Wanderlust

... or why I can't seem to stop traveling

I am originally from Venezuela, I have moved around a lot in the past 7 years. I lived in Bremen, Germany, for almost 4 years, in  Birmingham, UK, for over 3 years, and now I'm living in Barcelona, Spain. One of the things I want to post in this blog is my trips. I have a nomadic blood and I will share my experience with those of you that fancy reading about it.

Caracas 

This is my first travel post and I'll dedicate it to my home town: Caracas, Venezuela. 

I found in wikipedia that Venezuela is 4 times the size of the UK (yes, the whole island), but Caracas is actually more or less the size of London (both metropolitan areas), but with less people. I'm not entirely sure that including the adjacent areas  (satellite cities, etc) if Caracas would be smaller than London or equivalent in size. One thing I can say is that Caracas is for sure more chaotic and less prepared for the quantity of people it has. 

Caracas was originally planned for 1 million people, and now has roughly 3 million living there, but around 6 to 7 million commuting everyday to work. The consequence, a lot of traffic. You can be stuck in traffic for hours (literally). In rush hour, a lot of people choose to stay at work for longer, to avoid traffic, or maybe go have a drink or to the cinema (which is not so much the case now, because the city has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world). It's better to wait until traffic is better than to be stuck in your car for hours. 

One thing I miss from Caracas is the Avila mountain (now called by its indigenous name: Waraira Repano). It surrounds the valley of Caracas, and its always at the north. I feel a little lost without my reference of the north. I think a Caraqueño abroad always misses the Avila, it's a feeling I can't even explain. 

I read once on a blog that Caracas is like a crazy girlfriend (Caracas es una novia loca - sorry, in Spanish), and it's kind of true, you love it and at the same time you hate it. Caracas was my home for 25 years, it taught me everything, and for that it has a very special place in my heart. It's sad that has become such a violent and dangerous city.  

I also miss my University, my alma mater, Universidad Central de Venezuela, its campus was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000, designed by Carlos Raul Villanueva. A university that gave me a home for almost 6 years and has been a huge part of me and my life. 

I loved having a hot dog at 3 am after a night out with my friends, I loved walking around Altamira and people watching at Plaza Francia, I loved the weather, not too hot and not too cold, even though I always complained about not having seasons. 

A video of a hot dog/ burger stand - very common in Caracas