IJburg – living on the artificial island

It is rather common to think about the Netherlands as a country determined by highly skilled management of water. A substantial part of this country lies below the sea level. For most of the tourists Holland means: good cheese, tulips and bicycles. I would like to convince you that Holland is not just flowers and water. It is also a country of modern architecture and advance engineer solutions. To see a real housing innovation you ... Read more

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On the top

While it might be trivial as all travel guides say it I would still encourage you start your visit in Milan from the central square. This is a busy square packed with people in organized groups, Japanese mostly. For me the best time to visit this place was during the night: it looks marvelous. It is beautifully illuminated! But if I was in Milan only for a short visit and had no chance to wait until the dark I would recommend a ... Read more

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Shipwreck

“The voyage will not teach you anything if you do not accord it the right to destroy you – a rule as old as the world itself. A voyage is like a shipwreck, and those whose boat has never sunk will never know anything about the sea. The rest is skating or tourism”. Nicolas Bouvier Le Vide e le Plein. Carnets du Japon 1964-1970 Read more

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Old school trams in Milan

The nice thing to do in Milan is to go somewhere by tram. The city center is covered with the electric net which feeds old and modern trams. Take a ride. Just for a change. To make it really nice and kind of ‘old school’ or ‘vintage’ impression take the old wooden tram which makes a terrible noise. These trams have funny additional step that magically appears when the door is open. Be careful and hold on: these trams may sometimes ... Read more

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Red wooden horse

The theme of souvenirs and artifacts bought in remote places, their originality or falsity is often discussed. It sometimes stirs emotions of a traveler who went to the end of the world and brought it home where a receiver of this precious goody discovers ‘made in China’ written on a hidden part of the object. Although I rarely buy so called souvenirs I remember that before my first trip to Norway I wanted to buy a red ... Read more

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Fashion in Milan

Milan is known for its love for fashion. Now, being a student often means that your lifestyle is dramatically limited by the budget you have. Mine was and so I missed my opportunity to witness the ‘big world’ at my doorstep. But having an invitation for the Milan Fashion Week is not the only way to see fashion. I would suggest you to walk the main streets like Via Dante, Corso Magenta, or Foro Buonaparte to see ordinary people that ... Read more

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Getting ready

So, if you read this post you have already known my biggest dream: the trip around the world. I am pretty sure that many children have such a dream but not all of them are able to pursue this dream further when they have grown up. For some people a long travel is a dream that has never come true but they still keep dreaming. Some others say to themselves that even it was their dream they are too old, too lazy or too busy to do it. ... Read more

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Far to the north. One day in Narvik

I have never thought that one day I will cross a polar circle. It’s not that I have always loved sun and beach and I have never spent my holiday in a cold place. It was just SO far away! If you think about the Earth and they way the continents are placed you will see that European Nordic countries are really far to the North. While spending one of my summer holiday in Scandinavia I thought it might be a good idea to visit Narvik. I ... Read more

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Milan – the city where everything began

Like hundreds of European students I participated the students’ exchange programme. While doing my postgrad studies I went to Milan in Italy and spend there six months studying Chinese and Japanese cultures and languages. What may I say about this time? It was a long time ago but today I am pretty sure this was a sort of a turning point. Suddenly, I was left alone in a big unknown city with a task to study and to live for half a ... Read more

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Everything starts with an idea

Everything starts with an idea. This is how my journey has started and this is how this blog has been created. I had been studying mobility, migration and all kinds of movement for years and suddenly I realized how little I knew. I mean, I got familiar with some clever theories that attempt to explain you why, how and when, but honestly I had the impression that I was missing the point. My idea is pretty straightforward: using my ... Read more

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