And so I say goodbye to 2015. A year full of emotions and unexpected adventures. As any ordinary person on the final day of the year I reflected on everything that was left to do but also the achievements I managed to complete. At the end of the day it's the good things that are worth celebrating.

In 2015 I moved to London and started a new job. The early months were a huge emotional challenge. Leaving my parents, friends and family (and all my crap too) and going to one of the biggest cities in the world and starting a social life (nearly) from nothing was an exhaustive process.

Very quickly I started to hate public transport, crowds and everything involving the city. It was painful emotionally, for me, to plan anything because I didn't know anyone and trying to work out the best way to get to a particular place in the city was a nightmare.

However, time passes and I got to know new people who took me to visit new things and have new experiences which I wouldn't put myself through in my spare time, and now I know the transport network better than the back of my own hand, a journey of 45 minutes changing trains three times doesn't scare me anymore. I took almost four months to start to like London. Now I love it.

Changing jobs didn't leave me with many days to take off as holiday but nevertheless I managed to travel a little bit. For those that have read this blog may have seen posts about Tenerife, Amsterdam, Brugge and Copenhagen. Not to mention visiting Portugal a few times and other places in England (Brighton and Weston-super-mare).

I don't yet know what 2016 will bring, but signing up to the gym is definitely on my list!

Happy New Year,
Ana

Há duas semanas atrás fomos visitar Bruges e Copenhaga. Planeamos esta pausa há alguns meses atrás mas demasiado tarde para sermos mais ambiciosos. Eu pessoalmente gosto de viajar no inverno mas pode ser um bocadinho mais complicado para estar devidamente preparado para o frio.

Decidimos partir de Londres (usando o Eurostar) para Bruxelas, daí apanhar um comboio para Bruges e voltar dois dias mais tarde a Bruxelas para apanhar um voo para Copenhaga.

Copenhaga é uma cidade particularmente interessante, no entanto não me cativou como Bruges. Eu prefiro cidades "paradas no tempo" onde posso sentir que estou também a viajar na história. Com grandes e belos novos edifícios, Copenhaga é excelente para apaixonados por arquitectura, mas é um pouco mais moderna do que esperava.

Dois dias não foram suficientes para fazer tudo o que queríamos. Fizemos tours de autocarro e barco mas infelizmente as nossas visitas a museus foram muito limitadas (o que é pena dado que os museus em Copenhaga são, na sua maioria, gratuitos).

Passamos uma tarde no Tivoli: um dos mais antigos parques de diversões.

Recomendações:

• Comprar Hop on - Hop off tours (autocarro e barco) - se visitarem numa altura em que os canais estão congelados pode não ser a melhor ideia;
• Visitar o Tivoli é mais caro às sextas-feiras - informem-se antes de visitar;
• Não visitem o Guiness world records!

Comida e bebidas (esta lista foi feita por um amigo meu que viveu na Dinamarca):

• http://cofoco.dk/da/restauranter/hoest/
• http://www.madklubben.dk/bistro-de-luxe/
• http://halifax.dk/restauranterne
• http://torvehallernekbh.dk/
• http://llamarestaurant.dk/
• http://cofoco.dk/da/restauranter/oysters-and-grill/

Bruges is a small city in Belgium it might be a little bit more known because of the movie In Bruges but it is also a very popular destination for a small romantic break. In every canal and chocolate shops there is a piece of history and it is really easy to fall in love with the city.

Recommended bars and restaurants:

• 't Brugs Beertje (Bar)
• De Belleman (Bar)
• Bistro Den Huzaar (Restaurant: kitchen closes at 20h)

Recommended activities:

• Belfort (I have vertigo so I couldn't go to the very top - but I recommend! PS.: everyone who is under 26 has a discount);
• Historium (immersive experience! Great to learn about Bruge's history. PS.: our hotel gave us a map that included a discount for this tour);
• Horseback carriage (find them in the main square. They will take you on a romantic tour to the old city - 44€);

Since our visit was in November, the canal boat tours were not operating but the city was full of Christmas decorations and Christmas markets (which made the city even more beautiful). Sadly it is a very expensive city and it is very easy to spend a lot of money (especially in food and souvenirs).

This past week I visited another cat cafe, The Cat Village. The idea is simple: a cafe with cats. It is possible to request what you would usually request in a cafe but here you get to play with the existing cats. That are some rules that are announced upon your arrival but other than that all you need is to book your visit on their website.

All the 14 kittens were adorable, playful and very kind so interacting with them was really easy.

Unlike the other cat cafe that I visited before, this one has a better playground for the cats to sleep and climb.

It's 5£ per person and per hour and the last time to visit it is at 20h00, which allowed me to go after work.

Useful links:

• Cat Village