphere. Surprised by its friendliness.
I tend to have a soft spot for any city that can incorporate an old town centre in modern surroundings and Sarajevo does this wonderfully. It is like strolling through history and the modern day all in one visit. The mix of different cultures and religions also makes it feel so much different to anywhere I had ever visited before.
Dunedin
This may seem like an odd one to most, this lesser-known city in New Zealand. And although it isn’t the most picturesque of the country’s cities, I had a great time there.
As a university town, it offers a fun atmosphere, lots of fabulous food options (at good prices) and is close enough to the beach that you don’t ever have to feel as though you are being swallowed up by the city.
It even has a Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory there, for goodness sakes. That alone means that it deserves its spot on this list.
Melaka
Melaka was my “home” for a whole month in May. What started out as a quaint little town that we had enjoyed first visit around, quickly became filled with some of our most cherished shops, restaurants and people.
Melaka may only be small, but it’s perfectly formed, and if you scratch beneath the surface you can find some hidden gems away from the tourist trail of Jonkers Street.
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