#1- Medellin

After thinking that it would be cold for the last time at the airport, we did not have the flight from Madrid to Medellin on our mind. We have never experienced a climate situation like this on a flight, comparable to a car ride in the winter without windows. Or almost. At least it felt that way.

In Medellin, we didn't have to wait for our luggage and were able to start our journey to our apartment right away. Our driver, Juan, speaks good English and sold us "his city" like no other. Not in an intrusive way, but simply unbelievably open, friendly, and welcoming. We will definitely visit Juan again.

Our accommodation is a small, cozy loft. An architectural masterpiece with a toilet, sink, and shower in a 2m² space. In the morning, we realize how beautifully green our home is. We live in "el Poblado", more precisely in Parc Lleras, a safe neighborhood with many bars, cafes, and restaurants. They are all specifically and charmingly decorated, and we can hear music from speakers everywhere. But it is rather touristy. The people have been consistently friendly and helpful so far, also patient when our Spanish is a bit clumsy because English is not widely spoken outside of hotels.

Our first destination this Monday morning is or should be the Metrocable station, where we take a short (in the end a long) ride on a gondola over the Comuna 13 neighborhood and up to the city. For the equivalent of CHF 1.70, we drive over this unique city and this impressive neighborhood. Where the police and the cartel used to have a daily fight, we can now imagine the violence. It is clearly visible how much poverty is present in these brick huts with tin roofs, but still, we can feel how much progress has been made. Countless tin roofs are covered in flowers or animals, and everywhere we can see spectacular graffiti that lets us forget about the bad reputation of the neighborhood. Children's laughter and the noise of playing can be heard from all the schools that have been built. The extensive public transportation system stands out, it feels like buses go to every corner and you never have to wait long. But still, something weighs on the mood, maybe it's just respect for the size of the city, or maybe it's the oppressive feeling of the violence that has existed or maybe still exists... in any case, we feel better in the gondola than on the ground. We haven't seen the unique escalator in Comuna 13 yet, which was built especially for the older people in these hills... maybe we'll have the opportunity to see it, but for now, let's first absorb the first impressions.