The end of a nice story...

Hey lads! This is the very last post as our trip came to its end last Thursday! It comes from the comfort of home, with our bellies full of delicious homemade meals but already missing the road and all the tickling associated to travelling.
Georgia was a great surprise, one of those places that you do not expect much and finally reward you greatly. In a way it was just an obstacle that we had to cross between Armenia and Turkey, but it is definitely a worth place to visit and discover. It sees very little tourists, some of its remote areas remain untouched and almost virgin. We did not have time to go North up the mountains, but it is already on the list... We had a fantastic time with our host family in Tbilisi, we shared dinners, breakfasts and drinks and endless conversations. This made our stay there special, and once more it is proved that travelling is about places and seeing but ultimately and above all it is about people, sharing and moments.
Getting back to Turkey was like getting back home, we love that country and arriving in Istanbul after a 24 hours bus journey was a great feeling. Turkey is a country that grows within you, that wins your heart little by little, and our three days in Istanbul just added more memorable experiences and places to an almost already full bucket of unforgettable Turkish memories. We had time to visit some sites that we did not see on our first week there when all started. We were delighted with the scents and colours of the Spices bazaar and with the grandeur majesty of Topkapi palace. We walked Istanbul enjoying again its lively streets, its tasty food and its welcoming people, we did a bit of shopping, specially lamps, alright, went a bid made with them as we absolutely adore them...but at the end got a nice deal with a great business man. A shop were after the first leg of the Champions league semifinals back in April, they assured us that Barcelona had no options to kick Chelsea out... We just said, nothing is impossible...And told them, hey, if we win the cup, we will come back and you give us a lamp for free...So we did!!!!
We left Istanbul knowing that we would go back soon or later. Its atmosphere is unique, special and enchanting. It is a city full of character, with a strong identity, with people that look east and people that look west, and definitely the authentic entry door to Asia and its exoticism and charms. We got to Athens after a 24 hours train journey, long but comfortable. Athens is Europe, no one will stop you there on the streets, any shop tender will invite you to tea while trying to sell, no one will show curiosity for you and your whereabouts. It was cold, impersonal and expensive. A city centre packed with hotels, restaurants and thousands of souvenir shops. Absolutely taken by hordes of tourists we did not really enjoy it although the Acropolis and the countless ruins scattered around the city added some positive bonus. We escaped four days to Aegina, an island near Athens, not really known, but handy as it was close and offering what we needed, just beach, sand and tasty food. So it made the job, we rested and ate extremely well and loved the Greek cuisine: cheese, yogurt, vegetables, fish, olives and oil, uhhhhhh we already gained some of the Kilos that we lost with the bloody Iranian diet...
Now back home, the feelings are mixed, as always when someone goes back after a long trip. It is time to look backwards and learn about what this trip meant and taught us. Someone said that travelling is glamorous in retrospect, and we kind of agree with that. This trip has been different, intense, difficult at some points, but so rewarding and full of great moments and amazing people. We will always remember Iran and its people, so pure and genuine, so welcoming and innocent, so curious and helpful. The bad experiences or the downs we had there have little weight now in our memories, and the balance is hugely positive, a really special place that we had the luck and pleasure to live, feel and love. Turkey is not that far either, and we can just talk good things about it.
And now what? Good question with no definitive answer. We will keep thinking and living our live without looking a lot to the future, mainly living and enjoying the present as this is for real and no one knows if the future will certainly be present one day. So, thinking in a short frame of time, we will try to settle down in Catalunya where we have little dreams to achive, being the cornerstone a house in the fields. Step by step, as rush is not a good companion, we will see how we feel here, how we like it and how it goes, but nothing is for good, and knowing us, soon or later will have to escape from the every day routine and travel again.
It has been a pleasure to travel with you guys, to feel your breath behind us and to share all this with you!!! All the best and see you soon!
Hugs and kisses from Catalunya!