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At Only-apartments we have the #OnlyBeFrom philosophy down to a T, and we’ve wanted to share it with some of our favorite travel bloggers. They, more than anyone, know destinations, from the most popular to the most offbeat, and always experienced from a local perspective, living every moment through their 5 senses. That is the reason we’ve hand-picked them to answer the question “Where would you like to be from?” Their responses have been as surprising as varied. Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge of such fascinating places!
Traveldudes
I would like to be from Cologne, Germany. Lucky me, as that’s where I’m from! I was first thinking to answer that question with Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro or Vancouver. Those cities are simply awesome, but they are also quite far away from everything else. Europe is the place to be for me, as you’ll find so many countries with its different cultures on very short distances. You don’t even need to fly from one to another place. Just hop into the car and drive for 1-2 hours and everything will change completely, starting with the landscape, the people, the food, languages and the culture.
Cologne itself is a beautiful city with easy going folks. It doesn’t have the size of a metropol and still offers what those provide like top: nightlife, cafes, restaurants, shopping streets, museums… Just a short drive towards the East you’ll get into the Bergisches Land. This is is a fabulous region for hiking and activities, all surrounded in a hilly and green countryside.
Cologne got a cozy airport, which is very well connected to many other cities in Europe. And if you should not find a flight, the airports of Dusseldorf and Frankfurt are also close by. So with Cologne you got a great place to live, which also offers the option to explore Europe and the rest of the world.
Traveldudes.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/traveldudes
Twitter: @traveldudes
Viajeros Callejeros
“If we were to decide on a place to live in and be from this very second, that would be Sri Lanka. It’s a country where we discover a new way of seeing life and, most of all, a new way of living it.
We’d probably choose the southern part, in a small village by a beach to enjoy the sea and work under a coconut tree. It doesn’t seem like a bad outlook, right?
There, we meet friendly people that live in a relaxed manner, without the stress we are unfortunately used to in this part of the world. The truth is it would be nice to forget about it and lead a quieter existence in every aspect.
And considering that the Maldives are a mere stone’s throw away for an occasional escapade, now that there’s such a thing as low-cost Maldives, there’s no doubt that Sri Lanka is one of our top destinations.”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ViajerosCallejeros
Twitter: @viajeroscalle
L’Oiseau Rose
“I would love to live in Singapore !
Why ? Because it’s a modern city, where everything is possible …
Life is easy and these people speak English, which facilitates exchanges. Jobs abound and expatriates are already numerous. So it’s relatively easy to integrate this welcoming city.
Also, Singapore is located in the heart of my favorite continent, Asia ! So, if I lived in Singapore, I could, enjoy the modernism of the city travel easily to countries around; like Indonesia or Thailand.
I can also say that the town is very pretty, nice, clean, and it is easy to get around. Some people believe that the city has many unpleasant rules. But, after spending some time in Singapore, we realize that these rules are especially useful and help to maintain the respect and politeness among these inhabitants.
It is also good to walk at night along the Singapore River, a treat ! The city never sleep, and this is a good point for young people like me who like to live a hundred miles an hour !”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/loiseaurose
Twitter: @loiseaurose
Foto Escapada
“Traveling to a big city like New York is an adventure to experience at some point in life. We’ve all seen its main monuments and streets in countless movies and news articles, but getting off the subway for the very first time in the heart of Manhattan, one can’t help but be astonished at the hundreds of huge skyscrapers all around, and the intense flow of people moving from one place to another.
New York is a city where you can be a tourist and, at the same time, feel like just another resident. No one in particular stands out from the crowd, and yet, you meet all sorts of people. After walking its streets for a short while, you already know where to buy some street food to keep on sightseeing non-stop, you identify the main buildings that enable you to navigate the city without getting lost, you get on the subway as if it was that of your own city, and you roam from store to store buying anything. Impossible not to end up becoming a New Yorker.
Ever since achieving my dream of traveling to New York, I have a new dream: living there and being able to do things such as walking through Central Park, visiting its museums, getting lost in Wall Street, crossing over the Manhattan Bridge, eating in China Town or Little Italy, watching the sunset from the top of its skyscrapers, or sailing to the Statue of Liberty to take pictures of the Big Apple’s skyline over and over again.”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FotoEscapada
Twitter: @FotoEscapada
Los Viajes de Claudia
“The Only-apartments crew asked me where I’d like to be from, and I didn’t hesitate for a second:
Not even the whimsical Irish weather (and its irritating wish to experience all four seasons within a day) can turn to gray the lovely Galway; one of the most luminous cities I’ve ever visited, which doesn’t lose its color even on the cloudiest of days, and where I’ve had the pleasure of living long enough (albeit for a much shorter period than I’d have liked to) to fall head over heels for it.
It is Ireland’s city of culture, and I can understand why. Its streets are brimming with entertainment: comedy festivals, street performers that are true artists, improvised Celtic music gigs at any odd pub, flea markets, art galleries, items in thrift stores…
Galway welcomes anyone from their very arrival. It is an alternative city, and yet it is very protective of its traditions. It extols music above all else (which fascinates me) and in it, any stranger turns into a friend as they toast their pint to yours, or exchange a few words for no particular reason.
The picture below shows one of Galway’s most popular areas, Spanish Arch, on a sunny day with lots of Irish folk roasting in the sun:
Going back to the question, “where would you like to be from?” the best of Galway is that you don’t have to be from Galway to feel like you belong.”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Los-viajes-de-Claudia
Twitter: @lvdclaudia
ViaggiaredaSoli
“I’d love to be able to live in Paris; I’m not sure whether I’d do it for a lifetime but I’m positive that I’d stay there a while. Yes, a long while. If that ever happened, I’d even take up on that frantic way of crossing the street, or that half-angry attitude that makes all French women so alluring.
Taking into account that I wasn’t born in Paris, and since I can’t rewind my life, I’ve come up with the solution of traveling to that wonderful city at least twice a year, staying for 10 to 15 days at a time, and choosing different neighborhoods to live like a true Parisian. I work sat at a cafeteria, I eat cheese while enjoying a glass of white wine, I spend nights sat by the banks of the Seine River in the arms of the Frenchman that stole my heart, and when it rains I look out the window and I see the gray Parisian sky as a teardrop.
In my Parisian dream I live in Paris’ Tenth District, in a small attic overlooking Canal Saint-Martin. On mornings I go to the Saint-Martin market wrapped in a huge mélange wool shawl. Then I head to one of my favorite coworking spaces, passing by a patisserie. The hours go slowly but intensely to end up at Chez Prune, where I enjoy a beer by the canal while I wait for friends to go out with for dinner.
I could do it for a long, long time.”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ViaggiareDaSoli/
Twitter: @ViaggiaredaSoli
