Würzburg is special to me. For a large number of reasons, the city on the Main river has a very important place in my heart.

The capital of the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria, Würzburg has been a very important centre for religion and education since Early and Medieval history. A former Celtic territory, the city was later invaded by two Germanic tribes and then christianised by the Irish missionaries Kilian, Kolonat and Totnan. The first appointed bishop, Saint Burkhard, created a duchy which extended to Eastern Franconia. Würzburg became the seat of many Imperial Diets thus giving this city a feature that not many others possess: in Würzburg, the church and the Imperial powers were merged in one. Even the Old City's layout has the shape of a mitre, a bishop's hat.

Würzburg is also the seat of one of the oldest universities in Germany. Founded in 1402, Uni Würzburg has 10 faculties all over town and approx. 22,000 students, with more than a thousand of them coming from other countries. As a consequence, this medium-sized city feels somehow like a big metropolis! Here you'll find great Kebab restaurants (Try Istanbul Kebab on the Kaiserstraße, one of the best ones in town), Chinese food, Vietnamese cuisine (Ha Long Bay has the best attention by the kindest Vietnamese folks I've met) and regional dishes such as the Bratwurst am Marktplatz (The best one you'll ever have), plus the characteristic dry white wine, the Frankenwein, which has a large fan base including Goethe.

Because this post is about Würzburg, I'll allow myself to be a bit more personal. My life is and will forever be linked to this city. It was here where my parents got married and started our family. Coming here to visit my family is what developed my love for traveling in the first place. Just the sights of the Old Main bridge with its statues of saints and gulls flying around them, the Marienberg Fortress adorned by vineyards, people sipping on their Aperol Spritz and chatting while they sit on the Mainufer, the Baroque beauty of the Residenz; these views give me all I need to keep going.

As simple as this: there is no place more charming on Earth to me.

View of the Marienberg fortress.

Juliuspromenade.

This view welcomes everyone at the Bahnhof (train station).

Baroque beauty: Juliusspital, which houses a hospital and the second largest winery in Germany.

Juliusspital.

Juliusspital.

Alter Kranen.

Die Mainperle. Another shot of the Marienberg fortress and the Old Main bridge.

Those walks along the Mainkai...

Domstraße with the Würzburg Cathedral in Romanesque style.

Stadt Mainz restaurant, where my parents celebrated their wedding.

Marienkapelle and Haus zum Falken.

Colourful side streets.

Würzburger Residenz, one the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Europe.

Residenz zu Würzburg.

I like to think life is composed of cycles. You begin one, it leads you to a discovery and subsequently to an end. But what happens if we keep repeating these cycles? Every single time I wake up in the morning I repeat one. Let me tell you more about it.

Haven't you ever asked yourself if you really like the city you live in? You see, sometimes we take things for granted and never ask ourselves if anything could be different.

When I was still a student (this wasn't so long ago), I used to take the bus to University. During these bus rides, which on some occasions were hell on Earth, I had time to think about Panama City. Why aren't there enough sidewalks? Why do people keep parking their cars on the few sidewalks there are? How come the public transportation system doesn't meet the needs of the growing population of this city? Why do pedestrians have to fear for their lives whenever they cross a street? These reflections were pretty long sometimes, due to the fact that it was almost unbearable to be standing in a bus for more than 2 hours when it takes just 15 to 20 minutes from my house to the University. As I said, the public transportation system is totally unreliable and inefficient in a city quite often presented as the most prosperous of Central America. Boom!

Inside the bus you had to pray to avoid the spot near the air conditioning leak, but when it's quincena (pay day) and 4:00 pm, you'll suffer anyway. If you want to try and make the ride more pleasant, music's the option. Unless a chacalito takes out his super cool Iphone and listens to his music without earphones so everyone enjoys it too. And my friends know I'm never sarcastic.

So, this all leads to the next question: How come we don't dislike our city, when it is almost inhospitable for humans? In an effort to change my mind, I wanted to paint with light the beauty of scenes I used to see everyday on my way to University or around my block.

After a long day, the best idea was to just grab my sneakers and jog or take a walk around my neighbourhood with the intention of relaxing at my favourite place. From there, you have the best view of the Cerro Ancon, the skyline, the Pacific Ocean and the Metropolitan Park, to me the most beautiful of all the interesting places to visit in Panama City. With this sight before me, I convince myself of the following: "To dislike the city is to dislike yourself". I swear the world looks more beautiful from up there and I know it is a rather messy, but wonderful city and I'm at peace again. Then I walk home and the cycle starts all over again.

Tumba Muerto.

Dos Mares.

Tumba Muerto.

Plaza Edison.

Plaza Edison. This graffiti no longer exists.

Plaza Edison.

The beginning of the cycle.

For some reason we're always in search of a sweet escape from our lives and from the city. It sounds a bit cliché, but there are in fact places where your levels of stress are reduced to the minimum  and you can see the world for what it is, a wonderful place, again. One of such places for me is Ciudad del Saber in Clayton.

Fort Clayton was a part of the Panama Canal Zone, controlled by the US until 1999. Nowadays, a part of Clayton called Ciudad del Saber (In English City of Knowledge) is the beloved area that promising young companies and start-ups choose to set up their headquarters. It also hosts a University, several schools and many important UN offices and other organisations. In here it's all green, lush and nature. I could make up just about any excuse to come here and wander between gigantic palms and other native trees while I sip on my delicious smoothie made with fresh fruits of Jungle Juice (a family-run business which offers the best juices in La Plaza, totally recommended). My favourite one? I love them all! Although I really liked "very berry" and "tropical rush". Make sure you try their tasty products at La Plaza.

Talking about La Plaza, I have to say I'm in love with the architecture and the idea behind this small food court on a corner of Ciudad del Saber. It is the first Gold certified LEED building in the city, which basically means that it meets all the requirements that make it eco-friendly and sustainable, according to the US Green Building Council. With its innovative design, the layout of La Plaza promotes natural ventilation, hence the sensation of fresh air all around you. It is an example of how architecture designed for tropical countries really makes the difference and should replace the skyscrapers whose air conditioning system must surely consume an enormous amount of energy per day.

Nonetheless, there is something else I must mention. It is hard to believe how difficult it was to regain sovereignty of the Canal Zone territories. If you think of how many generations fought and how long it took until these areas belonged once again to the original and rightful owners, you'd be surprised to find out Ciudad del Saber is not even on the mind map of many Panamanians. With all the green spaces where you could just go and have a picknick or take a walk, Ciudad del Saber is not as visited as it should be.

So, here's my message to everyone out there. Go and enjoy your green spaces! Take advantage of what your grandma and grandpa could never see with their eyes, because of the historic situation they had to live. But remember not to litter. Take all what you consume back home or to the nearest trash can and don't spoil the beauty of this area.

We Panamanians are so lucky to have the jungle at our feet, with plenty of green areas and a large variety of activities we can undertake. Let's discover and enjoy what surrounds us and what makes our city unique. In the end, it's all what we really have.

Near the recycling station of Ciudad del Saber. It's still a small initiative, but it exists and it works. Hopefully it turns into a habit for Panamanians.

Parque de los lagos, Ciudad del Saber.

Parque de los lagos, Ciudad del Saber. Love the typical Zonian architecture of the buildings all around this park.

No one around on a Sunday morning except for us.

Parque de los lagos, Ciudad del Saber.

Parque de los lagos, the beautiful park with ponds on a Sunday morning.

La Plaza de Ciudad del Saber.

Even skaters come and hang out in the park.

Taken during the preps for the last concert of the Panama Jazz Festival in January.

Sunset over the Panama Canal and Ciudad del Saber.

Best friends are the best company. With Giuseppina.